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Monday, July 16, 2007

Release of Kalo Aakriti: New mark in Nepalese theatre

Kathmandu: ‘Kalo Aakriti’ (Black Figure), a collection of contemporary plays by poet and playwright Gopi Sapkota, was released amidst a function held at Nepal Academy in Kathmandu recently. Poet and Critic Dr. Mohan Himansu Thapa made public Sapkota’s sixth work and third dramatic one. Besides plays, Sapkota has two anthologies of poetry and a collection of children’s stories to his credit.

Unveiling the work at the function organized by Sarwanam Theater Group, Dr. Thapa said Sapkota’s work was a blend of eastern and western philosophical and literary values. ‘Sapkota’s latest work is influenced by existential writers Jean Paul Satre, Albert Camus and Franz Kafka. He is equally influenced by the street play movement and the contemporary life style.’ He further said with the publication of Kalo Aakriti, Sapkota had established himself as a representative playwright from among the emerging writers.

Speaking at the program Dr. Govinda Raj Bhattarai, veteran litterateur and critic noted that Sapkota has emerged as a promising new generation play writer with his latest book. He further remarked that Sapkota’s work was most likely to give new direction to Nepalese theatre. ‘Among other things, Sapkota has successfully dealt with the theme of virtual reality in his plays’. Dr. Bhattarai also shared the work that he had been doing the field of criticism of plays.

Also at the program, renowned dramatist Ashesh Malla remarked ‘Sapkota has added new dimension to Nepali plays. We certainly can pin our hope on him.’ He noted that theatrical quality constituted the essence of plays and lauded Sapkota’s works for their height in this regard. He also urged the critics to study plays simply as plays and not on the basis of conventional classification between a complete and one-act play.

In the program chaired by the Coordinator of Sarwanam, Om Mani Sharma, poet Bishnu Bhivu Ghimire said the plays in Kalo Aakriti dealt with different aspects of life, love and death. He agreed with Dr. Thapa that they were markedly poetic although written in simple language.

The work published by Ratna Pustak Bhandar contains 10 plays in it.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Interaction on Sapkota's poems organised

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb. 20: An interaction programme on the newly published anthology of poems?'Gulafko Ashtrayma Mrityu' (Death in a Rose Ashtray) by poet and playwright Gopi Sapkota was held recently under the aegis of Nirjhar Bangmaya Pratisthan.

Prof. Dr. Durga Prasad Bhandari, the chief guest of the programme, said that Sapkota's poems were infused with the poetic energy and they expressed the absurdities of life. He further noted that Sapkota had artistically weaved the theme of love and beauty with that of death.

Prominent poet and dramatist Ashesh Malla said that Sapkota's poems reflected nature and life. He said that poetry was a matter to be felt and not explained.

The author shed light on the theme and the process of his writing. He said that the 'Death in a Rose Ashtray,' the title poem, centred on the absurdities of life and unavoidable presence of death.

Poets Rameshor Raut Matridas and Amar Neupane, essayist Yuwaraj Nayaghare and writers Khem Aryal and Indra Kumar Shrestha commented on various aspects of the book. The Death in a Rose Ashtray is the fifth work by Gopi Sapkota.

From The Rising Nepal [ 2007-2-21 ]

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Death in a Rose Ashtray

· This is my fifth book. I have chosen two genres to express myself that are drama and poetry. As poetry, this is my second book, and it has come after more than one decade. Some 11 years back, my poetry book was published. The Death in a Rose Ashtray is an anthology of the selected poems written in last one decade.

Throwing the warm blanket
that had covered our beautiful winter dreams
we got up hurriedly
and stepped out of our room to check what we heard about
We looked up and saw only the black clouds
no moon and no stars,
no lights and nothing visible
Virtually, we lost our sky in midnight.
(Sleep Walking, 79)

· Death in a Rose Ashtray, the title poem speaks about the absurdities of life and realizes the unavoidable presence of death. It’s an artistic composition of diverse concepts. I have tried to create a unique image blending various images. Rose symbolizes beauty; ashtray represents ashes, and death is an end to the life.

· 35 poems of this collection can be mainly categorized into three themes – life, love and death. Most of the poems that belong to life talk about the absurdities. The poems under this category also incorporate the social issues.

· Poem under the theme of love are pure and perfect. Mostly, I am trying to expose the aesthetic as well as external beauty of women. At the same time, I am also trying to show how love has ruined the life. (Sparsh, 74)

· Death is mostly matured and universal theme. I believe that the death is an evergreen theme for poetry. Death was in the past, exists in the present and will remain in the same form in future. Poems written on death theme will never be old. Death is eternal.

Those scared from the death,
Are scared from the truth
Truth means only the death
Truth means only the void.
(Death, 34)

· Few of the poems from this anthology bear the qualities of post-modernity. Leaving space to create multiple meaning for the same poem, I have experimented postmodernism in my poems.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Sparsh begins in Gallery Nine

Kathmandu/ An art exhibition 'Sparsh' by Bhim Prasad Sharma was inaugurated by Ragini Upadhyay Grela on Wednesday at Gallery Nine, Lazimpat. The exhibition was organized by the Gallery Nine and Sahamati, an institution for equitable development. In the opening session, Ragini Upadhayay as Chief Guest said that Bhim Prasad Sharma's paintings expressed the color of the life of his village, Gaindakot, where he lives.

Speaking in the function, litterateur Govinda Raj Binodi said that Mr. Sharma's paintings expressed the social issues that range from caste discrimination to conflict.

Mr. Sharma recalled his memoirs when he started painting, and describes briefly on what his paintings intend to express. Sparsh is the third solo painting exhibition by Mr. Sharma. Prior to this, his painting exhibition was held in Canada.

Poet Biplav Prateek, on behalf of Gallery Nine coordinated the exhibition. The exhibition will be held during 13 - 20 September at Gallery Nine.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Sabda Satabdi: the poetry of absurdity

Gopal Parajuli, a prominent writer of Nepal, always seeks for new dimension in writing to create his identity as an experimentalist. He loves to play with words, thoughts and feelings to experiment. He is fond of shaping new form in his latest writing. Sabda Satabdi (The Century of Word) is also an experimental work of art by Mr. Parajuli. Sabda Satabdi has been divided into two parts – Satabdi Purush and Sabda Purush.

The Satabdi Purush, a man of century submits the proposal where as the Sabda Purush, the man of word inaugurates the proposal. These proposals are in the forms of poetry. There are 36 poems under the section Prastav Jaher (Submission of Proposal) in Satabdi Purush and 38 poems in Prastav Udghatan (Inauguration of proposal) that falls under the category of Sabda Purush. The Satabdi Purush, the man of century has been talking about the current problems through the poems. The war lovers are attracting all towards their own thought in the country of Buddha. The truth is in emergency. The power holders are in love of war. The war has been waged for power. Though all the views advocated through the poems are of the poet Parajuli, he states his own view about his poetry in the foreword. He explicates – 'the world can’t be empty by murdering few people – those who stand against of peace should know clearly’. Poet Parujuli is a peace lover. He knows that the peace is in crisis at present. This situation haunts him. He composes-

The savers have started to tell lie
The enemies have started to conspire
Against the country. (Proposal 4)

'Time has already exited from the boundary of definition.' Poet Parajuli further talks in relation to time, space and poems. 'Poetry can’t go out from words, neither it can go out from life. It can’t go out from the emotions. It can’t go out from the expression of feelings. There is no space for poetry out of human being.' Gopal Parajuli believes that for poetry the existence of human beings is important. The whole country has deepened in despair. People are eagerly waiting for the ray of hope. A continuous waiting for the fortune! We can clearly see the chauvinistic feelings of the poet overwhelming in his heart. He loves the people, the country. He writes: People are waiting to listen, who brings the new news for country? (Proposal 4). Science has been networking violence and murder through internet through email (Proposal 32)

The second part of the book is of Sabda Purush, the man of word. So, there is no need to worry with the submission of frustrating proposals, the man of word has powerfully come out with forceful inaugurations. The man of the word spells out -

To save the life,
I declared myself
as a first police of the life.
(Inauguration 1)

These voices show the hopes for resolving the problems. But these expressions seem funny. The stanza like declaring himself a first police to save his own life shows the people's attitudes of individuality. It may also reflect that if one is saving oneself means everybody is saving him/herself. So, there requires not the security forces. It's a perfect stage of life that Mr. Parajuli has dreamt of. Gopal Parajuli always hopes for better. He expects the God, waits for Him. Though he himself does not know, whether the God exists or not, he wishes a friend who brings him the God in the world of love. Meanwhile he also suspects whether the enemies will come. But his desire of God's arrival seems strong. He states:

In my love
if the enemies do not come
a friend will come with the God.
(Inauguration 6)

Sometimes, the heart bursts out vigorously. The inner power becomes so strong that anything won't be impossible.

The poet's expression:
I will seize the gun from present
and will change the scene
at least for a moment
(Inauguration 19)

Changing the scene for a moment is not enough as well as is not what the people have expected. If it is to be changed, it should be changed completely, that's what the poet has not expressed. So, these expressions seem absurd, in complete. May be he urges others to fill up what he has left as gaps? The form of absurdity has been seen in the dramas in most of the cases, where as Gopal Parajuli utilizes the absurd form of writing not only in his dramas rather chooses to experiment in his poems and short stories. When the life and society are entangled confusingly in the abyss of absurdity, how a write can escape himself from the abyss, that compels him to express his opinions in absurd way. This is what poet Parajuli has been experiencing and expressing. The divergence in subject matter and stylistic novelty reflect his originality in writing. His experimental nature always encourages him to exercise with the philosophies of existentialism and absurdity.

Gopal Parajuli emphasizes more in the form rather than the content of his works of art. Searching, identifying and presenting ideas through new forms of expression has helped poet Parajuli glitter among the other nepali writers.