There are many books of drama in Nepali literature. While reading them, a reader derives great pleasure. Some of them deeply touch the readers. The tragic dramas Atal Bahadur is one such drama that touches the readers deeply. This play marks the beginning of the tradition of tragic plays in Nepali literature. The drama was published in 1905 AD. It was written by Pahalman Singh Swaar.
Pahalman Singh was born in November 1878 at Reedikot of Achham District. His father’s name was Laxmi Singh Swaar and mother’s name Deekura Devi. Pahalman was sharp-minded right from his early days. He liked to study, but there was no school in Achham. As a result, he read books of Sanskrit and Nepali languages available at home, and developed a taste for reading. He studied many books of English and Hindi languages too.
Pahalman’s father was a government contractor. From a contract he took in 1895, he incurred a heavy loss. In the meantime, the then Rana Prime Minister Bir Samsher decided that every contractor should pay fifty thousand rupees to the government from the share of his contract. When such a decision was announced, Pahalman’s father discontinued taking contracts. As punishment, his house was seized by the government and an order was announced: “Anyone from Laxmi Singh’s family, over sixteen years of age, will be put in jail.”
Laxmi Singh and one of his sons were arrested. But, Pahalman Singh fled to India. He reached a place called Singahi and stayed under the care of Queen Surat Kumari. While staying there, he began a business, founding a firm named “L.P. Swaar Company” that traded in clothes. While in India, Pahalman Singh also saw many factories of garments in Kanpur. His keen interest in the trade inspired him to take some training in weaving, which he formally took in Gujarat in 1905.
During his stay in India, Pahalman read and wrote a lot whenever he had leisure. What he wrote there came out as four of his famous books Premamrit Bachan Sangraha, Ankendu Shekhar, Atal Bahadur and Anadaraj.
Pahalman Singh decided that when he returned to Nepal after the exile, he would go ahead with textile business. He was aware of a special type of textile called thetuwa, produced in Accham. In one of his visits to Kathmandu earlier, he had seen yet another type of textile called gharbuna, the home-spun fabric. It was this interest, which inspired him to go for the training.
During his life in Kathmandu, he tried doing many types of small business, but he failed in most of them. Many times, he was put into the jail with false allegations. Finally, he left Kathmandu and went to Kailali, and settled there.
Pahalman wrote many books in his life but didn’t publish all of them. Many of his books were published after his death. Among the most read books by Pahalman Singh are his dramas, which include Atal Bahadur, Bimala Devi, Laluvaga, Bishnu Maya and Jagat Singh. Besides the pays, he also wrote five poems and epics, three books of religious philosophy, a history book and a few school textbooks, besides a few translations and several documents on jail and its administration. It is estimated that the total number of books he wrote is 23. Troubled by numerous pains and difficulties, Pahalman Singh, passed away at the age of fifty-six in May, 1934 at Pahalmanpur of Kailali District. Pahalman Singh was not much known for his books before his death.
After he died, his works were promoted and popularized. The government issued a postal stamp with his photograph. Pahalman Library has been opened in Kailali. A literary institution called “Pahalman Singh Swaar Memorial Foundation” has also been instituted. Pahalman Singh Puraskar, a prize, has been founded in his name, and is distributed to different writers.
Today, Pahalman Singh is honoured as the first Nepali playwright to write a tragic play. For this reason, his play Atal Bahadur has become a classic.