Nepalese Writer and Literature in Australia- My Vision and Plan: Journal 3

 15 June - 14 July 2023: Personal Journal 3

This is the third monthly journal covering my activities over the month to promote Nepalese literature and writers (AB) and to hold myself accountable for my promise. I hope you enjoy reading it, and I welcome constructive comments and suggestions that add value to my learning and initiatives.

In fact, this period became a month of rejuvenation and celebration for me where I was able to re-connect with my family and friends after 4 years in Nepal. I spent almost three weeks (June 16 - July 10, 2023) in Nepal and attended 5 cultural ceremony and family functions like Bartabandha, Gufa, Janku ceremony, and receptions/parties. However, this meant less time for visiting friends, relatives, and the heavenly places of Nepalese landscapes.

Brief meetings with Nepalese Authors and Publishers in Nepal:

Despite having limited time, I made an effort to contact some of my closest friends/authors in Nepali literary fields and publishers. During our meetings, I shared my vision of promoting Nepalese writers (AB), Nepalese community language schools, and the Nepalese Section of Libraries in Sydney. I also requested them to provide some of their books for the schools and libraries in Sydney. In response to my request, some of them generously donated a few copies of their books for the Nepalese Language Schools or library in Sydney. Others have expressed their commitment to donate at a later time. I truly appreciate their support and encouragement.

During my stay, I had collected more than 40 Kg of books, which obviously I couldn’t bring all back to Australia due to the flight’s weight limitation. I left many of them in Nepal, and I hope that in due time, more additional books from other writers/publishers will be added. I am planning to organize shipping or courier services to send them to Sydney in a few months.

1. Notable Meetings in various dates:

I had the opportunity to meet Promod Pradhan and Bijaya Raj Achary, who are the President and General Secretary of the Nepalese Society for Children Literature, at their office.

Additionally, I had brief catch-ups with Saswot Parajuli, Krishna Dip Sigdel, and Dr. Dhurva Ghimire at their residence.

Met Yasu Shrestha at a bookstore. I was lucky to run into Prabha Bhattarai didi in Kalimati. I want to express my gratitude to Saman Shrestha, who assisted me in organizing these meetings.

2. Meeting Jaydev K. Shrestha at Taleju Prakasan - Friday 23 June 2023:

I visited Taleju Prakasan (Taleju Publication) at Bhotahity, Kathmandu. It is one of the oldest book publishers in Nepal since 1993, known for publishing quality course books and literature. I was thrilled to finally get my new release "Social Work: Discipline and Professional Practice" in my hands. The colorful textbook gave me immense joy as an author. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Jaydev Krishna Shrestha sir for his unwavering trust in me, which made this publication successful in 2023 after four years of hard work.

During the meeting with Jaydev sir at Taleju, he also handed over a book titled 'Laxman Rajbansi: Smriti Grantha'. The book commemorates Laxman Rajbansi, who was the founding principal of the Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute. Anita, my other half, and I had studied at the same school, so we both paid tribute to him.

Before leaving the publication, I collected a few author copies of the textbook and 50 copies of the picture book 'Kasko Ho Yo Anda? (Whose Eggs Is This?)'. It's a bilingual picture book for children published in 2009, with Nepali and English languages. The book is illustrated by a renowned artist, Abin Shrestha, and English translated by Anita Shrestha. I heard that there is a bookstore in Sydney that sells bilingual books, so I plan to do some research and contact the shop, hoping it will give me leads for future bilingual books.

Meeting Rajeev Dhar Joshi, Kathalaya Publication, Thursday 3 July 2023:

It was a pleasure to visit the Kathalaya Office. Kathalaya is an independent publishing company based in Kathmandu, Nepal, known for its dedication to publishing high-quality children's books in Nepali, English, and other regional languages. They have published over 350 picture books for children, including stories, fact books, rhymes, encyclopedias, and series books. Over the years, Kathalaya's focus has expanded to include popular literature and youth-centric books for adults and young adults under the imprint named "WeRead".

During my visit, I was warmly welcomed by the Kathalaya team and my friend Rajeev Dhar Joshi, who is the Director/Co-Founder of the company. We had a fruitful conversation covering various topics, including:

1. A scope of publication and distribution of books by Australian-based Nepalese writers.
2. Support from Nepalese publishers and authors for promoting a reading culture among Nepalese children through Nepalese Language Schools in Australia.
3. Mentoring opportunities for emerging writers in Nepal.

Based on our conversation, I am thrilled to share some good news. Kathalaya has provided three library bags and a collection of books at a discounted rate to the community language schools in Sydney. These bags will soon be handed over to Samjhana, Sabdamala, and Pathsala community language schools, benefiting their students and promoting a reading culture in the community.

Rajeev also informally requested me to mentor a group of writers who are involved in a project for endangered animal conservation over an online platform. I am excited to see the rollout of the project soon.

Overall, the month has been filled with valuable connections, productive meetings, and promising collaborations. I look forward to continuing my efforts in promoting Nepalese literature and supporting writers and publishers both in Nepal and Australia.

Thank you for reading my journal, and I eagerly await your valuable feedback and suggestions.