Gopal Parajuli
Kaha jane kaha jane
Putalika hul
Jaha-jaha phuleka chhan
Mitha-mitha phul.
[Where you go, swarm of butterflies? To resorts that are flower-filled.]
This beautiful lyric has been written by Haribhakta Katuwal. Many lyrics he composed can be heard on the radios. One of the most famous ones is “Malai nasodha, kaha dukhchha ghau” which can be roughly translated as this : “Do not ask me where the wound aches inside.” Katuwal would also compose beautiful poems. Once you begin reciting his verses and lyrics, your do not feel like stopping anywhere.
Haribhakta Katuwal was in 1935 in a village called Bogibil in Dibrugurd District of Assam state of India, where many Nepalese lives. His grandfather had migrated to Assam from Chainpur of Sankhuwasava District. His father was only eight years old at the time. Haribhakta was born as the first child of his parent. His father’s name was Bir Bahadur and mother’s name Bishnu Maya.
Haribhakta Katuwal took his primary education from Bogibil Primary School, and he passed high school from George High School of Dibrugarh. He passed I.A. as a private student. While studying for B.A., he began to teach at A.O.C. School because the economic condition of his family was not very good. With this, he discontinued his study.
Haribhakta was interested in literature, music, sports, acting and paintings right form his boyhood days. He could write and communicate well in six languages: Nepali, Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, English and Urdu. After some time, he was fired from teaching job too, and he began to maintain subsistence as a vegetable vendor. He incurred a heavy loss in this enterprise, and so, he started a hotel. But he could not run this profession efficiently. He sold the hotel and became unemployment again.
In his initial days, Haribhakta wrote poems under the pen-name ‘Prabasi.’ People who lived abroad called ‘Prabasi’, meaning ‘migrants’. Seeing his extra-ordinary talent, King Mahendra requested him to come to Nepal and purse his writing here. Following the invitation, Katuwal came to Nepal in 1967 By then, four of his books had already been published. His popular songs and poems were been written after he came to Nepal. After he came to Nepal, he stopped using the pen-name ‘Prabasi’ and continued as Haribhakta Katuwal. He became the first litterateur to produce the mini magazine and hawai magazine Banki, printed in hawai paper.
After he came to Kathmandu, Haribhakta got a job at the Royal Nepal Academy as an editor of a magazine. He called his family back from Assam thinking of staying in Kathmandu for the rest of his life. He never flushed with flattery, and mixed with everyone with an open frankness. He was a quite kind-hearted man.
But unfortunately, he was dismissed from that job at Royal Nepal Academy because of various reasons. Following the dismissal, he took up a temporary work at Sajha Prakashan. When the same was shacked too, he went to work for the magazines Abhivyakti, Rooprekha and so on. But since his salary was unable to feed his families, he sent them back to Assam. However, he continued to stay in Kathmandu.
Haribhakta could not continue in his latest job for a long time. So, he got quite exhausted. He was fired from jobs, one after another, for different reasons: citizenship, low academic qualification, low business output etc. Nervous and sad with the environment of Kathmandu, he went back to Assam—his place of birth—promising never to return to Kathmandu. He died there, forlorn and unattended.
Books Haribhakta Katuwal wrote are these: 1. Samjhana (collection of songs) 2. Bhatia Manchhe Bolna Khojchha 3. Sudha (short-epic) 4. Purba Kiran (collection of poems) 5. Yo Jindagi Khai ke Jindagi (collection of poems) 6. Badanam Mera Yi Aankhaharoo (collection of songs and poems) 7. Aitihasik Kathasangraha (in collaboration with other writers) 8. Spastikaran, and 9. Ma Mareko Chhaina (play).
Besides these, he had written essays, radio dramas and children’s stories.
Haribhakta was really proficient at editing newspapers and magazines. He edited literary magazines like Mukti, Himalaya, Pragya, Himani, Sangeet, Sarita, Banki, Abhivyakti, Daali so on. Magazines he edited would sell at a high price.
Although he wrote many heart-touching songs and poems, Haribhakta did not get many awards. Royal Nepal Academy awarded him with ‘Royal Nepal Academy Medal’ and ‘Letter of Honor’ in 1965 for his poem titled “Aakashka Tara Ke Tara”. Likewise, in 1967, he was awarded a gold medal as the best poet in the ‘Second Country-wide Poetry Festival’ for his poem ‘Yo Jindagi Khai Ke Jindagi.’
Some samples of his poems are following.
Mann ta phalamakai bhaye asal hunchha
Kasaile chimatyo
Ek kaptera tyatai tansiyo
Kasaile euta muskan fyakyo
Usaiko pachhyurima gansiyo
Jahile pani jalekai chha
Jata pani dhalekai chha
Manko baha kasaisit nakaha
Kasle bujchha kasle sunchha
Man ta phalamkai bhaye asal hunchha.
× × ×
Yo deshako matole vanchha
Yo deshako dhungale vanchha
Hamro pani rato ragat yahi bageko chha
Hamro pani tato pasina yahi khaseko chha.
[The first section literally means this: An iron heart is, by far the best heart. At the present state, the heart is easily carried away by anything. If anyone gives it a pinch, a portion of it gets hewed away. If someone throws a mild grin, it flies with it. Always burning, always falling, the heart is so susceptible. Do not share its tale with anyone; for there is no one to listen to it, or comprehend it. An iron heart is by far the best heart.
The second section can be paraphrased like this: “The soil and stones of this country say: ‘Our crimson blood too has spilled here; beads of our hot perspiration too have fallen here’.”]
Such a poet and lyricist of extraordinary merit died in 1980 in Assam of India. Nepali language and literature lost a genius at his death. A collection of memoirs on him was published, albeit posthumously. While reading and listening to his beautiful songs and poems, a reader always feels his warm presence very near, as though he were alive and telling out the things himself.
Trans: Chandra Kiran Gurung
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