Suman Pokhrel's Blog: सुमन पोखरेल Suman Pokhrel - Posts Tagged "interview"

(An interview with Lokantar)


AN INDIVIDUAL APPRECIATES POETRY ON THE BASIS OF THEIR 'SPHERE OF INTELLECT'
- Suman Pokhrel


Suman Pokhrel is a widely read poet with more fan-following in foreign countries than in Nepal. His works have appeared in various global poetry platforms. Two-time SAARC Literary Award recipient, Pokhrel has also penned short stories, essays, translations, plays, and songs, among others.

Pokhrel has been quoted worldwide in various quotation websites and literary articles. Making his mark in writing, activism and inspiration, Pokhrel’s Facebook page is one of the few verified pages of literary figures from South Asia.

One of his several quotes published in topfamousquotes.com goes like, ''If I’d ever grown prosperous like Shah Jahan was, I’d not have waited for my beloved’s death before I erected a Taj Mahal” has been ranked among the top three quotes on Taj Mahal. This quote was extracted from his poem titled Taj Mahal and My Love.

A media-shy person, Pokhrel agreed for an interview with Birat Anupam for Lokaantar.com. Below is a summary of long conversation with this versatile poet.

Q. How do you define yourself–as a poet, playwright, lyricist, essayist, translator or an artist–since you have worked on all these genres of literature?

A. I am happy to be reckoned as a poet as poetry covers all spheres of literature. A powerful poet can pen a powerful essay but a powerful essayist may not be able to write powerful poems. I think all other genres are derivatives of poetry.

Q. If so, are you happy with your definition in Wikipedia that goes this way: ”Suman Pokhrel is a multilingual Nepali poet, lyricist, translator, and an artist.”?

A. That is their style of introducing people. People define others in their own way, based on their findings and perceptions. There is a saying that people have three identities: one, the identity they are convinced upon; second, an identity given by others and third, the real identity which may lie somewhere between the first and second.

Q. You have good reputation in literary translation. However, your Nepali poems are translated into English by Prof. Dr. Abhi Subedi, poet Manu Manjil, poet Mukul Dahal, among others. Why so?

A. In my view, an effective translation can be carried out by a poet and a good translator who is better equipped with poetic and lingual ingredients. So far as my own experience is concerned, a poet has some constraints to translate his/her own creations. Translations should be executed by a translator. While translating own poems, the poet has to be extra cautious or else the original essence of the poem can be altered. This is only because s/he thinks s/he has the liberty because it is his/her poem. However, I have translated many of my poems myself.

Q. When is a poet supposed to publish his collection of poems?

A. This is a very common and easy question with some complex answers. I guess any poet with his/her size-able poetry audience can publish his\her poetry book.

Q. What sorts of poems are appreciated by a huge audience?

A. Generally, poem is understood and liked on the basis of the 'sphere of intellect' of an individual. Poems falling under the sphere of intellect of larger size of readers can be popular. It doesn’t mean that all popular poems are powerful in their content, structure and art. Many of the vibrant poems haven’t been appreciated by a larger mass of audience as those poems don’t fall under their sphere of intellect.

Q. It is said that contemporary poems in Nepal are thematic and based on certain trends. How do you assess this?

A. I believe that poem itself is an invention. And an invention or discovery doesn’t go with any particular trend. Poetry must be exclusive and it mustn’t go with the trend. Bucking the trend is the very nature of good poetry. Nepal’s great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota and pioneer of prose poetry Gopal Prasad Rimal are always remembered as they didn’t follow any trend but paved their own distinct way.

Q. What is your take on women’s literature in Nepal?

A. A litterateur or a poet definitely does belong to one of the genders. That doesn’t mean it is always visible. A male poet sometime writes as a man and sometimes as human. To cite my own example, I wrote Children as a human and wrote Taj Mahal and My Love as a man. I think the same applies to women poets and litterateurs everywhere.

Q. You have good rapport with poets and literary figures around the SAARC region. What is their impression on Nepali literature?

A. I have had the opportunity to witness many such occasions when Nepali poetry got recognition. Nepali poetry has definitely made a major impact in South Asia and beyond. Poetry possibly is one of the few areas where Nepali content has been acclaimed.

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Source- http://english.lokaantar.com/intervie...

'I DREAD TO THINK OF A SOCIETY DEVOID OF LOVE, COMPASSION AND HUMANITY'
- Suman Pokhrel

An Interview with Suman Pokhrel by Romain Molina


Romain Molina - If I am correct, you're from a village near Biratnagar. Can you describe your childhood there? I imagine the situation here was/is very different from other parts of Nepal (religion, ethnic groups, India's border...)

Suman Pokhrel - I was born in Biratnagar and a part of my growing up years was spent here. I was raised by my poet grandfather and bibliophile parents. I guess it was their influence that prompted me to be attracted towards books and go on to take up writing too. Those days the religion of people across Nepal was same with very few exceptions. However, cultures and customs varied among people of different ethnicity, and living in different geographical areas. The ethnic groups in hills and plains were and are varied. As my childhood got opportunity to grow up amidst variety of geography and people practicing different cultures, I could experience the very essence of our diversity.

Romain Molina - In France, it's very rare to find someone writing poems nowadays; and it's a shame when you remember our tradition with Baudelaire, Victor Hugo, etc. Is it the same thing in Nepal or the poems are really a part of your culture?

Suman Pokhrel - The situation is very much similar here in Nepal. However, poetry is part of our culture in many ways. We have practice of reading Sanskrit verse during our religious and cultural events. Traditionally, there was practice of reciting a form of poetry called KHANDO in Nepali language during marriage ceremonies in my culture. People of different ethnicity have their own types of poetry to recite and sing as folk songs during cultural and religious proceedings. In light of these, I am quite sure that poetry will live long with our generations to come.

Romain Molina - I read a lot of your poems (in English of course). You are, as You are is an amazing piece for me, is my favorite. In each of your poems I read, you talk about love. My question is simple but why ? There's always a connexion to love, humanity, compassion... Values that I share.

Suman Pokhrel - I'm delighted to know that you have read and appreciated my poems. You are, as You are was written years ago and it is good to know it still touches people's heart. When you say that you find the quintessential element of love in my poem; all I want to tell you is that love, compassion, humanity are values which are irreplaceable. They are inherent qualities in human life. I dread to think of a society devoid of these values. In absence of these qualities in our nature, our planet would remain nothing but a material object. Hence, it is my earnest effort through my writing to express my belief on these essential qualities of life.

Romain Molina - You've wrote something beautifull about Taj Mahal. Why this monument and not something else?

Suman Pokhrel - Taj Mahal is not just a monument, but a symbol of love. In my poem, I urge readers to celebrate love throughout life. Instead of the loving the dead, I feel, we should love the living. Moreover, in my view; love is a feeling, and its expression is an art. I found the Taj Mahal as the most appropriate example of artistically expressed love; hence, a proper monument to write on to convey my message of love.

Romain Molina - Tibet, China, India... Nepal seems to be between the roof of the world and the biggest countries. It's a unique situation in the world. What's your point of view? For my foreign point of view, it seems that Nepal separates the Chinese and Indian world. It's a fascinating (and complicated!) situation.

Suman Pokhrel - Yes, Nepal does separate the societies in these two countries. China and India have seemingly different cultures. Nepal’s bordering areas in both sides’ buffer respective cultures across borders. However, in my view, culture is not the single factor to separate these populations. Geopolitical situations and economic ‘spaces’ play vital roles in mixing up and staying separate. Good thing for us is that this is fascinating but not complicated till date.

Romain Molina - The Greeks used to say:"Healthy body, healthy mind." Are you agree with that quote and do you think sports is a process to clean up your body and your mind?

Suman Pokhrel - Certainly. I am agreed with Greeks in this regards. We cannot imagine a mind without body. Body is the container of mind. If we have good container, we can keep the contents safer for longer duration. And it is obviously proven that sports keep the body fit, hence the mind.