Arun Sharma
In my fingers I have this little blue cover book, THE DARK, BLUE SEA!
I turn the pages of the book:
“… something kept swelling and rising from the sea from the bottom of the sea, like a monster from the past, a watery mass that had power to rock our boat and my heart at the same time. Indeed, this was the sea when she was awake.” (51)
“I thought I saw a piece of cloth limply moving in the water. Upon closer look, it turned out to be one of the largest jellyfish I have ever seen in my life, certainly more than a foot in diameter. It looked flimsy, inanimate, like a discarded piece of rag as its translucent bell undulated in the water…. This little monster from the past … predated us by over five million years! And still it swam the seas, still foraged for food, still survived and multiplied. There I was, alone, in that evening, face to face with a creature from the depths of the yellow sea and of bygone time. And I, fearful of some possible sting ….What was I afraid of ? A thing from the past? Or a thing of present? The sea was alive with the past, full of mysterious life, full of threats and yet as lovely as life itself. I believe I met the sea here in the silence of the evening for perhaps for the first time in my life. It spread far and wide on a deep, audible silence.” (52-3)
“When I find myself in front of deep blue sea, I am awe-struck by both its immensity and grandeur.” (56)
“And I have seen Sabitur, the beautiful and enlightening sun deity, rise in full glory, growing to almost twice his size and many times his daytime splendor. How then can humanity of the subcontinent not worship this beauty for all its worth?” (57)
And the pages of “An Unplanned Trip to a Mountain Abode”:
“… I stood in the fields … to admire the snow peaks and the sapphire mountains clean washed by the night-long rains. This scenery was the prize I was awarded by heaven for daring an unplanned trip to the high hills…” (146)
I have met Dr. Padma Devkota, a poet, writer, Professor of English, and the author of this book in my fingers about half a dozen times since we came to know each other.
It’s been about a year since we came across each other in the social media and then on Feb 19,1924, we met face to face. Initially I remember not being aware of his familial connection, and misspelling his name as Padam instead of Padma. He smilingly, politely and gracefully corrected it, “ It’ll be nice if you call me ‘Padma’. I said, “I’m sorry.” I was a little embarrassed as I violated a cardinal rule on identity: you DO NOT make mistake in names. And, then as we began chatting, time flew like a blowing wind but the wind kept etching ripples in heart and mind. It’s been an exciting breeze and blast on literature and philosophy so far. I look forward to more no doubt!
Did my sudden awareness of his connection with the famous father change my perception? I did ask myself! It’s kind of yes and no answer. It changed in the sense I yearned to look for his father in him and also wished to see a free, independent, original man of letters. Does a burdened identity, a famous father, a celebrity’s son change expectation on his delivery of words and letters? Finding father in son is a tough ordeal and may be an injustice to this man. Why should I judge him for a sheer a biological accident in life? Obviously, he had no control over his fate!
His replies to my questions:
Is your identity a blessing, burden or both?
Padma: If this is a hint at my identity as an offspring of a celebrated poet, I have accepted it both a blessing and a burden. It is a blessing in that people who know him have a deep love and respect for everything that touches upon his life. Many people have told me how proud and happy they are on having met a family member of Mahakavi Devkota although they did not get a chance to see him in person. This, in turn, makes me feel even more proud of my father’s accomplishments in life. However, this particular lineal identity has also turned into a burden, as these very people’s expectations about what I should and shouldn’t do as the son of the Mahakavi don’t always align with my personal interests, goals, and ambitions. They see me as not fulfilling my filial duties, and I see them as being unnecessarily demanding. My capacity to fulfill public demand is grossly insufficient.
I notice your fascination with science and you were a student of science. So, how /why you chose literature as your profession ?
Padma: Not only did I relish poems prescribed in our school textbooks, I used to write poetry for the school magazines too. Both literature and science have always fascinated me. I’m glad I have this admiration for both these disciplines. My decision to study literature and philosophy in college instead of becoming a medical doctor, for which I had earned a scholarship, is a matter of personal choice influenced, perhaps, to a degree by a growing interest in the writings of my father. I wanted to learn more about him and the thing that sustained his life: poetry. I have spent much time with his writing. I have no regrets regarding my choice.
Your passion, hobbies? What tickles you? What motivates you?
Padma: I used to read a lot. These days I read less fiction and more articles. I used to memorize poetry. These days I am beginning to forget the poems I once loved. I loved teaching. The national political ambience has soiled the dignity of the profession today. If only one could work with dignity! So, I have compromised with life: I am learning to play the bamboo flute, to take solitary city-walks, and to hold on to all the good people of this world. But, of course yes, I continue reading whatever comes my way.
Life, as you, see ?
Padma: To me, life is energy equipped with a coach (body) and a driver (consciousness). Where the driver wants to go, what it wants to explore, what its beliefs are, these are all a matter of individual choice. Life sits in the coach and enjoys the scenery: some wonderfully pleasing, others painfully ugly.
“Life is the richest feast for man here born,” my father wrote. I agree. In “Written in Early Spring,” William Wordsworth wrote: “Have I not reason to lament/ What man has made of man?” And I have come to accept that we destroy the joy and beauty of our own life and that of others by giving in to our dark side.
Life is what we make of it: rich and meaningful or a burden of painful existence. Humans have a wonderful capacity to imagine the eternal and to convince themselves that this is the ultimate reality.
Your top favorite books/authors?
Padma: Here’s an off-the-cuff list:
- A Man for All Seasons- Robert Bolt.
- The Idiot- Dostoevsky
- The School for Scandal- Richard Brinsley Sheridan.
- Palgrave’s Golden Treasury.
- A Tale ofTwo Cities- Charles Dickens
- Animal Farm-George Orwell
- Candida- Voltaire.
- Waiting for Godot- Camus.
- The Old Man and the Sea- Ernest Hemingway.
- Twelve Tales- Nathaniel Hawthorne.
- Atlas Shrugged. Ayn Rand.
- A Doll’s House- G. B. Shaw.
- Gulliver’s Travels- Jonathan Swift.
- Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy.
- A Portrait of the Artist- James Joyce.
- The Hunchback of Notre- Dame. Victor Hugo.
Or, did you want a list of more modern and even contemporary books? Or, books in Nepali? I have enjoyed every variety of books: children’s literature, cow-boy novels, science-fiction, crime and suspense fictions, island adventure novels. James Bond, Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Herlock Sholmes, Long Jones Silver, Tarzan series, Alice in Wonderland, The Sun Also Rises, Of Mice and Men, A Passage to India, Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel. J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, The Hobbit and you name them.
Should we write in English (you and I)?
Nobody has to write in English. I have chosen to write in English, but I shall respect your choice and that of other people. However, if I have asked you to write some personal essays in English, this is first of all because you have a command over this language. Second, any experiment at self-expression in an acquired language is justified by the time spent in learning it. Third, there is a tradition of Nepali writers expressing themselves in English. Fourth, I once initiated a Society of Nepali Writers in English, which functioned over the years and produced some writers. I am in the habit of asking people like you to express yourself in English too. Fifth, Nepal is gradually using the English language in its day-to-day activities, and will probably continue to do so as a result of the flash-growth of AI in our everyday life. Finally, there is already a steadily growing community of writers and readers in the English language inside Nepal. However, the medium of expression is first and foremost the writer’s personal choice.
It’s been fun! Thanks! We MUST continue!
