TGT Correspondent
Kathmandu, September 5
Mahesh Bhattarai Dinlali, a young Nepali ghazal writer has finished at topper of the international ghazal competition held alongside “Moti ra Ghazal,” an event organized virtually by Shrasthasanga Sathi Minet, Anaam Mandali and Antrarashtirya Ghazal Manch on Saturday. The event, organized in order to mark the 155th birth anniversary of the first Nepali ghazal writer Motiram Bhatta named Avinash Sapkota the first runner up, while four contestants: Pramod Thapa, Chitraman Tamang, Chhatta Bahadur Bogati, and Prakash Khanal were placed third. Accordingly to Dr. Ghanashyam Parishrami, the coordinator of the panel of judges, as many as 36 ghazals had been received for the competition, and the finalists were drawn from among coded entries, hiding the names of the competitors for transparency and fairness.
Chaired by Nepal Academy Council Member and Chief of Poetry Department Prof. Dr. Hem Nath Poudel, the event was also characterized ghazal recitation by noted Nepali ghazal writers from Nepal and abroad, including Boond Rana, Ravi Pranjal, Bhojraj Ghimire, Suresh Subedi, Sheetal Kadambini, and others. Ghanendra Ojha, one of the key members of the organizing team said, it is an event “with the highest cash prize for Nepali Ghazal so far.” The awards carry US Dollars 330, 220, and 110 for the first, second and third positions respectively. The event was hosted by Ganesh Ghimire from Australia and Krishna Kusum from the US.
The event also had two panel discussions, the first on “Nepali Ghazals Abroad” moderated by Ganesh Babu Adhikari, and participated by Pawan Lamichhane, Jitendra Malla, RK Subedi, J. Sagar and Shailendra Adhikari, and the second, a theoretical discussion on Ghazal as a genre, moderated by Prabhati Kiran, and participated by Gyanuwalker Poudel, Dr. Krishna Hari Baral, Karun Thapa, Ghanendra Ojha, Aawaj Sharma, and Shrestha Priya Patthar.
Event Chair Poudel said, Nepal Academy, especially its Department of Poetry, is always ready to collaborate with like-minded organizations to promote Nepali Ghazal.