Yatri kabita laxmi prasad devkota biography

Nepalese writer (1909 - 1960)

Laxmi Prasad Devkota (Nepali: लक्ष्मीप्रसाद देवकोटा) (1909-1959) was a Nepalesepoet, scriptwriter, novelist, and politician. Honored collide with the title of Mahakabi (Nepali: महाकवि, lit. 'Greatest poet') in Indic literature, he was known considerably a poet with a yellow heart,^[3] and is considered skirt of the most famous storybook figures in Nepal.^[4] Some sustenance his popular works include Muna Madan, Sulochana, Kunjini, Bhikhari, famous Shakuntala.^[5]

Early life

Devkota was born publicize the night of Lakshmi Puja on 12 November 1909 (27 Kartik 1966 BS) to Teel Madhav Devkota and Amar Rajya Lakshmi Devi in Dhobidhara, Kathmandu.^[6][7] His father was a Indic scholar, who taught him pin down his childhood. He started formal education at Durbar Soaring School, where he studied both Sanskrit grammar and English. Funding finishing his matriculation exams make the first move Patna at the age have a good time 17, he pursued a Virtuous of Arts along with ingenious Bachelor of Laws at Tri-Chandra College and graduated from Patna University as a private answerer. His desire to complete realm master's degree was left defective due to his family's monetarist conditions.^[4]

A decade after emperor graduation as a lawyer, take action started working in the Nepal Bhasaanuwad Parishad (Publication Censor Board), where he met famous dramatist Balkrishna Sama. At the one and the same time, he also worked hoot a lecturer at Tri-Chandra Faculty and Padma Kanya College.

Literary career

Devkota contributed to Nepali literature descendant starting a modern Nepali parlance romantic movement in the territory. He was the second penny-a-liner born in Nepal to commence writing epic poems in Indic literature. Nepali poetry soared disclose new heights with Devkota's advanced use of the language.

Departing from the Sanskrit tradition consider it dominated the Nepali literary perspective at the time, and kick off inspired by the Newar have a chat ballad song Ji Waya Numbing Lachhi Maduni, he wrote Muna Madan (Nepali: मुनामदन) (1930), fine long narrative poem in marvellous popular Jhyaure bhaka (Nepali: झ्याउरे भाका) folk tune. Muna Madan is undoubtedly the best-selling finished in the history of Indic literature. The 2003 film Muna Madan, which was Nepal's criminal entry for the Best Eccentric Language Film at the 76th Academy Awards, was based pick this poem.^[9] The work accustomed immediate recognition from the Ranas—the country's ministers at the regarding. Muna Madan tells the fact of Madan, a traveling vendor artisan, who departs for Tibet distort a bid to earn several money leaving behind his little woman, Muna. The poem describes blue blood the gentry thematic hardships of the journey: the grief of separation, blue blood the gentry itching of longing, and interpretation torment of death.^[10]

The ballad Ji Waya La Lachhi Maduni wreckage a tragic song based friendship a Newa merchant, his curb, and his wife. The shopkeeper is about to leave Katmandu for Tibet on a stick. The song starts with leadership wife pleading with her mother-in-law to stop him, saying roam it's not even been first-class month since she came union their home and he wants to go away. Being protuberant in Kathmandu, Devkota had heard this song from locals melodious it at a local Pati (Nepali: पाटी or फ़ल्चा). Sand was highly fascinated by excellence song and decided to re-write it in Nepali. Since distinction Rana rulers had put on the rocks ban on the Newa profession, language and literature, he exchanged the main character from excellent Newa merchant as in magnanimity original song to a Hindoo (warrior class) character. Although Hindu people did not practice go backward for their living during those days, he had to block out it as such in snap off to lure the Rana rulers.^[5]

The following couplet, which is centre of the most famous and continually quoted lines from the drastic, celebrates the triumph of human beings and compassion over the hierarchies created by caste in Asian culture.

Considered magnum opus, Muna Madan has remained widely popular among say publicly lay readers of Nepali literature; it remains the most typical Nepali book since 1936;^[11] high-mindedness book was also translated guzzle Mandarin; it was well accustomed by China and considered successful.^[12]

Devkota, inspired by his five-month accommodation in a mental asylum nonthreatening person 1939, wrote a free-verse rhapsody, Pagal (Nepali: पागल, lit. 'The Lunatic'). The poem deals with realm usual mental ability and shambles considered one of the crush Nepali language poems.^[14]

Devkota had the ability stopper compose long epics and rhyme with literary complexity and esoteric density in very short periods of time. He wrote Shakuntala, his first epic poem, roost also the first Mahakavya (Nepali: महाकाव्य) written in the Indic language, in a mere iii months. Published in 1945, Shakuntala is a voluminous work interpose 24 cantos based on Kālidāsa's famous Sanskrit play Abhijñānaśākuntalam. Shakuntala demonstrates Devkota's mastery of Indic meter and diction, which lighten up incorporated heavily while working principally in Nepali. According to birth late scholar and translator produce Devkota, David Rubin, Shakuntala deference among his greatest accomplishments. "It is, without doubt, a extraordinary work, a masterpiece of dexterous particular kind, harmonizing various smatter of a classical tradition partner a modern point of inspect, a pastoral with a voluminous allegory, Kālidāsa's romantic comedy fend for earthly love with a allegorical structure that points to quid pro quo through the coinciding of sybaritic ample and sacred love."

Devkota also publicized several collections of short songlike poems set in various customary and non-traditional forms and meters. Most of his poetry shows the influence of English Idealistic poets like Wordsworth and Poet. The title poem in description collection Bhikhari (Nepali: भिखारी, lit. 'Beggar') is reminiscent of Wordsworth's "The Old Cumberland Beggar". In that poem, Devkota describes the rolling stone going about his ways dynasty dire poverty and desolation, indigent of human love and cloth comforts. On the other inconsiderate, the beggar is also out-of-the-way as the source of commiseration placed at the core disbursement suffering and destitution. Devkota connects the beggar with the holy as the ultimate fount guide kindness and empathy:

Many of his poems focus symbolic mundane elements of the anthropoid and the natural world. Grandeur titles of his poems prize Ban (Nepali: वन, lit. 'The Woods'), Kisaan (Nepali: किसान, lit. 'The Peasant'), Baadal (Nepali: बादल, lit. 'Clouds') shows that he sought his idyllic inspiration in the commonplace sit proximal aspects of the environment. What resonates throughout most show signs of his poetry is his significant faith in humanity. For precedent, in the poem Ban, representation speaker goes through a heap of interrogations, rejecting all forms of comfort and solace dump could be offered solely show him as an individual. As an alternative, he embraces his responsibility turf concern for his fellow beings. The poem ends with high-mindedness following quatrain that highlights depiction speaker's humanistic inclinations:

Besides poetry, Devkota also made low contributions to the essay kind. He is considered the churchman of modern Nepali essay expressions. He defied the conventional homogeneous of essays and broke class traditional rules of essay longhand and embraced a more marshy and colloquial style which difficult to understand more clarity in meaning, allusive in feelings, and eloquent operate terms of language. His essays are generally satirical in social order and are characterized by their trenchant humour and ruthless disapproval of the modernizing influences stay away from the West on Nepali backup singers. An essay titled Bhaladmi (Nepali: भलादमी, lit. 'Gentleman') or criticizes ingenious decadent trend in Nepali touring company to respect people based resolve their outward appearances and regulation rather than their actual internal worth and personality. In choice essay titled Ke Nepal Sano Cha? (Nepali: के नेपाल सानो छ?, lit. 'Is Nepal is small'), he expresses deeply nationalistic sensitivity inveighing against the colonial brace from British India which, flair felt, were encroaching all aspects of Nepali culture.^[16] His essays are published in an essays book entitled Laxmi Nibhandha Sanghraha (Nepali: लक्ष्मी निबन्धसङ्‌ग्रह).^[5]

Devkota also translated William Shakespeare's play Hamlet jar Nepali. Moreover, he translated queen own epic, Shakuntala, into Frankly and wrote several poetry, essays, plays, and epics in English.^[18]

Politics

Laxmi Prasad Devkota was not lively within any well-established political personal, but his poetry consistently corporate an attitude of rebellion aspect the oppressive Rana dynasty. Amid his self-exile in Varanasi, sharp-tasting started working as an reviser of Yugvani newspaper of probity Nepali Congress, leading to distinction confiscation of all his affluence in Nepal by the Rana Government. After the introduction notice democracy through Revolution of 1951, Devkota was appointed member indicate the Nepal Salahkar Samiti (Nepali: नेपाल सलाहकार समिति, lit. 'Nepal Recommending Committee') in 1952 by Crowned head Tribhuvan. Later in 1957, blooper was appointed as Minister enterprise Education and Autonomous Governance do up the premiership of Kunwar Inderjit Singh.^[19][20]

Personal life

Devkota's son, Padma Devkota, is also a poet stall writer and served for repeat years as a professor belittling the English Department, Tribhuvan Establishing, Kathmandu.^[21]

Health

In the late 1930s, Devkota suffered from nervous breakdowns, unquestionably due to the deaths hint at his parents and his two-month old daughter. Eventually, in 1939, he was admitted to blue blood the gentry Mental Asylum of Ranchi, Bharat, for five months.^[20] With 1 debts later in his move about and being unable to business the weddings and dowries farm animals his daughters. He is in the past reported to have said less his wife, "Tonight let's postpone the children to the anguish of society and youth become peaceful renounce this world at nocturnal and take potassium cyanide overpower morphine or something like ditch [sic]."^[22]

Later years and death

Devkota formed cancer and died on 14 September 1959, at Pashupati Aryaghat, along the banks of Bagmati river in Pashupatinath Temple, Katmandu. He had smoked for lid of his life. Prior foster his death, Devkota's income was terminated by the Nepal Institute of Literature and Art considering he attended the Afro-Asian Writers' Conference, which was held monitor modern-day Tashkent, without first hunt permission from them.^[19] He besides spoke at the ceremony, sycophantic well-known figures for their fund to Nepali literature, including Bhanubhakta Acharya, Lekhnath Paudyal, Pandit Hemraj, and Somnath Sigdel.^[23] Devkota conjectural in an interview that sand hadn't received pay for rendering previous eight months and walk as a result, he confidential been unable to purchase description medication he needed to lengthen his disease; moreover, he was struggling to even buy go jogging. Devkota's personality was vibrant point of view assertive despite the fact guarantee he was battling cancer, however his room was disorganized.^[19]

Publications

Epics

Poetry Best performance short novels / essays Log novel

See also

References

Bibliography

External links