Mohan Sitaula
Poet Siddhicharan, a man of cause and objective, was a revolutionary. He became an activist during his youth and more of a thinker as well as a visionary in his later days. But always a fighter and a creative writer, he lived along with the hidden and transparent idioms of the then stirring Nepalese society. His heart, head and hands were in tune with the pains and aspirations of his days. In many of his poems, the agonies of his contemporary world of nature and culture in general and the Nepalese, in particular, are vividly reflected.
Siddhicharan loved the human being as dearly as the wildlife. Dissatisfied as he was with the wrong rhythms around him, he did not keep mum about the unhealthy social and political setting and thereby gave vent to those tortured but mute souls. He wanted to bring about a constructive change in them all. Thus, he became a revolutionary, humanitarian and a dedicated nationalist. In fact, all the great writers of the world, past and present, east or west, do bear such tenets—humanitarian zeal, nationalism and the indomitable spirit of revolution for justice and welfare—, which are brilliantly reflected in their great works.
Many Nepalese scholars have made serious studies on Siddhicharan’s works and their dimensions. Additional studies are going on. His short epic (or a longer poem) Mangalman is also being studied with much more enthusiasm. Central Department of Nepali TU at the institutional level, and Mr. Krishnachandra Pradhan, Dr. Mohan Lohani, Mr. Ramesh Bikal, Dr. Rabilal, Mr. Khagendra Sangroula and others at personal levels, have taken up pains with their pens. The following also is a small attempt in the same direction.
In the longer poem Mangalman, many universal human and local social, political and economic issues have been dealt with. Since the poem is mainly of the political and the social front, about the abuses of both, some descriptive and comparative social and political reviews would be necessary here. The poet, dissatisfied with the then given lot, has visualized a new order of the Nepalese society. The spirit of the poem is based on the universal symbol of liberty, welfare and the like. In the frenzy of brilliant illumination that has dawned on him, the poet states:
‘What did I listen today! Whose voices are these?
Mustn’t keep mum, I must declare the truth
and speak something for the future!
Speak then my poet; confide the truth to the world!
Then he goes on to describe not only the absurdities and troubles of the way of the world but also the deliberate, sinful tortures inflicted and crimes done upon the weak, innocent, upright and silent souls by the Zeus-like oppressor. ‘Here is unlimited poverty and exploitation. Peace, prosperity and happiness have all run away towards the unknown directions. The mental and material environment of fearful peace and of ‘living death’ created by the harsh domination is unjustly and cunningly called a ‘bliss’ by the cruel rulers. Dogmatic traditions stand high like walls of a prison.
As the poem develops, the living consciousness of the poet is slowly transferred to the protagonist Mangalman, who, in the process of his mental and physical growth, sees many awful scenes like the painfully struggling ‘porters with heavy loads’, the unjust arrests of his innocent friends, and the resultant bitter lamentations as well as mercy-imploring scenes of the old parents, in the rampant naked poverty. The depiction of such social scenes in the short epic qualifies itself as a voice of human rights raised through the medium of creative culture.
After a long and terrible strife, the Rana-regime was toppled and democracy was ushered in; but no meaningful change did appear for the oppressed. Siddhicharan feels that the age-old ‘caste system, untouchability and social inequality have been still posing great difficulty’ against progress. There occur many evil incidents—bitter episodes—like the blackmail in chilli-trade, false drowning case to conceal the actual murder and so on. Mangalman, with a band of the social ‘robinhoods’, fights against the evils and knocks them down.
Hidden intrigues see the light of the day. An air of courage prevails. Mangalman helps the struggling low-paid servicemen with a favouring victory. He also starts a school for the Harijans with a view to spreading literacy—primary education of course—besides building up people’s awareness about the schemes of things around them.
Out of his inquisitiveness, studies, teachings and social struggles Mangalman gains wide, deep and down-to-earth experiences. He becomes highly knowledgeable. Like the Buddha or Rousseau, he concludes that every man must be treated politely with a sense of equal respect. And if not, like Washington, or the French leaders of 1789, Marx or Lenin, or the Indian, Chinese and other leaders of the world. He determines that fight is the only way out. He is now fully convinced that
Man has forgotten his real shape
and has been adept to oppress others.
Mangalman starts organized reform-movements everywhere, and is arrested many times, which brings him to prominence. For some time, things developed positively. Many of his organized supporters are made ministers in various unstable governments. But the tragedy is that they too become the traitors of the movement of the people. The first general election is held. ‘Still no new sun of welfare did rise in the Nepalese sky, any thirst and hunger of the people was satisfied.’
The imbalanced Koshi and Gandaki agreements are made. Nothing positive is broken through. It is a dismal period of selfishness, blind and deaf pride, inefficiency, personal greed, and monopolized ambition and rifts on the part of the leaders and the ministers, and on the part of the people there are confusion, frustration, sufferings and the like. Foreign interference is high and the half-lost Nepal is on the verge of foreign domination. It is the state of affairs in Nepal during the first and half decade of the turn of the present millennium.
Mangalman becomes very angry and cannot help scolding a minister. He says:
‘You used to pretend to reform the country’s bad feast
but being a minister now, you have become a beast!
Mangalman represents the popular sentiment determined to go on further in progression and not to retreat nor repeat the ills. There are sometimes hard periods brought about by the pressing situations. Agonies and pains prevail everywhere. The short epic Mangalman bears a permanent message–persistence, watch and necessary struggle at all times of confusion and difficulties.
In fact, this short social epic Mangalman is a historical document of the development and failure of democracy in Nepal. The Rana regime, the dawn of democracy and its aimless activities, the general election, the elected government and the outset of the Panchayat System have been chronologically described. Throughout, there is a spirit of holy protest against injustice, inequality, inhumanity, black-mailing, bigotry and the like. It is a poem all for the common good, but the tragedy is that the ‘good’ is always denied by the desired ‘fair’ governments, which turn out to be ‘foul’ form time to time.
In this longer poem Mangalman the ‘revolutionary fervour’ and the zeal of reform run all through. The flashes of patriotism shine here and there. Thus, the main concerns of the short epic are man, society and nation with special reference to peace, progress, prosperity and happiness. Mangalman believes in the unity of people. He tries his best, again and again, to consolidate unity but cannot succeed, as the cross-currents of the negative forces become very powerful. The evil forces cross the ideal ones. The underfed Mangalman grows aged before time, and becomes ill, weak and feeble, due also to the physical torture during frequent imprisonment, some seventeen times! What to talk of the condition of the then prisons! Optimistically, he expresses his conviction:
Give a massive blow; the golden days will dawn.
Though a fighter at all ties of injustice, he, at last, succumbs to a serious sickness of his body, destroyed by the ‘cannibals’ belonging to his own race! He leaves behind him a noble impression of a great elegy Mangalman which makes him immortal. The poet says on behalf of all the Mangalmans—the whole generation of fighting people—for the sake of the oppressed ones of this forlorn island, the world:
Nothing to say of those who pass away
but surely, your life is our way;
Mangalman is noble with image so grand
in him blooms Nepal’s greatness forever!
Even today, this noble story of Mangalman,with a universal spirit of sacrifice and protest, and as a tale of an agonized society, is timelessly realistic. This is a social, historical or a political tragedy, a great and sweet song of a mankind, known or unknown, but possible. Though it ended as a tragedy, Mangalman, the protagonist and Mangalman the short epic, leave behind an optimistic vision of a new world. This noble work, as a character, theme and art is representative voice of the suffering and striving souls if the world. Through Mangalman, the poet strongly decides that at last, in this human island, the ideal human community and elevated kind will live in peace, plenty and prosperity, equality and fellow-felling, harmony and happiness. It will be a world of constructive blend between nature and culture.
[Mr. Sitaula is a Nepali writer based in the US]