Submit your Article

Mahesh Paudyal is a Nepali author, translator, and literary critic, whose works vary from poems to novels to short stories, in both Nepali and English language. His first published writing was a poem called ‘O Chair, My Chair’, that came out in the year 1995. ‘My Share’, ‘Anamik Yatri’, ‘Sapanako Pul’, and ‘Tadi Kinarko Geet’ are some of his other notable works. Anushka Nepal from ApEx talked to Paudyal to know more about his writing journey so far. What pushed you to pursue writing as a career? I think it was my family background that got me interested in writing. My father was a teacher and he always encouraged me to read. Even my birthday gifts used to be books. My siblings were into literature too. Most of my father’s friends were writers or someone from a literary background. Growing up surrounded by these people has had the biggest influence when it comes to my career. But I didn’t come to that realization until I was done with high school. I used to write but not because I was interested in becoming a published author. I just loved to write. When I decided to pursue my bachelor’s in major English that was when I realized I wanted to become a writer. Your works vary from novels to poems to short stories. What genre are you the most comfortable with? I feel like writing stories is what I prefer the most, especially fiction. A part of it is also influenced by the fact that I teach literature at a university and I often discuss stories from the curriculum with my students. So, writing stories comes to me easily, be it short or long. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy working on novels and poems. But I think of myself as more of a storyteller than anything else. What books do you have on your to-be-read list? There are many. Being a teacher, I need to stay updated with new works that get published. Not that I don’t enjoy reading either but I think my teaching profession keeps me from slacking off. From my recent visit to Delhi, India, I have bought ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ by Shehan Karunatilaka, and ‘Tomb of Sand’ by Geetanjali Shree, which I am looking forward to reading. ‘Shunya ko Mulya’ by Dr Nawaraj KC, and ‘Yashodhara’ by Hari Bol Kafle are also on the list. Are you working on something new? I’m currently working on publishing a short story collection. I have come up with plots for around 20 stories but I will choose around 15 of them to publish. It might take me a year or more to complete this work. I’m also in the process of publishing a poem collection, which will include poems from young and aspiring writers. Currently, I’m collecting and editing their works. The name of this collection will be ‘Extended Light’, which will hopefully be out around October 2023. Since you are also a translator, are there any books you would like to translate in either Nepali or English language? There are a few Nepali books, I think, that need to reach international platforms. One of them is ‘Sharanarthi’ by Krishna Dharabasi. It’s an incredibly well-written book that needs to be read by more people. It would be an honor to be able to translate this book. ‘Madhabi’ by Madan Mani Dixit is one of the best fiction written in the Nepali literature. I’m also quite interested in translating this book. As a literary critic, what improvement do you think Nepali literature needs? I think it’s necessary to preserve Nepali culture, tradition, and its uniqueness through our literature. We need to focus on highlighting our civilization, history, and things that can only be found in Nepal through our writings. I think that’s one thing we need to maintain in order to improve the current scenario of Nepali literature. Also, after the People’s Movement II, a lot of works that have come out are mission writings or propaganda literature. They are all based on current political or social scenarios, which might not be as relevant 20-30 years down the lane as it is now. We need to stop that. Writing should be relevant despite when it’s written. I think it’s time we move on from writing about political and social instability and focus on things that will not die down no matter how many years have gone by. Paudyal’s picks The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka  The Booker Prize 2022 winner written by the Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka is a satirical book. It’s actually historical fiction based on the murderous mayhem during the civil war in Sri Lanka. Shunya ko Mulya by Dr Nawaraj KC ‘Shunya ko Mulya’, written by Dr Nawaraj KC, is based on the gruesome reality of women living in Karnali, including but not limited to the suffering and health issues they endure. Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree Tomb of Sand is a Hindi-language novel by Geetanjali Shree, whose English translation (translated by Daisy Rockwell) won the International Booker Prize in 2022. Yashodhara by Hari Bol Kafle Yashodhara by Hari Bol Kafle tells the story of Yashodhara, wife of Siddhartha Gautama, and the sacrifices she’s made in his journey to become the Buddha.

Three Sherpa climbers have gone missing near the Mt Everest Base Camp. The incident occurred while they were heading towards Camp 1 from the base camp. A source at the Tourism Ministry said that Dawa Tshiri Sherpa, Pemba Tenzing Sherpa and Lakpa Rita Sherpa of Theso, Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality went missing after being buried by a mound of snow. Details about the incident are yet to come.  

Stakeholders have demanded that the tax rate imposed by Nepal on tobacco products should be increased drastically. As part of the ‘No Tobacco Drive’ campaign organized by Annapurna Media Network on Friday, the participants at the ‘Tobacco Symposium’ pointed out that the tax on tobacco products needs to be increased further as it is very low. Experts claimed that if the tax is increased, the price of tobacco products will increase and the ability of people to buy these products will decrease and so will consumption. Since the government also receives more revenue through this step, increasing taxes is considered a ‘win-win’. They argued that increasing taxes will bring the state benefit amounting to billions of rupees if citizens are considered to have economic value. Nepal ranks 19th in the world and tops in South Asia on the list of deaths due to tobacco consumption. However, taxes on such substances are quite low in South Asia, including in Nepal. This rate is not even close to the recommendations of the World Health Organization. In the 'Tobacco Symposium' held on the eve of the budget of the financial year 2080-81, the chief guest, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Indira Rana Magar, said the use of tobacco products and its ecosystem should be eradicated from the roots. She said the consumption of such substances should be discouraged by increasing the tax so that people cannot buy it. Studies have shown that over 5m Nepalis consume tobacco products.   According to the Nepal Development Research Institute, the number of deaths due to smoking has increased by 60 percent in the last 30 years. A study says that among the nations in South Asia, the death rate due to tobacco products is the highest in Nepal.   Dr Jaya Kumar Gurung, a senior research expert at the NDRI says, “The risks that may occur in the future from tobacco products are high. And our study says 1.34m people will die due to tobacco products in the next 30 years.”   Effects of smoking on organs Senior gyneoncological cancer specialist Dr Sarita Ghimire says that smoking harms all parts of the body. Ghimire says that tobacco products are the main cause of cancer of the blood vessels, heart, lungs, mouth as well as the uterus of women. According to Dr Anil Bikram Karki, president, Nepal Medical Association, the source of disease is the mouth. Smoking causes heart disease as well as health problems such as asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia. Protect the  According to a study conducted by NDRI, 10 to 15 percent of students in Kathmandu Valley consume some form of tobacco. Dr Gurung asks, “Is our attention enough to protect the youth from the evils of smoking?” The new generation has gone from smoking cigarettes to enjoying hookah bars in restaurants. From airports to bus parks and from public vehicles to clubs, public toilets, and workplaces of industries and factories, tobacco products are consumed openly. Smoking goes unchecked in hotels, restaurants, bars, eateries, lodges, canteen, swimming pools, and pool houses. Annapurna Express has been lobbying to raise the tax rate to at least 50 percent in the coming financial year under the No Tobacco Drive campaign. The network has also been conducting various environment-friendly activities with the main slogan of Unity for Sustainability.

A fire broke out at the Tigerland Resort in Jagatpur of West Chitwan on Wednesday. DSP Bijay Pandit of the District Police Office, Chitwan said that three fire engines are trying to extinguish the flame. Police suspect that an electric short circuit caused that fire. It has been learnt that the fire broke out at the seminar hall of the hotel.