Gopal Parajuli
Bal Krishna Sama was born in 1902 in Gyaneshwar of Kathmandu. His father’s name was Samar Samsher Janga Bahadur Rana and his mother’s Kriti Rajya Laxmi Devi.
Sama’s father had two sons: Puskar Samsher and Bal Krishna Sama. Both the brothers have become immortal in the history Nepali literature.
Scholars can predict the future of a child : what sort of man he will become as he grows. It’s like saying, morning shows the day. These two brothers had shown their genius in young ages.
After he reached five in 1907, Sama was taught the alphabet, starting on the day of Shree Panchami, the day when we mark Sarasawati Puja. The one who taught him letters was Til Madav Devkota, father of Laxmi Prasad Devkota, the great poet.
A lot of singing and dancing used to take place at Sama’s house. At times, drama would be performed too. Sama would be greatly pleased, seeing the stage curtains decorated with colorful paintings. He enjoyed watching waltz. He had a great interest in acting since his early age. Because of the very amusing environment at home, he became a famous playwright, poet, philosopher, and artist. He made Nepali literature rich and heightened the prestige of Nepal.
He started writing poems when he was very young. His poem “Ishwar,” the one he wrote at the age of ten, had been published in Sharada. Since an age of 15 or 16, he began writing beautiful works.
One day, Buddhi Binod, a book of poems fell into his hand. It was written by Kavi Shiromani Lekhanath Paudyal. Reading that book, he was encouraged. Sama, who wanted to become a poet himself was blessed by Sarasawati, the goddess of knowledge, in him dream one night. She asked him, “What blessings do you want?”
He cried out, “I want to be a poet, Mother.”
“All right, your wish is granted!” Saraswati blessed him. That dream came true. He became renowned as a great poet. He was rich with real genius because he could write dramas in verses. Many a stanza of his poems in dramas have become extemely popular. For example
Deshabhakti ta mardaina chutthai desh vaye pani
Patibhakti ta mardaina papi pati vaye pani.
× × ×
Sahu sahu sahu babu! Sahanai nasakepani
Narayana yahi naam barambar liyi rahu.
× × ×
Gyan mardachha hasera roi bigyan mardachha.
The first two lines say, “Patriotism never dies, even if it’s the worst country; a woman’s devotion to her husband remains, though a wicked man he is.” The second couplet means, “Tolerate, dear, though it is difficult. Take the name of Narayan repeatedly, and tolerate.” The last one says, “Knowledge dies with a smile, while science dies with tears.”]
A student of Durbar High School—now Bhanu Secondary School—Sama passed his matriculation from Kolkata. After that, while studying at Tri-Chandra College, he entered the army service against his own will. He was upgraded to the rank of Major General. Then, he engaged in teaching Nepali at Durbar High School and Tri-Chandra College in 1987 BS. He worked as the Chairman of Nepali Bhasha Prakasani Samiti for some time.
After 2007 BS, cutting the later part of his name ‘Samsher Jangha Bahadur Rana,” he starting writng ‘Sama’—meaning ‘equal’—to show that all men were equal. During his service, he became the Director of Publicity Department and the Editor-in-Chief of the Gorkhapatra. When the Royal Nepal Academy—currently Nepal Acadeny—was established in 2014 BS, he became a member. Later he worked as the Vice Chancellor of the Academy. He was nominated a member of the Royal Assembly and served the country and society for some years.
There is a great contribution of him in Nepali language and literature. Given below are the books he wrote on different subjects:
Plays –
1. Mutuko Byatha 2. Dhuva 3. Mukunda Indira 4. Prahlad 5. Aandhabeg 6. Bhakta-Bhanubhakta 7. Ma 8. Prempinda 9. Amar Singh 10. Tala-Maathi 11. Amit Basana 12. Tansenko Jhari 13. Bhimsenko Aantya 14. Swasni Manchhe and 15. Oo Mareki Chhaina.
Poems and Epic
1. Aago ra Pani and 2. Chiso Chulho
Biography
1. Mero Kavitako Aaradhana (part 1 and 2), 2. Hamra Rashtriya Bibhuti
As stated above, Sama was basically a dramatist. He is often called the Shakespeare of Nepal. He developed new styles of rhyme in writing dramas. He was an excellent painter too.
He was honored with Pritivi Puraskar, a prize consisting of one hundred thousand rupees. He was the first Nepali to achieve that prize. He passed away in 1981.