Bittersweet chocolate-चकलेटको समीक्षा-Raj Kumar Baral

Book Review Bittersweet chocolate (Published in Republica daily-Dec.20,2013 Friday) RAJ KUMAR BARAL Nayan Raj Pandey hardly needs any introduction to readers in Nepal. His novels “Loo” and “Ular” have already proven his mettle in writing and established him as a fine writer. His minute observations of the social surroundings and succinct and captivating art of storytelling have made readers appreciate his books. He takes writing not something he is passionate about but rather as a way to battle the ills of the society, and that is clearly evident in the story collection, “Chocolate.” Chocolate, an anthology of twenty-seven stories, is Pandey’s eighth creative work which mainly attacks the bitter realities of the societies backed by inefficient and corrupt politicians, whom Pandey has used as his characters in most of the stories in the collection. Sweet-sounding chocolate is a metaphor of false hope in his title story “Chocolate.” The false hope which politicians tantalizingly deliver through their speeches and promises. The stories also make a mockery of the “city lover” leaders who hardly visit their own villages until the time they need help and support from their “own” people.  Pandey seems dissatisfied with the selfish attitude of the city dwellers who don’t seem to remember the favors and goodwill bestowed on them by others. This is evident in the story “Mahanagar” where a high-ranking uncle fails to recognize his own nephew. He had promised never to forget him when Ramesh had donated blood and saved his life when he had been in an accident. Politicians are also the major targets of his satire. A leader delivers a high-sounding speech in the story “Tato” but those promises he makes never materialize. The tendency of making false promises and being indifferent towards keeping those very promises later on is also the subject matter of the story “Samsad Shuru” where leaders use stories of Kamaiyas in their speeches but don’t do anything to alleviate their sufferings. Nepotism, which is largely prevalent in our society, has also been touched upon in one of the stories in the collection. Ranganath, a leader of a revolutionary party and a recently appointed minister, recruits Balbire, his brother-in-law, as his personal assistant instead of Dipak, the son of Karna, who had once saved Ranganath’s life. The misuse of power and fulfilling one’s vested interests by organizing whisky party for high officials and ministers are the recurring subjects in Pandey’s stories. The stories “Shasan” and “Red Wine” are startling examples of that. Bhagiram’s search for mice, in the story “Desh,” is analogous to our irrational activities which are ultimately destroying the nation. Pandey’s satire isn’t limited to politics. He conveys his anger against the culture of bandas through a character, Harka Bahadur, who is a tempo driver. He loses his son because he doesn’t make it to the hospital in time. The doctor’s remark – “We could’ve saved him if you had arrived half an hour earlier” – really strikes a chord with all those who have ever faced emergencies during strikes. Morality, piracy and monetary issues are some of the other topics that Pandey has touched upon through various stories. However, the writer has failed to do justice to some of the characters and they don’t leave an impact as strong as some of the more developed characters. Also, due to the lack of variety in the stories, readers will sometimes easily be able to guess how the plot will develop and even be able to predict the ending. This not only kills the curiosity factor that is of paramount importance in storytelling but also makes readers impatient. But Pandey has ultimately created something of conspicuous literary importance despite the few errors and typos. The writer has used the stories as a means to fight against the sociopolitical evils prevalent in our society. As he has stated in the preface to the anthology, he is using the literary arena for a constructive purpose, hoping to bring about some change in the mindset of people, if not in the overall scenario. His book is an appeal, though indirectly, to every reader to fight against all the evil practices and work for a better future. Baral teaches at the Central Department of English at Tribhuvan University. Published on 2013-12-20 11:59:07