SahityaPost, 11 November
Drishti, a collection of short-short stories by UK-based Nepali writer Rudra Adhikari was launched in Kathmandu on Monday. Organized by SahityaPost, the event was graced by distinguished guests from literary and journalistic fraternity. Senior writer and journalist Sarad Pradhan, critic and educator Dr. Komal Phuyal, translator Mahesh Paudyal and SahityaPost Chief Aswini Koirala jointly launched the book. It is a translation of the author’s Nepali short-short stories published earlier with the same title. The English translation has been done by Mahesh Paudyal, the Executive Editor of SahityaPost English.
Speaking on the occasion, translator Paudyal said his interaction with author Adhikari during the translation process was truly benefitting, as he could pick the English perspective of looking at relationship and other culturally alien issues. He said, author Adhikari is sensitive to language use, economy of words and the theoretical expectations of the short-short story as a genre. Focal speaker Dr. Komal Phuyal, a lecturer at the Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University, praised author Adhikari for this choice of unconventional themes and eclecticism in the choice of issues. He suggested author Adhikari to have a more realistic representational arc of the characters, and depict them together with follies, instead of imagining them to be idealistically perfect. Nevertheless, he expressed delight on the initiative Adhikari has taken to internationalize his creation by getting them rendered in English.
Writer and journalist Sarad Pradhan cursorily revisited the modern history of translation in Nepal and stressed on the need to train and support translators. He suggested better reach out to the international audience through international publication and participation in book fairs and exhibitions outside Nepal. He also cited a need for residential writing and translation workshops for improved outputs.
Addressing the gathering from London virtually, author Adhikari said his effort was a small move towards building a bridge between Nepal and the Anglo-phonic world outside. He assured that he would take more of such initiatives, as he was convinced that Nepali literature possesses that merit. Speaking as the Chair of the session, the Editor-in-Chief of SahityaPost, Aswini Koirala said, he was thankful to author Adhikari for entrusting his media to publish the work and launch it. He promised to undertake more of such projects in the days to come in the best interest of Nepali literature.
Drishti has 66 short-short stories in it. It is published and marketed by SahityaPost.
