-Romeko yauta ful ra Parisko yauta kada, Lain Singh Bangdel
The author of this travelogue is a painter as well and he wrote the book when he was in Paris for a year in a training program. The whole book is about his experiences there, his days of struggle and his overall learning experience. The writer had to go through a lot to make ends meet and he talks about how if he skips a meal, he can use that money to buy the things that is required for his painting. Likewise, if he skips another meal he can buy more of those things needed for his paintings. Such things mentioned are not only poignant but it shows the passion of this writer who was ready to compromise his meal for the sake of his painting.
The writer even questions that if a person skips a meal he won’t die, or if doesn’t eat for two days he won’t die, either. The last lines not only show his stubbornness but shows how driven he was about his passion for painting.
Many people believe that without money they cannot survive, so to earn money and reputation, they cross all their limitations. Some even choose the path of crime to achieve wealth and success. But I think that if you have a desire to do something and have a strong will, then even if you are short of money, nothing can stop you from following your dreams. The book thus has inspired me a lot as it shows how if you are determined to work; nothing can come in your way to success.
I was in Europe a year back and when I came back I was thinking of writing a travelogue, that’s how I came across this book. I wanted my traveling to last forever and the best way was to write a travelogue and this is how this book inspired me.
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About Regmi
Regmi’s interest is in writing stories, poems and travelogues. As a child, when her mother used to read religious texts to her, she used to get quite enthralled by hearing the stories. Even her sister used to read stories to her which is how Regmi got inclined to writing stories herself. She remembers how even in school she was more into reading fiction rather than her course books.
Her stories usually have women as central characters and are usually about their pain and sufferings.
“There are so many issues in life and so many things that you may want to suggest and what can be better than using writing as the medium to express?” says Regmi. “You get so much satisfaction by writing, and by using words you can express a lot of things without even speaking.”
Regmi has four published works to her credit which are her collection of stories, “Parichaya,” a travelogue, “Paschimaharuko deshma,” joint collection of stories by a group of writers, “Pustantar,” and another joint collection of poems by a group of writers “Jyotiko yugen sworharu.”
Regmi’s five picks
Veniceko Byapari by William Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare and the play has a lot of dramatic and witty scenes. My father used to read a lot of dramas to me, which is why I was really into it since my schooldays. A year back, I even got to visit the birthplace of Shakespeare and the experience made me read more of his works. The plot of this drama is commendable and this is an essential reading.
Modiain by Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala
Koirala is such a strong writer and all of his works are praiseworthy. Known as one of the most well-read and thoughtful writers of Nepali literature, he used to write about reality in such a beautiful way. The book is one of his shortest novels. In the book, he touches the heartrending aspect of how thousands of young women got widowed by war and he looks at the Mahabharata war from a different point of view. This is one of his masterpieces and I love this book.
Basain by Lila Bahadur Chettri
This novel touches the social aspects and it was written a long time back. It shows how back then, the ones with the power in the villages suppressed those who were powerless. It revolves around the story of a man named Dhan Bahadur who suffers a lot after he loses his land. The book gives us a picture of the society back then and tells the story of those who had to go through a lot due to poverty.
Aimaiko kunai desh chhaina by Taslima Nasreen
I think that the way male writers express themselves are different from female writers. Many women do not feel free to write about what they feel because they don’t have the freedom and they are restricted by many social obligations. But Nasreen is someone who writes without societal obligations and thinking about how others will judge her. A true writer is someone who writes about her true feelings and Nasreen is one of those. In this book, she has written about the sufferings of women
Ama by Maxim Gorky
Gorky was a Russian short story writer and novelist who wrote about reality. This book is also a novel based on the real aspects of society. The main subject of the book is about laborers who rebel against their suppression. In this book, even small details have been explained well and it talks about the sufferings of the laborers.
As told to Nistha Rayamajhi
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