Of creativity, motives, and missions

Of creativity, motives, and missions (Published In Republica,November 8,2013)
	THE WEEK BUREAU Prose writer Nayan Raj Pandey, recognized for his distinguished literary style in his much admired novels “Ular” and “Luu,” has recently published another book, “Ghamkiri,” which has also received significant praise and criticism alike. Pandey has been writing actively for the past 25 years and has written over a dozen stories, both long and short. Having written scripts for Nepali films and TV serials, he also has extensive experience in the world of screens. Mostly, he is celebrated for his simple yet elegant style and the incredible imagination he brings into this creative works. The Week’s Roshani Dhamala met Nayan Raj Pandey to talk about creative endeavors. Excerpts from the interview: You started writing quite early. How has your journey as a writer been so far? Yes, I started with poems at the age of seven. Slowly, I began reading in the children’s program on Nepal Television. That gave me great encouragement. I continued writing and got my first story published when I was 17 which also received considerable coverage. Since then, my endeavor as a writer has constantly involved my efforts to create something new and intriguing for readers. I’ve experimented with styles and subject matters. My story, Atirikta, published in 1993 (2050 BS), dealt with the issues of third gender even back then. I also try to bring in elements of fantasy and myth in my works. All in all, I try to evoke novel perspectives and new flavors in my writings. You also write scripts for films. Do you think it has influenced youas a novelist? It certainly has. I’ve written scripts for films, and many serials. That has given me some experience in dealing with the skills of narration and dramatization. And that is an asset, I believe. I have deliberately used such techniques of dramatization in my books. I do so to establish characters and make them realistic and believable. Above all, I believe that stories are always out there. What really accounts for the difference is the craft of putting them. You’ve said, “Writing for me isn’t just a hobby, but a mission.” Could you explain this a little more? Yes, writing for me is more than just hobby. Nor is it a mere means to earn a living or publicity. Through my writing I basically aim to bring about positive changes in the attitude and ideology of people, especially of those in the authority and the upper echelons. My characters belong to the subaltern class and I try my best to portray the pains and hardships of their lives. To achieve this, I need to get myself involved in their daily life and understand the sociopolitical contexts shaping them. And once you do this, writing ceases to become just occupation or hobby; it turns out to be a mission. You deal with political subject matters in your work. What do you think should the relationship between literature and politics be like? Every writer should have thorough understanding of politics. Politics may operate at various levels: local, national, party, or even multinational, all of them affecting the dynamics of human conditions. Without this understanding, it’s hardly possible to create real and credible characters. I’ve been taken as someone who brings in political perspective in his works. Nonetheless, I try to abstain from propagating any agenda or offering any obvious solutions or suggestions. All I aim is draw the best possible accurate picture of the scenario. For the rest, readers are to form their own conceptions of the matter at hand. Mythical characters frequently appear in your writings. What is behind your choice for myths? Myths are a potent yet unexplored source of knowledge. Especially, Eastern myths remain an absolutely unexplored realm. The West, on the other hand, has achieved considerable success by counting on their myths and fantasies. The The Harry Potter and many other ventures thrive on the elements of myths and fantasy. Hence, they are invaluable. If used properly, they bring new taste to the works. And if such works are translated, they also expose our antique knowledge to the world. In your view, what makes a good writing? Judgment is always a subjective enterprise, I believe. What holds good for me may not necessarily do so for others, and vice versa, but generally, for any piece of writing to be good, I think, requires to be realistic and trustworthy. It should reach out to the common audience. The subject matter must be resonating and the craft intriguing. And in order to achieve this, one needs to put in a good deal of research, time, and passion into the work. On Pandey’s bookshelf The Mahabharata The epic Mahabharata is one of the richest sources of Eastern philosophies and myths. It comprises some of the greatest narratives articulated in the finest manners. And the exceptional way these narratives are infused with knowledge and wisdom, ranging from politics and philosophy to the dynamics of human and kin relationships are exceptionally overwhelming. I think the level of fantasy, imagination, and grandeur emanated by the text are just unsurpassable. City of Joy  by Dominique Lapierre Again, City of Joy is exceptional for its style of storytelling. There are various subplots interwoven into the main storyline. But all of them harmonize with the seemingly inevitable climax. The story describes the hardships of poor people in the then Calcutta (now Kolkata). The mood it evokes is sad, yet the presentation is outstanding. Muna Madan  by Laxmi Prasad Devkota Muna Madan is a moving love story narrated in the mode of flawless poetry, which makes it even more beautiful. Every time I read Muna Madan, I feel I’m reading a story set in the present time. The concerns it deals with – poverty, paucity, migration – hold equal relevance in today’s time as well. It also reminds me that trade was as crucial to Nepali economy back then, as it is now. War and Peace  by Leo Tolstoy Russian writers are famous for their long form narration wherein they relate their stories to considerable length, and so is Leo Tolstoy. Besides this, what I particularly find arresting about War and Peace is the way Tolstoy portrays his characters against the backdrop of a vast canvas. There are many characters who come and go along the colossal plot of the narrative, and yet all of them succeed in achieving special positions and impressions in the reader’ mind and heart. Mother  by Maxim Gorky I find the characterization skill of Gorky in Mother admirable. He casts a few characters in the story, but all of them are well established. What also draws me to the book is the particular sociopolitical context it is set in. It describes a rebellion and depicts extraordinary revolutionary characters. All these, I think, resonate well with the Nepali politics too. Also, I highly admire the book for its simple, yet intriguing style.
Published on 2013-11-08 11:14:03

An Eddy in the Maze: Subaltern Subject in Pandey's Ular by Komal Prasad Phuyal

An Eddy in the Maze: Subaltern Subject in Pandey's Ular

by  Komal Prasad Phuyal

Abstract

Nayan Raj Pandey'sUlar (1998) presents a typical Nepali subject, Prem Lalwa, inquest of his rightful position that he believes guarantees him with real bliss in life. Thepursuit for happiness encounters many puzzling circumstances through which to observe thefunctioning of society, whereby enriching his life with experience of divergent dimensions of human nature at three levels: local, regional, and national. He passes through all the layers of society like an eddy in the maze of politics in democratic Nepal of the 1990s. Unlike GayatriChakravorty Spivak (1998) who postulates that the subaltern cannot speak, the paper arguesthat the subaltern speech carries symbolic codes and significance in that the pursuit of theeddy in the maze enables him with power of decision, resulting in realization of the missedcourse in life. In other words, the eddy in the subaltern subjectivity turns into a boldpersonality, having adequately acquainted with the maze of local, regional, and nationalpolitics.

Eddy

Ular (1998) presents a Tonga man, Prem Lalwa, as a typical Nepali subaltern subject,whose journey unfolds the happenings in the novella. The defeat of his patron in electionbegins his quest for rightful position. He suffers from ignorance and goes on to accept thingsas they happen, whereby presenting himself a weak subject controlled by circumstances andouter forces that result in a state of flux in him. The unrest of mind directly corresponds to thesocio-political atmosphere of the liberal politics of the 1990s in Nepal. The new wave of change, since it is not well-adopted, produces an eddy in Prem, positioning himself in thelabyrinth of local, regional, and national politics; yet, unlike Spivakian postcolonial subject,he explores a meaningful approach to assert himself after gaining adequate experience of ways of the world.The subaltern in Prem appears in the novel as a political subject as well in that heattempts to shape a new reality, albeit with limited resources. He whole heartedly supportsRajendra Raj in election (Pandey 10), for the latter has provided the former with patronage inthe society: Rajendra Raj assisted him to acquire citizenship certificate and driving licenseafter both his parents died. Illiterate Prem is quite impressed by his benefactor for his abilityto speak English. However, he never questions the political patron even when he sells land tothe party for the first time and gets cheated. The ignorance in Prem further adds to the state of vagueness: he fails to recognize and accept the doubtful play of Rajendra Raj in local andregional politics even when he is told that Shanti Raja –Rajendra Raj’s opponent in theelection – won the election with Rajendra Raj’s support. In fact, he appears really like aSpivakian subject screened at multiple layers in the maze (Spivak 298).The contentment that accompanies Prem in the pursuit is seen in Draupadi. Sherepresents the whole Badi Community that practices prostitution as a means of livelihood.Her deaf father and ASI Bishne treat her body as object, for she is exploited for survival and

1MLA Citation: Phuyal, Komal Prasad. “An Eddy in the Maze: Subaltern Subject in Pandey’s

Ular.” Literary Studies

26 (March 2012): 63-66.

 The author currently teaches at Lalitkala Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. He cannot reachedat komalprasadphuyal@gmail.com

pleasure respectively. Nevertheless, Pandey sees purity in these people: “Draupadi does notknow her mother’s name. However, when Draupadi asked her, ‘Is your name Sita?,’ hermother replied with surprise, ‘How did you know?'” (21). Every Draupadi is born Sita. Thepotential of remaining ‘pure’ is lost in the society where the subaltern subject encounters theignorance of the state. Yet, certain fundamental values like shame still continue with them:Draupadi feels ashamed to “stand naked in front of Prem” (27). Both of them celebrate moralvalues as they are put into practice elsewhere in the elite society.

Deferral in the Maze

Prem enters the maze of local politics by accepting guardianship of Rajendra Raj. Thedefeat in election hits him profoundly in that his campaign could not succeed. Besides, thecircumstances force him to participate in opponent candidate Shanti Raja’s procession whereto “encounterular 2”(31). In other words, the state of directionlessness results in his life after the ular since Basanti, the Tonga horse, dies in it. The ular symbolizes state of the nation thathas lost its internal dynamics in the 1990s. Ironically, Pandey’s subaltern subject pursueshuman essence of togetherness in this society so as to attain the fulfillment in life.Furthermore, the subject enters into the labyrinth of larger domain of politics with the ular.

Prem’s hope and trust in Rajendra Raj generate additional confusion. On the onehand, he harbors shock after Rajendra Raj’s defeat in election; on the other, he comes toknow that Shanti Raja could not have won the election without Rajendra Raj’s consent andassistance. Prem can never believe political rivals lending a hand to each other! Trapped inthe communal violence resulting in “local Hindu-Muslim riot” (36), he falls prey of localpolitics. The climax of such foul play occurs when his Basanti –the only source for his living–dies. Very aptly, the author weaves tangles of questions at this point:

For a moment, Prem Lalwa stood dead-still, confused. Who died?

Basanti or he?

He or Basanti?

At last, Prem Lalwa realized it was Basanti that died.(37)

With a hope of overcoming the unexpected circumstance, Prem travels further into the web of local politics that just pushes him into deeper flux. Rajendra Raj writes a note to Shanti Raja,asking to “provide some financial aid to Prem” (42): morally, Shanti Raja has to compensatethe death of Basanti in that the Tonga horse dies in Shanti Raja’s victory procession. On thecontrary, Shanti Raja’s “Come tomorrow” (44) and “Come to Kathmandu” (47) completelythrow him into the center of illusory entrapment of national politics. Moving from margin tothe center, he arrives at Kathmandu in search of the lost horse, but just to be “tired of thinking” (54) and rejected by/in Kathmandu. The eddy journeys in the core section of labyrinth: he moves in the inner passage of Buspark-Pulchwok-Singha Durbar-Baluwatar-Party Office-Pulchwok-Ministry of Transportation section of national politics (56-8). It is inthis web where his quest is deferred.

The deferral of object sought leaves Prem empty: he is left without any answer. Back home, the house is ruined in the rain; and the Tonga, stolen. Nevertheless, he possesses onemore thing: will to live. Strengthened by the observation of politics at various levels fromlocal to national, he is rewarded with realization that he has got to break free from the chains of assumed patronage of Rajendra Raj. The eddy paves a road for a politicallyaware and bold subjectivity, capable of understanding the process of marginalization (78). Infact, he fails to speak and act as long as he is afraid of the society that is full of RajendraRajs, aiming at robbing from him his land. Selling the land, he regains all he lost during his journey in the maze: horse, Tonga, and house. For one thing, he is further pushed to themargin from his central location at the bazaar since he buys house and land away from hisprevious place. For the other, he is rewarded with the power of decision: he makes decisionon his own now. Hence, he accepts and declares Draupadi his wife. Having been adequatelyacquainted with the world, he takes a bold decision by rejecting Rajendra Raj as hisbenefactor.

2Imbalance due to the load only in the back part of tonga or cart.

Subaltern Subject

Spivakian subaltern subject is basically situated in the discourses as produced in themetropolitan academia of the West so far as she seeks to locate the representation of thesubaltern in the discourses of the West. For her, the subaltern speech turns meaningful,provided it is well-represented in said discourses; besides, her problems lie with the layers of screening the subaltern is surrounded with. She illustrates a case of  Sati in India: it is knownin the west through English and in India through the discourse of dominant Hindu men(Spivak 298). In this sense, whatever sati means emerges as the produce filtered throughthese discourses. Similarly, Spivakian subject must be dealt with “the position of reader/writer vis-à-vis the subaltern and the dominant discourse” (Maggio 425-6). The broadcivilization differences and the position of the subaltern subject in the western academicdiscourses help to deny the voice of the subject because of issues relating to therepresentation and translation.

Originally, Gramsci made use of the term “‘subaltern’ with regard to social class”(Green 2). Reading Marx through Derridian post structuralism and following Saidianintellectual frame of civilization differences in representing the ‘Other,’ Spaak’s subalternfails to emerge as a social class, but as a civilization group dominated and depicted in thediscourses of the colonizers. She also notes that “the subaltern as female cannot be heard orread” (308). On the one hand, she emphasizes on extensive civilizational categories like thecolonizer and colonized; on the other, she seeks to scrutinize the social class on the ground of gender alone. Furthermore, Maggio states that “the production of the postcolonial subject isdependent on the intellectual creation of the West as a subject of study, as well as Said’sOrient” (425). Thus, the subaltern’s voice is measured on the scale of how the westunderstands it: the failure of representation of the subaltern for Spivak turns silencing of theentire social class. In fact, she assumes a very elitist position to deny a specific social classtheir voice when the western discourses –she attempts to build her methodology on thefoundation of her Derridian reading of Marx –utterly fail to represent the subaltern. Also, thelimit of the western discourses cannot be measure of subaltern in every society.

 Nayan Raj Pandey’s subaltern subject in Ular does not succeed to assert what hewants as long as he does not fully observe the functioning of social phenomena. Thedominant group as represented by Rajendra Raj and Shanti Raja (later minister) always wantsto put people like Prem Lalwa at their service and continuously exploit them. UnlikeSpivakian discourse of the subaltern that denies them with power of agency (299), Green  notes, “Subaltern groups have to become conscious of their social position, organize, andstruggle to transform their social positions, since organization and representation alone willnot transform the relations of subordination” (19). Prem Lalwa also possesses potentialagency to bring about transformation in his life. The journey to Kathmandu in quest of thelost horse is not a mere act of a patient: it has vigor of gaining his rightful position though itends in realization that he has to act for his happiness. The eddy’s search in socio-politicallabyrinth results in the bold speech in that unlike Spivakian subject with its deaf Eurocentricaudience, Prem Lalwa, as a typical Nepali subaltern, speaks very meaningfully in his owncontext: he accepts Draupadi as his wife and rejects Rajendra Raj’s patronage, wherebyenabling himself to make decision on his own.

Works Cited

Green, Marcus. “Gramsci Cannot Speak: Presentations and Interpretations of Gramsci’sConcept of the Subaltern.”

 Rethinking Marxism

14.3 (Fall 2002): 1-24.Maggio, J. “‘Can the Subaltern be Heard?: Political Theory, Translation, Representation, andGayatri Chakravorty Spivak.”

 Alternatives

32 (2007): 419-43.Pandey, Nayan Raj.Ular.

Kathmandu: Fine Prints, 1998.Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. “Can the Subaltern Speak?”

 Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture

. Eds. Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg.Urbana,IL:University of IIIinois Press,1998:271-331.

It is intresting to read GHAMKIRI:Vishwa Subedi

Vishwa Subedi

It is interesting to read GHAMKIRI basking out in the sun. Yes, it’s a real fantasy, a safari of dreams depicting how teenagers follow dream that is tied with string like we did after ghamkiri in our childhood days, how they escape from home and seek for their ideal love and even identity without knowing how it is different from reality.The narrator gets lost in the colourful world of Bombay where he leads a very meaningless life and ultimately returns home defeated. It’s enough to turn ones nostalgic feelings on the surface.The narrator’s continued craze for his dream girl is something awesome.The most painful aspect is the picture of the slum,the poverty,dirt,crime and the precarious existence of the downtrodden mass amidst the ocean of prosperity in Bombay city.I think the reference to Yogmaya ,the historical figure in lost history doesn’t seem to have coherence in totality.The intricate pattern of weaving insignificant events into plot is Nayan Dai’s common feature. Anyway, we are benefitted with the over doze of cinematographic vocabulary in many places.

स्मृति बाल्यकालको

मेरो बाल्यकालको स्मृति

(कान्तिपुर दैनिक,को 'कोपिला'मा मिति २०७० कार्तिक १७ गते प्रकाशित । प्रस्तुति : शरद चिराग )

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rupindrakatu@gmail.com

सन्दर्भ "घामकिरी"-नीला तामांग

सन्दर्भ "घामकिरी"

-नीला तामांग (Neela Tamang)

सबैको दशैबिदामा पढ्ने सूचीमा रहेको घामकिरी दशैकै लागि भनेर किनेपनि एक त थोरै बिदा, त्यसमापनि दिनभरि काममा, अनि राती अबेरसम्म पाहुनाहरुसंग खानपिन लगायत भलाकुसारीमा व्यस्त.. कहां बिदामा पढ्न पाउनु र ? पढेर बिदाको सदुपयोग गर्ने सौभाग्य त पुरुषहरुको मात्र हुन्छ शायद..., कि त महिला भए अविवाहिताका लागि ।

खैर, अन्ततः आकर्षक आवरण पृष्ठ, प्रकाशन हुनुपूर्व नै बहुचर्चित, व्यग्रताका साथ पर्खाईपछि प्राप्त ४५ च्यापटरको (लेखकले भनेझै करीब सत्तरी हजार शव्दको प्रेमकविता) घामकिरी उपन्यास केही दिनअघि मात्र पढिसिध्याए । सुन्दै मनमा मीठो सुखानुभुति दिने शव्द, पुरानो पुस्ताका लागि मात्र नभई हालका पुस्ताको केटाकेटीहरुमाझ पनि प्रिय घामकिरी । घामकिरी शव्द मात्र नभई, अल्लारे उमेरको पात्रको कल्पनाशीलताले पनि नोस्टाल्जिक दिनहरुमा पुर्याईदियो कारण अधिक मात्रमा कल्पना गर्ने, सपना देख्ने उमेर हो अल्लारे उमेर ।

पढ्दै जांदा एउटा साधारण पाठक भएको नाताले शुरु शुरुमा धेरै अल्मलिए पात्रहरुको चरित्रमा, घट्नाक्रमहरुमा, ८०/९० दशकको चर्चित हिरोईन पद्मिनी कोल्हापुरेसंगको प्रेमकथामा, आमाले सुनाएका योगमायाको कथामा । जब मुख्य पात्र राजु मुम्बई प्रवेश गर्छ आफ्नो सपना साकार पार्न, आफ्नी प्रेमिकालाई भेट्न, तब घट्नाक्रमहरु तीब्ररुपमा अघि बढेपछि धेरै चरित्रहरुको प्रेमकथा, संघर्षकथा पढेपछि शनै शनै थाह लाग्यो कि यो त कल्पनाको संसार हो । त्यही कल्पनाको संसारभित्र तथ्यपरक धेरै परिघट्नाहरुलाई उजागर गर्नुभएको छ लेखकले । घट्ना परिघट्नाको कन्टेन्ट, उपशीर्षक चयन र त्यसभित्रका कथाहरुको प्रस्तुति धेरै फरक छ पारम्परिक शैलीको नेपाली उपन्यास भन्दा ।

"सबैले भने, प्रेम नगर । मैले टेरिनं ।"
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साथीले सम्झाएको थियो,"कलममा मसी सकिए जस्तै सकिने हो र प्रेम । केटाकेटी कुरा नगर यार ।"
तर ऊ आफैं भने मेरै उमेरको थियो । तेह्र चौधको ।
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त्यो सुनेर गरिबी पनि भक्कानो छाडेर रुनेछ ।
(उपन्यासभित्रका केही अंशहरु)

कायल बनाईदिने मीठो शव्दशील्प । तात्कालिन ८०/० ताकाको बहुराष्ट्रिय कम्पनीको उत्पादन लक्स साबुन र पेय पदार्थ लिम्का प्रतिको पात्रहरुको आसक्ति इत्यादि (हालको कथा भए IPhone, Galaxy S4, MacBook, ईत्यादि यस्तै केही हुनेथिए होलान्) । कल्पनाशीलताको व्यापक प्रयोग गरिएको छ उपन्यासमा । एक शताव्दीभन्दा अघिकि योगमायालाई आफ्नो उमेरसंगै हुर्काउनु, आफ्ना अघिल्ला जन्मको कथा प्रेमिका पद्मिनी कोल्हापुरेलाई सुनाउन आतुर, अनि प्रेमिकासंगको संवाद, यस अर्थमा पनि बिलकुल नवीन लाग्छ उपन्यास । । यति कल्पनाशीलता कि, कतै पढेको थिए.. पुस्तकमा कहीं उल्लेख नगरिएपनि कतै मुख्य पात्र सिजोफ्रेनिया भन्ने मनोरोगबाट ग्रसित त हैन ? उसको मनोवेग, सम्वेग, तथ्य लाग्ने कल्पना हेर्दा यस्तै लाग्छ ।

कल्पनाशीलता भए पनि उपन्यास सन्देशमूलक छ । कल्पनाको चमकधमक संसारमा हराएको एउटा टिनएजर तन्नेरी सपना साकार पार्न घरबाट भागी विभिन्न ठाउंमा पुगी, विविध प्रकृतिका चरित्रहरुको सामना गर्दै हण्डर ठक्कर खाएर अन्ततः वास्तविकतालाई आत्मसात गर्न, आफ्नो परिवारलाई अंगाल्न, आफ्नै ठाउ्रमा आईपुग्छ । काल्पनिकता इन्द्रधनुष झै बिस्तारै फिका हुंदै अनि बिलाउंदै जान्छ घामसंगै ।

अन्तमाः प्रिय लेखक नयनराज पाण्डेलाई शुभकामना, बधाई र उत्तरोत्तर प्रगतिको कामना ।

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