Submit your Article

Lumpy skin disease has spread across 12 of 14 districts in Koshi Province, according to the Directorate of Livestock and Fishery Development, Biratnagar. In the Province, a total of 1,132 domestic animals have died from the disease, and 85,784 others have been infected, said vet Ghata Raj Kattel. Only Taplejung and Solukhumbu districts have so far remained safe from the disease. According to him, 435 cattle have died in Ilam district, 120 in Jhapa, 182 in Morang, 120 in Udayapur, three in Khotang, five in Okhaldhunga, 74 in Dhankuta, 39 in Terhathum, 37 in Sankhuwasabha, 17 in Bhojpur and 93 in Sunsari.  

Bibek Ojha is a 32-year-old writer from Tikapur, Kailali, who has published several short stories, poems, and two novels titled ‘Ailani’ and ‘Aithan’. His works delve into the deep rooted issues of Nepali society. Babita Shrestha from ApEx talked to Ojha where he spoke about what he hopes to achieve through his writings. What inspires you to continue writing? I grew up with my brother who’s a writer. When you genuinely love writing, you will naturally write for peace and pleasure. My brother’s advice to me was to try writing short pieces before working on a novel. I followed that advice to hone my talent. I also wrote poetry during my spare time. In 2006, my friends and I collaborated on a collection of poems titled ‘Yugal’, after which I worked alone on ‘Gazal’. However, my collection of short tales didn’t get published. So I pushed myself to learn more. Eventually, in 2017, I published my first novel called ‘Ailani’, and recently, in 2022, I released ‘Aithan’. So I guess you could say that my inner drive to improve my writing has motivated me to write. Can you tell us a little about the books you wrote? The subject matter of my first novel, ‘Ailani’, depicts the predicament of untouchability, oppression, abuse, and harassment faced by the Dalit community in Nepal. It draws attention to how little the government has accomplished. In Nepali, the word ‘ailani’ denotes ownership by no one. I sought to use the Badi community to represent the title metaphorically. The word ‘aithan’ means agony. It reflects painful experiences in the world and the sense of convulsions during a war. What are your techniques and strategy for writing a novel? My short stories inspired me to write a novel. The manuscript of my unpublished stories led me to publish ‘Aithan’. While writing a book, I put a lot of emphasis on developing characters through metaphors and images. To construct characters, I assemble various people’s personalities. I deeply examine the character’s viewpoints, and their way of thinking, and try to show that in the plot. I try to dive into the character’s emotions to understand the way they speak and think. I enjoy reading books with strong emotional themes. Additionally, the techniques that are most important to me are the delivery, coordination, and style of the plot, characters, and images. I carefully work on synchronizing rhythm and tone in the plot. Many authors draw inspiration from other writers and literature. Who inspires you? My brother, Sushil Ojha, has always been my inspiration from the very beginning when it comes to writing. Also, I enjoy reading the works of authors like Saru Bhakta, Amar Neupane, Narayan Dhakal, Dha Cha Gotame (Dhanush Chandra Gautam), Naba Raj Lamsal, Haruki Murakami, and many more. All these authors have influenced my writing style and motivated me to tell stories that matter to me. Do you think Nepali literature has a bright future? The future looks promising. But I believe it would be even better if the writings of Nepali authors were promoted through translation. I think Nepali literature has greater opportunities both economically and artistically if we can solely focus on the audience of our neighboring nations. Practically speaking, in the present context, that’s going to be quite challenging. But something must be worked out to make that possible. What advice do you have for aspiring novelists? Be sincere about what you write. To help yourself write better, try to grasp some fresh ideas by reading a reference book. Never let publishing houses that say no to publishing your book demotivate you since mistakes help you get better. If you receive criticism, try not to get upset about it but learn from it instead. Ojha’s Picks: Madhabi by Madan Mani Dixit Madhabi is a Nepali mythological novel published in 1983 by Sajha Prakashan. The book won the Madan Puraskar in the same year. Samaya Trasadi by Saru Bhakta Saru Bhakta is the pen name of Bhakta Raj Shrestha, a celebrated Nepali novelist, poet, and winner of Madan Puraskar. Samaya Trasadi is a work of non-fiction published in 2022. Ghamka Pailaharu by Dha Cha Gotame Ghamka Pailaharu is a novel that depicts the day-to-day life of people in a nameless town (similar to Birgunj) in the Tarai region of Nepal.  

A woman and her son died after falling off a cliff in Dhading on Monday. Police have identified the deceased as 19-year-old Apsara Chepang of Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality-2 and her two-year son Sajan. SP Gautam Mishra, Chief of the District Police Office, Dhading, said that the incident occurred when Apsara had gone to the forest near her home to collect fodder carrying her son on the back. Critically injured in the incident, both the mother and son died in the course of treatment at the Malekhu Teaching Hospital, said police.  

The 16th Republic Day is being marked nationwide by organizing several programs on Monday. The first-ever people-elected Constituent Assembly had proclaimed the federal democratic republican governance system in the country by officially abolishing the autocratic monarchy on 28 May 2008. The Republic Day is celebrated across the nation on Jetha 15 (May 29) every year in commemoration of the day the republican system was proclaimed on the backing of the historical people's movement of 2006 AD (2062-063 BS). The Republic Day is being marked commemorating the commencement of democratic republican system resting all state power on the people. On 24 April 2006, the then King Gyanendra Shah had reinstated the Parliament that was dissolved on 22 May 2002 The republic system was set up in the country on the backing of the 2006 April uprising.