What inspires you to write?
If you have read a few of my writings, you will notice that most of my books portray the reality of women in Nepali society. Being a woman, I draw inspiration from the struggles, hardships, and discrimination most women are facing in our society. It was never intentional though. While trying to write something that I could feel connected to, I ended up writing books that are mostly related to feminism. So, to sum it up, women and their experiences, including my own, are what inspire me to write. Are there any authors or novels that mean a lot to you? I have been inspired by every Nepali writer to be very honest, because reading others’ writings is always a good way to motivate myself to work on my own books. If I have to be specific, I think the first thing I ever read, which was ‘Muna Madan’ by Laxmi Prasad Devkota, was something that made me interested in the field of writing. Some credit also goes to the works of Parijat, BP Koirala, Bhanwani Bhikchu, Bhupi Sherchan, and Dhurba Chandra Gautam as well. Their writings are exceptional and I aspire to follow in their footsteps. Do you have a list of favorite books you will never get tired of reading? There are a few actually, and the first one is definitely ‘Sumnima’ by BP Koirala. I have always been a fan of his works, but Sumnima will always be on top. Similarly, there are few other works in the list of my all-time favorites. They are ‘Madhabi’ by Madan Mani Dixit, ‘Shirish Ko Phool’ by Parijat, ‘Jyoti Jyoti Mahajyoti’ by Daulat Bikram Bista, and ‘Ghumne Mech Mathi Andho Manche’ by Bhupi Sherchan. I would recommend these writings to anyone who is thinking of starting their reading (or writing) journey in Nepali literature. Is there a particular book of yours that you are more attached to? More than the book, I’m attached to the characters. As a woman, I can relate to the pain and trauma that most of the characters in the book go through. For instance, even after finishing my book ‘Draupadi Avashesh’, I would still feel like I was carrying a part of Draupadi within me. It is the same with other books like ‘Cheerharan’ and ‘Yogmaya’. It takes me some time to let go of those characters and move on. What advice would you like to give to someone who wants to become a published author? Never be in a hurry to become a published author. Share your work with friends, or someone who will be able to give you feedback on what you’ve written. It’s so easy to share your work through email these days. Getting feedback will help you become a better writer. It’s easy to take those feedbacks and criticism negatively, but it’s important to analyze what the criticism is about, learn to accept your weaknesses, and work on improving them. I would also suggest that you stick to topics you are most comfortable writing about, and read as much as you can on those topics.
