Ram Dayal Rakesh
Mohan Koirala was predominantly a poet especially composer of complex prose poems. His prose poems have been influenced by famous American poet Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. It is also said that he was impressed and inspired by poet and dramatist T.S. ELIOT and poet Dylon Thomas. He has pushed the frontiers of Nepali prose- poems to a great extent. He wrote many long prosaic poems like ‘Leka ‘and ‘Suryadan ‘which are still remembered by the Nepali readers. He is the most prolific and perfect poet and composer of free verse. He is considered as a pioneer poet in this genre. He is par excellence poet after the great poet Lakshmi Prasad Devkota (1909-1959) and revolutionary poet Gopal Prasad Rimal (1918-1973)
Mohan Koirala began to compose poems after the historical revolution of 1951.The autocratic rule of the Ranas was not suitable for freedom of speech. Moreover there was anarchy and chaotic situation leading to frustration and apathy among the then leading poets. He was fully aware of the complexity of modern life. He has expressed his thoughts in the following lines in his poem entitled ‘Cartoon City’, which is the symbol of modern sensibility:
Thought is moved onward at three miles an hour
Inside the brain’s cramped cave,
Bewildered, upturned in the delirium of dreams,
Or should we say adorned:
A city clasped by six hooked legs
In an economic spider’s web,
Clasped by a doctor’s hand at the ghat,
Feeling the dying pulse in its wrist;
But this is a cartoon city. (Kavita 81)
His numerous poems have been translated into the English language to name a few ‘The worship, ’It is Embellished with a Loud Voice’, ‘A Sin,’ It must Be Around Ten O’ Clock,’ Remembering while Leaving,’’Our Village Settlement, A Dead B ody,’ Contemplation’, ‘I Am The First Visitor, ‘I Love Your Daughter, ’My Dear Dear Fascination,’ Bird’s Fledglings,’. The Rainfall In the Month of Chaitra, The Promotion’ of a Clerk and’ What She will say’.
Exceptional sensibility towards the socio-political condition of the country is described in Mohan Koirala’s poetry. As he grew up as a matured poet this sensibility enhanced in degree and dimension but he is not a revolutionary poet. He, in fact, stood vehemently for the urge of the sentiment of his age, the urge that was the product of the boiling and burning political situation persisting in the country. He never compromised with the establishment. He was never a poet of establishment. He was a leading modern poet in the true sense of the term. A famous critic of the Nepali literature Dr. Taranath Sharma has rightly remarked:
“The political situation in Nepal was totally tyrannical during the Rana Regime. So the latter part of 30’s and the whole decade of 40’s were a period of Romantic poetry, a period full of stylistic experimentations when prose poems were written but by concealing the real democratic motives in the disguise of mythological and folkloristic images, symbols and phrases.”
All critics of the Nepali literature have accepted with one voice that Mohan Koirala’s poetry is obscure, vague, and complex. He is not a simple poet like Bhupi Sherchan. He is quite different from host of his contemporary poets like Dwarika shrestha, Krishna Bhakta Shrestha, Upendra Shrestha, Ratna Shamsher Thapa,Mohan Himanshu Thapa and Bashu Shashi. He has very limited readers due to the communication problems because his poems are obscure in nature and content. He is not easily and entirely understood by so many critics also what to talk about readers but he was totally dedicated to the democratic norms and values in his life and also in his poetry. He has tried his level best to depict democratic feelings and thoughts into his poetry. He was very popular in the circle of democratic minded poets.
Credit should go to late Dr. Ishwor Baral, a famous critic of Nepali literature because he introduced him as a representative poet of Nepali literature first. He compiled, edited and published Mohan Koirala’s representative poems in an anthology named’ Mohan Koiralaka Kavita.’(Mohan Koirala’s Poems). He got recognition, as a representative poet for the first time. It is a mile- stone contribution of Mohan Koirala. After that he got covetous Madan Puraskar for his poetry collection’ Nadi Kinarka Majhi.’ He, then, received Sajha Publication prize for his contribution in the field of poetry twice.His other major collections of poetry are ‘Sarangi Le Bokeko Samudra’, ‘Popular ko Paat,’ and ‘Gajpath and so many. He also wrote his poetic opinion in a book named ‘Kavita Charcha.’
First of all he was nominated as an associate member of the then Royal Nepal Academy. Then after some years he became full-fledged member of the Academy. He was nominated as a Vice- chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy in 2055B.S.He completed his term at Academy very successfully. He was never dragged into controversy like his predecessor. This scribe feels proud to serve the Academy as a member under his vice-chancellorship. He was not only a simple man but he was an honest man also. He never tempted for money. He was also a good administrator. People are under the impression that he was not a good administrator. This scribe has this type of impression on many occasions. He has had no communal feelings also. He once nominated me as a team leader of a cultural troupe for participating in the second SAARC CULTURAL FESTIVAL, held in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh without my approach. He never showed communal feeling during my tenure of five years at the Academy. I am highly and immensely influenced by his poetic genius as well as his administrative skill. I am grateful to him.
He had unflinching and unfailing faith in democracy. He had his own political ideology which is very near to the doctrine of democracy..Eventually he supported the Nepali congress party throughout his whole life. He never betrayed this old political institution. He was a man of simple living and high thinking. He as a kind hearted, gentle and religious minded man also pleaded universal brotherhood through his poetry as well as by his personal behavior.
Mohan Koirala has expressed his conviction of life in his poem entitled ‘Contemplation’ in the following lines:
Neither can the skeleton of capitalism be my funeral rite
My life is a deep drop of consciousness
Mixed with red blood
In true and self-evident individual beliefs
I am a sacred mountain pass
Made up of flesh and bones
Where a human being comes to contemplate
On human beings.
Thus it can be said that Mohan Koirala has true humanistic approach in his life and in his poetic world.
[Prof. 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.]