Rama Adhikari, TGT
Kathmandu, 1 May 2021
Evangeline Bal from Bangladesh and Ojashwi Pasachhe from America have been declared respective winners of Nepali and English poetry competition organized virtually by Non-Resident Nepalese Association (NRNA) and International Nepalese Literary Society (INLS) on Saturday. Bal won a cash award of 1000 US dollars while Ojashwi won 200 US dollars. Abhinav Giri from Japan and Manaswi Kharal from Portugal were declared first and second runners-up in Nepali, winning a cash of 500 and 300 USD respectively. The panel of judges for the Nepali section was headed by senior poet Bairgai Kainla, while Prof. Dr. Hem Nath Paudel and Dr. Bindu Sharma were members. Critic and poet Mahesh Paudyal was the sole judge for the English section. Prof. Paudel declared the results for the Nepali section together with his judicial observations while Mr. Mahesh Paudyal announced the results of the English section, commending the contestants for their brilliant poetic outputs.
The event, chaired by INSL president Prakash Poudel and graced by Nepal Academy Chancellor Ganga Prasad Uprety as the Chief Guest, featured ten Nepali contestants and three English competitors shortlisted from several contestants from the first and second generation Nepali Diaspora living all over the world. The competition, limited to children and teenagers, had been announced half a year ago.
Alongside the competition, about a dozen of guest poets also recited their poems, the most prominent among them being Sarubhakta, Dinesh Adhikari, Keshab Sigdel, Tirtha Sangam Rai, Sabita Baral, Rabin Sharma, Himanshu Nibha Kunwar, Prabina Baral and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest Mr. Uprety congratulated the organizers for setting an example of cooperative ventures and stressed on the need for more of such events to encourage the Nepali Diaspora. He also assured all help from the side of the Nepal Academy in such initiatives of the organizations. Prakash Poudel, the chair of the event, promised to give continuity to such events and culture of cooperation in the days to come as well.
The competition, hosted by Paras Mani Pokharel from Japan, was jointly coordinated by NRNA Language and Cultural Sub-Committee Chief Hikmat Thapa, and INLS General Secretary Sarbagya Wagle.
Ojashwi’s poem, winner of the English section, is given herewith:
“The Aritst”
Plain.
White.
Empty.
I stared at a blank canvas,
unsure of what to create.
Something bright and vivid,
Or something a bit more minimalistic?
At first, I was afraid
To reach out, to touch
The colors, the brushes, the paints.
At first, I was worried
Of making irreversible mistakes.
Yet, the feeling of dissatisfaction
Lingered in the back of my mind,
So I made my first stroke
On that blank canvas.
And, suddenly, I felt…
Free.
I began to paint with bright colors and dull ones,
With bold strokes and light strokes,
With happiness, with anger, and with sorrow.
Slowly, I poured my emotions, my soul,
Into this painting, into this canvas that was no longer empty.
Each stroke was a memory,
Each color an emotion,
And when I stood back
And stared at the canvas,
I saw hope.
I saw pain.
I saw love.
I became the artist, and the canvas was my life.
***