Ram Dayal Rakesh
I was deeply saddened to hear the news of sudden demise of Rastra Kavi (Poet of the Nation) Madav Prasad Ghimire. It is surely a huge loss for Nepali literature in the true sense of the term. The demise of Ghimire has created ‘a huge void’ which is almost impossible to be fulfilled in the near future. He was a multitalented great poet, a loveable lyricist and songwriter and ,playwright and essayist. He was also a celebrated writer of children literature. His contributions to Nepali literature are countless. He left for his heavenly abode after leaving his second wife Mahakali, six daughters and two sons on August 17th 2020. He was born in September 23, 1919 in a village named Pustun of Lamjung district in the lovely lap of Himalayas. Therefore, he was highly impressed and greatly inspired by the natural sight and scene of lovely Lamjung. This natural influence can be traced out in his poetic work Himalwari Himalpari.
Born in Lamjung, and educated in cosmopolitan city Kathmandu and religious city Banaras, Ghimire had a career in literature spanning 86 years during which he wrote epic poetry, plays and essays and composed popular songs like “Gauncha Geet Nepali” and “Nepali Hami Rahunla kaha Nepalai Narahe” and contributed to and edited literary Journals and newspapers. From the hills of Lamjung to being the poet laureate of the nation. Ghimire has written countless songs but he is famous for his love lyrics and poetic dramas. He has become immortal for writing Gauri an elegy on the premature death of his first wife named Gauri. This made him renowned throughout the whole country.
A popular Hindi poet Haribansh Rai Bacchan has written about Madhav Prasad Gimire in his memoire named Bhule Bishre Chitre in details. Mr Ghimire has expressed in an interview that he was inspired by Sanskrit famous poet Kalidas. Urdu poet Khalil Gibran and Nobel laureate Ravindranath Tagore. He was also influenced by the towering poetic personality of the late great poet Lakshmi Prasad Devkota. Ghimire’s poetic master piece Ashwasthama translated by Dr. Padam Prasad Devkota, was recommend by the then Vice Chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy Madan Mani Dikshit to the Nobel Prize Committee. But he could not get the Nobel Prize. This was very unfortunate on his part. His story Mann Chinte Murli has been translated into English and been integrated in the secondary school course in Sweden.
Ghimire has written dozens of books on various topics but he is best known for his literary works such as Gauri (epic), Kinnar-Kinnari (lyrical anthology), Charu Charcha (essay collection) and Shakuntla, yet another famous epic. One of his most popular literary works is music drama Malati Mangle. It was first staged in 1985 to wide-spread national and international acclaim and continues to get staged even today. He is best known for his renowned eponymous elegy composed in the sweet memory of his first spouse Gauri which is full of pathos and emotions and grief which he felt inhis inner heart.
Truly speaking he was the Chhandavadi Kavi. Chhanda poetry is very melodious and sweet to listen and it touches directly to the hearts of the readers. It is a rhythmic poetry that is composed in a fixed meter and is most disciplined one. He was the singer of beauty of nature and patriotism.He was a poet par excellence. He was just 14 years old when he started writing. His first poem is “Gyan Pushpa”, which was published in the Gorkhapatra daily in 1935. His first anthology of poems is Navamanjari published in 1937. He has asserted in one of his interviews:
“God gave me a long life, and people gave me so much love.People have given me importance and honored me as the national poet. I wrote “Gaunchha Geet Nepali” in 1953. and people still sing it.”
He was honored as the Rastra Kavi (poet of the nation) by the Government of Nepal in 2003.
He has had boundless love for his mother who died when Ghimire was a child but he has immortalized her in his poems.His love towards his mother can be traced out in his following lovely lines:
“Almost my literary creations have a divine and glorified vision of women unconsciously the emptiness and the absence of my mother during my childhood is fulfilled through my writing.”
His personal favorites among his own creations are Gauri and Ashwasthama. He has also expressed his opinion about a poet which is very important. According to him. A poet has to be people’s person, he has to create himself to beauty and life.If you cannot relate to nature and people, then you cannot express your feelings.Apoet is a person who takes colors from all around and creates a painting out of words, which others can identify with.
He was fortunate enough to hold so many coveted posts during his life time. First of all he was nominated as a member of the Royal Nepal Academy. Then he was promoted to the post of Vice- Chancellor and he served for 10 years and then Chancellor of the same for two years (from 1998 to 1990). He was the recipient of prestigious awards like the order of Gorkha Dakshin Bahu. Tribhuvan Pragya Puraskar, Bhanubhakta Award and Sajha Puraskar.
He had completed his monumental work named Ritambharaan another epic which is unpublished.
I would like to quote here one couplet of his poem named “Not a Place to Live.”
It’s possible to live on here if you can battle through
I wonder why she gave up soon and then she chose to go
Speak up please Trishuli Ganga?
What were her words to you?
( Selected Nepali Lyrical Poems).
In the end Madhav Prasad Ghimire had immense love and boundless cultural bond with the people of Mithila. He has praised the glorious past of Mithila in the following lines:
“This is my own Mithila
The earth of verdure,
Here was Janaki born
Like the paddy blade,
Mandavi, Glory, Kirti, Urmila
(Gruel, Glory, Undulation)
The Graceful Janaki
Dedicating herself to Rama
Like swelling grains in paddy ears.
Flashing a golden gleam
And bending in the sweet sunlight.
This is my own Mithila
The earth of verdure.
(Indreni: Coronation Special issue 2013).
[Ram Dayal Rakesh, PhD, is a professor of Hindi, who retired from Tribhuvan University. A folklorist, writer, critic and translator of high repute, he is also the winner of the prestigious Fukuoka Prize from Japan. He is also the former Chief of the Department of Culture at Nepal Academy.]