NYWW faculties speak about their Nepal visit
New York Writers Workshop (NYWW) is organizing its annual workshop and conference in Kathmandu on May 22. The workshop is scheduled to culminate in the Himalayan Literature Festival (HLF) at Kathmandu Guest House on May 27 and 28. The workshop and the festival shall have participation of over 35 international authors and faculties as well as over 50 Nepali writers covering various genres. The workshop will be facilitated by expert faculties including Tim Tomlinson, co-founder of NYWW, Yuyutsu RD Sharma, poet and curator of HLF, Ravi Shankar, board member of NYWW, Julie William-Krishnan, international fine art photographer, Jami Proctor Xu, poet, essayist and translator, Dr Tony Barnstone, professor at Whittier College, California, and others.
Ken Subedi talked to them about the event.
Tim Tomlinson
Nepal strikes me as complicated and colorful. Spiritual retreats, rugged treks, white-capped mountains, lavender lotuses. I’m excited to experience it all. Above all, I come here to learn. The conference/workshop participants are coming from Poland and Panama, Australia and Armenia, the US and the UK, Singapore and South Africa, India and China. This will be a truly international conference filled with highly accomplished poets and writers engaged in generous cultural cross-pollination.
I’ll be looking at various ways that fiction intersects with and draws from travel. And I’ll be launching a new book, Listening to Fish, which provides something of an account of my own experiences visiting other worlds, specifically those under the surface of the sea.
Yuyutsu RD Sharma
Having worked in the Nepalese literary circles for the last four decades, I take this event as a summary of my struggles in the nation. To live with the currents and cross-currents of Nepali literary life, writing in Nepali, translating from Nepali into English, translating from English into Nepali, editing journal, Pratik and Nirala series, teaching in various campuses, all the contacts I earned will come into force in HLF festival and NYWW. So, I am very excited about doing in my own world what I have been doing during my travels across the world, to sing songs of the mighty Himalayas.
I have been traveling the world and in the words of American poet Walt Whitman building friendships as thick as tree-trunks. Finally curating the festival looks like returning home in its truest sense. I see the festival and workshop as grand feast for the Nepalese readerships and Nepalese literary community. I am sure the workshop will become a grand bridge to build connections between far flung literary worlds.
This workshop and festival will be the first of its kind covering 12 days with most exciting panels and readings and interactions. I plan to present a rich selection of finest writers out of the treasure trove of my literary friendships I have forged across continents. Scores of best-known poets and writers from five continents seems an exotic treat for my Nepali audiences. I can't believe it's actually happening right now.
Ravi Shankar
Exactly a decade ago in 2014, I had the good fortune to visit Nepal. I spent a week marveling at the syncretic culture, the emplacements of Buddhist stupas and Hindu shrines next to one another, the multicolored stalls of flower sellers and icon hawkers and copper utensils and DVDs next to pockets of profound meditative silence. I ran a poetry workshop at a local school, visited Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath, vying with monkeys for the view, was treated to Newari song and dance, strolled by the gnarled, coin-festooned stump of Viasha Dev, the toothache tree, along a chowk past Thahiti Tole, ate momos and tsampa in streetside stalls, was treated warmly by the Neaplese people, all under the magnificent presence of the Himalayas, which lent a mystical air to the everyday. I was commissioned to write a poem about Thomas Jefferson while visiting, and that poem "Thomas Jefferson in Kathmandu" was published in Caravan and has been anthologized and included on school curriculums.
Therefore, I am ecstatic to visit again, this time with the hope that I can penetrate further into the shamanistic mysteries of Nepalese culture and engage even more fully with readers and writers both local and international. Given the scope of the inaugural Himalayan Literature Festival, which we have been planning for months, I'm keen for the exchange between languages to happen and for us to be united in the shared love of art and letters.
The New York Writers Workshop and the Himalayan Literature Festival are truly unprecedented historical events. We will be bringing students and faculty from around the world, including Pushcart Prize, National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, Poetry Society and Pablo Neruda prize-winning poets, the first Asian to deliver the Derek Walcott Lecture at the Nobel Laureate Festival, publishers of iconic publications such as the Los Angeles Review of Books, Nirala, Drunken Boat, translators from the Chinese, Tamil, Spanish, Hindi, Dutch and Malayalam, professors who have taught at NYU, Columbia, Tufts, City University of Hong Kong, IIT-New Delhi, given TED talks and been featured at festivals around the world. During the NYWW workshop we will be doing generative writing exercises with well-published authors and creative excursions into the heart of Kathmandu and the two-day HLF (open to all!) will host simultaneous panels, including concurrent ones run in Nepalese, English and Newari, and a special keynote on the state of Indian literature that's not to be missed. Based on the shape of the program and interest from the locals, this should be a truly spectacular event.
I will be participating as host, moderator, panelist and performer at HLF. I plan to discuss bhakti poetry and writing through the mundane to arrive at the divine, to explore the spectrum of translation practice, and to introduce the audience to six of India's finest living writers who will appear together on stage for the very first time. I will also have some copies of my Memoir Magazine and Connecticut Book Award finalist memoir Correctional and my Muse India award winning translations of Andal, The Autobiography of a Goddess, with me for my Nepalese readers, and I will be available throughout the festival to speak formally and informally about publishing and the ways that we might collaborate with and sustain each other. For those who are interested, there is still space available in both the workshops and HLF and the coordinators can be contacted for sign ups. In my writing workshops, all the members will depart with a deeper understanding of craft and an original new text of their own that they can continue to polish for publication. I will be documenting my visit on the socials @empurpler.
Julie William-Krishnan
I am so very excited about this opportunity to visit Nepal, and for the purpose to be related to creativity. I have several friends from Nepal, and I have learned about Nepal through them over the years, and I am so excited to have the chance to experience their home country firsthand. The NYWW program is very inspiring, and I am excited to meet the various participants, as well as to visit the sites in Kathmandu and the surrounding region. I look forward to delicious food, beautiful sights, talking about writing/art, and seeing old friends and making some new ones.
I expect the NYWW workshop and the Himalayan Literature Festival to be enriching and exciting. I have been very excited to watch the momentum grow over the past few months as participants from around the world have confirmed their attendance. I expect many connections to be made between writers/artists, new conversations, the sharing of ideas, and lasting friendships to be formed.
I am a photographer first. Though I dabble in writing and have studied literature as well as photography. I am planning to share how images and words can work together for creative purpose, how they can each inspire the other. I will also share my personal journey as a fine art photographer.
Jami Proctor Xu
Nepal is a country I have wanted to visit for many years. China has been like my second home ever since I first lived there when I was nineteen, so I think of Nepal as a neighbor. I’ve also traveled many times to India, but somehow the timing never worked out to visit Nepal. I’ve been drawn there for the natural beauty, the cultural uniqueness and diversity of the Nepali people (as well as spiritual and cultural resonances with China, Tibet, and India), and by Nepali poets I’ve met at poetry events in China. I became friends with Yuyu several years ago, and he has kept inviting me. I’m grateful and thrilled I am finally able to get here. I know it will be meaningful for me on a spiritual level, and in terms of the Nepali people I meet. I am looking forward to hearing the work of many more Nepali writers during the Himalayan Literature Festival.
I think the workshop will be a magical time, the way writing events tend to be. Having writers and artists from around the world come together to share their ideas and work always seems to bring about exciting collaborations, as well as new work. The participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, and the faculty also has diverse yet overlapping interests that should bring about lively discussions and readings. I am extremely grateful to be part of a workshop in Kathmandu.
I will be reading some of my own poems, as well as translations by Chinese writers, discussing my work as a translator, and facilitating conversations with poets and visual artists on creating work within different media. I’ll also be exploring ways being in dialogue with place, self, other writers, and the natural world allows us to expand the possibilities of our own work. I think of poetry as a healing practice, and hope to bring some aspects of that into the shared spaces during the festival.
News in the digital era
Online media platforms have transformed the way people consume information by giving them easy access to a wide range of resources and real-time updates. Aaradhana Shrestha talked to three people on how online media has changed the way they get news and information.
Nibha Manandhar, 24
For me, the most significant shift in media consumption brought about by online media is the ease in accessing digital forms of conventional media, such as print media. Radio and broadcast media are also online, which makes it convenient to get some news whenever you have the time. As the internet is everywhere, online media allows for faster access to news than conventional media. Online media has also made it easy to offer comments and allows for a speedier two-way connection.
Harshita Agrawal, 21
In comparison to conventional media, I find that internet platforms keep me up to date on all current events. Accessing information has become simpler, and the ability to fact-check any story I find online has been a major game changer. While conventional media is clearly a reliable source of information, since it provides legitimacy, online news allows me to access it whenever I want without the risk of losing it. The best thing is that it’s easily accessible, requiring minimal effort.
Pranay Chuke, 31
Online media has significantly changed the way people consume news and information. It has made news and information accessible to a wider audience. The real-time updates of online media allow people to stay informed about the latest developments as they happen. Online media also plays a role in personalized news consumption, as users can customize their news feeds and receive content tailored to their interests and preferences. Online media has revolutionized the way people consume news and information, offering greater accessibility, interactivity, and personalization compared to traditional media.
Basundhara Park: A land where Pokhara rests
Perched on the edge of Phewa Lake, boasting greenery and picturesque surroundings, is the spacious Basundhara Park, a refuge for the people of Pokhara, especially those close to Lakeside. The park can be seen just below the road as one walks along his way to Barahi Ghat, where Taal Barahi is located. Right after walking past the slope of Baidam, one can feel that he has completely entered new territory. In a way, Lakeside epitomizes the city’s elegance. To say Lakeside has made Pokhara a grand place would be an understatement. Phewa Lake is an instrumental addition to Pokhara, making the city stand out among others. And in the heart of this cosmopolitan Lakeside is a lush park bearing the name ‘Basundhara Park’ that sees hundreds of visitors daily.
Rammaya Gurung, 37, carries a basket on her back and walks toward Basundhara Park to settle on the edge of the park with the aim of selling chatpate, her modest business opening only after sunset every day. “It is only after 5 that people start to stream in,” says Gurung, opening a packet of noodles to mix up. A 7-year-old Binita clings to her mother’s kurta as the mother asks her customer about their spice preferences. A shy girl only smiles, refusing to answer the questions posed by customers. “My husband is working in the Gulf, and it is how I supplement his income,” says Gurung with a smile.
A few meters away from Gurung’s junction is a Madhesi woman involved in the same business. However, her story is different. She looks down as she recalls how she lost her husband to the coronavirus pandemic. After the untimely demise of her husband, she couldn’t tolerate the harassment of her in-laws, so she took her belongings from her home district Saptari and followed her sister’s family to Pokhara, who has been running a juice shop in Malepatan for over seven years. Talking about the venue where she sets up her business day after day, she says, “At first, I was puzzled about where I should set up my chatpate stall, but once my sister showed me around this park, I decided this would be the perfect venue with the flow of so many visitors.” However, business, be it big or small, the woman says, is all about perseverance and patience. For women like her, the park has opened up the opportunity to earn and stand on their own feet.
One doesn’t need to pay rent while setting up such a business in the free spaces, so the lesser expenses mean that they can save up a good amount of money with low investment. Items they sell on streets and in parks, however, deteriorate one’s health if consumed regularly. Though the public is well aware that the consumption of chatpate is not good for health, the charm of such stalls in Basundhara Park is apparent. The best thing about these small business owners is that they have kept dustbins around the stalls to avoid people from throwing away papers and plastics. As a result, the sidewalks of Basundhara Park are spotless.
Recently, a circular trail has been built inside the park, and this development has spurred mixed opinions among the general public. Jivan Pokhrel, a regular visitor to the park, says that the concrete trail has tarnished the greenery, making the park look dull and less natural. The trail is always occupied with joggers of all ages. The benefit of having a concrete trail is that joggers don’t have to suffer from muddy patches during the monsoon season.
The park has changed a lot from what it used to be. Not many years ago, the park was plain, but now there are uneven surfaces all across the park, mostly in the southeast direction. Once, a dozer had intervened for construction work, and it affected the aesthetic beauty of the park. Since then, the southeast area of the park has been deserted, with the majority of people occupying the remaining spaces for picnics and gatherings. Schoolkids, families, and other informal groups often come to the park with home-cooked and packaged foods. While the sidewalks of the park are neat, the core area in the middle is always littered with wrappers, plastic plates, and bottles. “People have become educated, but they still can’t manage the waste they have produced. Basundhara Park is a pride of Lakeside, so waste management must be top-notch in order to preserve its beauty,” says Sanju Shrestha, who owns a beauty parlor near Basundhara Park.
For Subash Poudel, Basundhara Park is more than a place to chill out, as he has been clicking photographs of his clients for some years in the park. Especially newlyweds promptly agree to a photoshoot at this venue, says Poudel. The landscape offered by the park has inspired photographers to come and capture photos against the breathtaking backdrop of Phewa Lake.
Like Poudel, many people from different professions have chosen Basundhara Park as an unofficial workplace. The park authorities have shown flexibility by allowing people to utilize the space as they like. It is understandable that public parks are made accessible for the general public, but freedom must not come at the cost of the park’s sanitation.
The present condition of the toilet in Basundhara Park speaks volumes about the authorities’ insouciance. Although the toilet looks large from the outside, it is not in a usable state. It’s high time that the authorities started focusing on the park’s sanitation by either revamping the old toilet or building a new one.
Lately, a large number of youth groups have made Basundhara Park their playground, which must be urgently discouraged, and the authorities must impose restrictions on intense sports activities, allowing only light activities such as jogging and stretching. As the park is often crammed with people doing different activities for refreshment, there is a high chance that sports activities might injure people involved in their own recreations. The metropolitan area, along with the local government, must build an alternative ground around Lakeside to prevent people from playing at Basundhara Park. It should be clearly circulated that the park is only built for refreshment, and people from Pokhara should be mindful of the fact that Basundhara Park is associated with the tourism of Lakeside. The onus is on Pokhara residents to take care of Basundhara Park, which is one of the key attractions for the tourists coming to visit Pokhara.
Need for tailored conservation intervention to conserve red panda
The red panda is one of the few species which have gained heightened conservation attention in Nepal. While the outcomes of the conservation are highly positive in some parts of the country, the scenario is opposite in other parts, highlighting the need to reconsider the conservation intervention in those areas.
The red panda, a member of the Ailuridae family, is an endangered species found in the subtropical and temperate forests. It is also known by the names such as cat bears, lesser pandas, shining cat, firefox, first panda and fox bear. New research classified red pandas into two distinct species: the red panda of Nepal, Bhutan, northern India, northern Myanmar, Tibet and western Yunnan Province of China as the Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens). Its relative in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China is the Chinese red panda (Ailurus styani). This species is crucial for maintaining ecological balance. Red pandas are specialized in their habitat and eat primarily bamboo, which makes them an ideal flagship species to inspire public support for biodiversity conservation.
Organizations like the Red Panda Network are diligently at work in eastern Nepal restoring habitats. These projects include planting bamboo, which is a major source of food for red pandas, reforestation, community-based awareness campaigns, and the construction of wildlife corridors that connect fragmented habitats and make it safer for the animals to move between them. Additionally, the rainwater collected during the monsoon is used to plant seedlings for habitat restoration sites that will be used during the dry season. And promote ecotourism, which can give nearby communities another source of revenue. Six distinct places in eastern Nepal have previously shown success with this intervention: Dobato, Gorkhe, and Choyatar in the Ilam district; Pathibhara region in Taplejung district; Ghyangphedi and Cholangpati in the LNP and garner support for ongoing conservation endeavors. One of the reasons for the successful outcomes in those regions might be the ability of the conservation interventions to link conservation to livelihood particularly through ecotourism activities.
Conservationists have tried to replicate the efforts in western Nepal, with the focus on public awareness. Different organization programmes have been launched to be aware of the illicit trade of wildlife parts and discussed solutions for, reporting wildlife crime throughout the district and neighboring districts. However, instead of contributing to the conservation outcomes, challenges for the Red Panda have piled up which were unintended by the project. For instance, the number of the people captured with the hides have been increasing in those areas. Poaching of wildlife is rife in Kalikot and Jajarkot districts and the second seizure of red panda hides in Western Rukum where three red pandas were confiscated.
Moreover, the rising trend in seizure instances could point to several contributing variables that encourage the poaching and trade of pelts. Unintentionally miscommunications during awareness campaigns may have implied that engaging in illegal wildlife trafficking has financial benefits. Even though these activities significantly reduce biodiversity, people may view them as useful alternatives for securing their livelihoods in times of financial crisis.
The eastern region of Nepal, with a higher human development index (HDI), seems to have a better understanding and awareness of red panda conservation compared to the western region. Poaching and illegal trade have increased in the western region. which means HDI ultimately shapes their behavior, resulting in positive or negative effects on wildlife conservation. The habitat of red pandas is being destroyed due to several socioeconomic causes. When using forests and rangelands for livestock grazing, wood collection, fuel wood, and medicinal plant gathering, herders appear to perceive a larger profit. That being said, the perceived benefits listed above cannot be outweighed by economic and social incentives to protect red panda habitats. Poverty is widespread in western areas meaning the conservation intervention implemented should address this through the comprehensive approach.
Tailored conservation approaches are essential to mitigate the disproportionate threat that red pandas in the western region face. Law enforcement reform is important, but it cannot stop the illegal trade on its own. We might be able to break the chain that connects the misery of red pandas to the financial difficulties of nearby villages by addressing the socioeconomic aspects. Enhancing community knowledge and involvement in conservation tourism should be connected with local livelihood, building the capacity of conservation groups, and constitute a complete approach in order to ensure the coexistence of red pandas and local communities. To reduce dependency on natural resources, comprehensive conservation action should be advocated in the western area. This shows that we need specific plans for each area. It's important to comprehend the socioeconomic context of various locations, and initiatives in western Nepal emphasize the need for customized approaches.
A common commitment to sustainable methods and group efforts are needed to preserve the red panda. As a representation of Nepal's abundant biodiversity, the species' future depends on how carefully human behavior and ecological harmony interact. It is our responsibility as guardians of our natural heritage to ensure these fascinating animals are around to enjoy Nepal’s forests for many more years. This demands tailored conservation interventions that are suited to the local conditions. Furthermore, stakeholders have to identify the options to integrate livelihood concerns in the red panda conservation program.
