Balika Thapaliya is preparing to publish her sixth book. While caring for her in-laws, both in their 80s, and a seven-year-old son at a small village in Deumai Municipality of Ilam district, she has already managed to produce a staggering volume of work. She has so far written more than 3,000 poems and lyrics and translated biographies of several renowned world figures.

Born and raised in a rural village in Terhathum district, Thapaliya started writing poems from an early age. She says it was her father, also a poet and a literary scholar, who encouraged her and her siblings to write a poem. At nine she wrote a poem ‘Mero Desh Nepal’ and her pen hasn’t stopped since.

“I grew up watching and learning from my father. With so many books in the house, I developed an interest in reading from a young age,” says Thapaliya. “My father used to talk a lot about writers and their literary works, so I slowly became attracted to their work.”

In 1997, her first poem was published in Kanchenjunga, a local newspaper of Ilam at the time. She was 12 then. As a teenager, all Thapaliya did in her free time was write poems.

“Writing soon became an unconscious habit,” she says.

She used to take part in school poetry competitions and her poems were regularly published in local papers and magazines. By the time she was 17, Thapaliya says, she had already written over 1,700 poems.

As a little girl, she mostly wrote about her love for the country and nature. But with time, her writings were influenced by the events in her life and human conditions like death, poverty and struggle.

Shankar Lamichhane, Parijat, William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth are among the writers that have inspired her the most.

Thapaliya moved to Ilam after getting married at the age of 20. Her husband is a journalist, so she was never separated from the world of words and letters even after her marriage.

Thapaliya then got her master’s degree in English literature from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu.

Before publishing her first book, she wrote columns and articles for various newspapers.

“I wanted to become famous by writing for newspapers before publishing my book,” she says.

In 2013, Nelson Madela, her first Nepali-translated biography, got published. She says she wanted to introduce the book to the Nepali people so that they, just like her, could be inspired by Mandela. Thapaliya went on to publish other translated biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller and Florence Nightingale.

Her upcoming book is yet another biography of Nicholas James Vujicic, an Australian American motivational speaker who was born with tetra-amelia syndrome.

“I want to inspire people by presenting the stories of those who have in turn inspired me,” says Thapaliya of her extensive biographical works. “I want to share the struggles of some of the greatest personalities, their moments of failure, and how they overcame them”.

Her original works include ‘Pranayapath’ (a poetry book) and ‘Priyadarshan’ (a collection of love letters). Thapaliya says it took her 17 years to come up with Priyadarshan.

“The book is close to my heart. The perfectionist inside me edited it for 17 years before presenting it to the world,” she says.

Thapaliya, whose love for writing started with poetry, says she writes a little bit of everything these days, from fiction, book reviews to essays.

“I write on issues that resonate with me,” she says.

Having to take care of her family all day, Thapaliya says she finds the time to write at night. She says her familial responsibilities have never hindered her writing.

“It is because of my family that I have come this far,” she says.

Thapaliya is also involved with Karuna Foundation, an NGO that works for persons with disabilities. But she says writing is what she loves most.

“I want to explore other forms”, she says. “I now want to try philosophical and narrative writings.”

She is also planning to translate some Nepali books into English so that they can reach a wider global audience.

Currently, Thapaliya is working on more biographies and another book of poetry.

“I have been writing for more than 26 years now. I want my works to motivate and comfort my readers,” she says. “If they do, I consider my purpose as a writer fulfilled.”