All the best to the upcoming SLC students for their best and great examination !!!

किताब मोह ।। Books are always the priority of youth....guns are forcefully given to them...........!!!

HAPPY COLORFULL HOLI!!!!!

किताब मोह ।।

Violence and war all over, this children leave the home their play station any many more things which they love very much even their pets and toys but no books, Books are still on their hands.

Prasfutan team visit Devghat Social Welfare Center, Old age home, spend good time with old people

                                           Krishna caring 98 years old woman

                                             98 years old woman at middle

                                            Prasfutan Team

                                            Incharge karki sir donating the collect money

Member of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and President of Committee for Social Justice (CSJ) Mr. Ram Kumar Bhandari established the prize called "khoj patrakarita puraskar"(prize for Investigative journalism)

पत्रकार महासंघका सदस्य एवं सामाजिक न्याय समितिका अध्यक्ष रामकुमार भण्डारीद्धारा खोज पत्रकारिता पुरस्कार स्थापना/ Member of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and President of Committee for Social Justice (CSJ) Mr. Ram Kumar Bhandari established the prize called "khoj patrakarita puraskar"(prize for Investigative journalism)

किताब मोह ।।

                                Photo by Sanjana Shrestha.

Biography of Siddhi Charan Shrestha

Siddhi Charan Shrestha [1912-92],the son of prosperous newar land owner was another member of the generation of poet that laid the foundations of the twentieth century Nepali verse. He was considered as the 'Yuga Kabi' .His poetry has much In common with Devkota’s though its mworded and calmer in tone.Like Devvkota’s ,Shrestha was a romantic who rebelled against the shortcomings of the Rana Rigime.His most famous poems ,’Mero Pyaro Okhaldhunga’ looks back nostalgically at the simplicity of the poets life as a child in the eastern Nepal  and therefore compares the present unfavorably with the past and the city with the village. The poem was regarded as a political statement but it could equally be argued that it means no mere than it says. Many of Shrestha’s poems,specially those written during the 1940’s were clearly meant to make the poitical points,but he was at his best while

 writing sensitive personal poems such as ‘Mero Choro(1948)’ a non metrical but carefully structured composition on the innocence of a child.

‘Visva Byhtha (1940)’ is less accessible composition  but is a valuable introduction to the elaborate and deeply subjective manner of Shrestha’s expression of social concern.'Bhuichala', which he wrote after the terrible earthquake of 1936. But because of his revolutionary thoughts expressed vividly in his work, he was sentenced for 18 years in prison.

A verse from the poem ’ Mero Pyaro Okhaldhinga’

भाग्य लहरमा लहरी लहरी
पुगें म यस मरूस्थलमा कसरी
तर खेद छैन तिम्रो आकृति
लेखिएको छ यो हृदयभरि !
मेरो प्यारो ओखलढुंगा!
 

His work:

Works in Nepali:

 Urvashi,

 Mero Pratibimba (My Image), 

Ashu (Tears), 

Kopila (The Bud),

 Biswa Betha (In Painful Memory of Son),

 Mangal Man,

 Junkiri,

 Kuhiro Ra Gham (The Mist and the Sun),

 Banchiraheko Awaz, 

Jyanmara Shail (Murderer Shail),

 Tirimiritara, 

Bali, 

Bhimsen Thapa, 

Yudha Ra Shanti (War and Peace), 

Aatma Bilauna,

 Siddhi Charan Ka Pratinidhi Kabita,

 and Siddhi Charan Ka Jail Samjhana.

Works in Newari: 

Lumbini, 

Trishna,

 Fuswa, 

Siswa,

 Gyaswa, 

Nari Hridaya, 

Urbashi,

 Siddhi Charanya Nibanda Sangraha, 

 Ghama.

Unpublished works: 

Muswa,

 Siddhi Charanka Angreji Kabita Sangraha,

 Siddhi Charanka Yatra Smaran.

Awards:

 Praval Gorkha Dakshin Bahu, 

Vikhyat Trishakti Patta, 

Tribhuwan Puraskar, 

Prithivi Pragya Puraskar, 

and awards by the Royal Nepal Academy.

Recognitions: 

Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Highway (Katari, Okhaldhunga); 

Postal Stamp (Hulak Ticket Prakashan);

 Siddhi Charan Rastriya Pratibha Puraskar; 

Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Higher Secondary School, Gamnatar/Okhaldhunga;

 Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Prathamic Bidhyalaya, Jaleshwor/Janakpur Anchal; 

Siddhi Charan Avinandan Samiti, 1987;

 Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Puraskar; 

Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Prathistan; 

Siddhi Charan Smriti Guthi; 

Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Sanghralaya;

 Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Pustakalaya; 

Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Pratima Sthapana, Okhaldhunga; 

Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Pratima; and Siddhi Charan Chowk, Om Bahal, Kathmandu. Personal belongings of the late poet are displayed at Nepal Sikchaya Parikchyat building in Naya Bazaar.

Shankar Lamichhane: Path Breaking Essayist

Shanakar Lamichhane is a trend setter in Nepali essays for which he is recognized as one of the finest essayists in the history of Nepali literature. A man of reason and high intellectual acumen, Lamichhane has experimented a new dictum in his essays. Lamichhane was born in 1984 BS in Kathmandu. When Shankar Lamichhane was just one and a half year old, his mother Yadav Kumari Lamichhane had some dispute with her family and went to her parental house in Benaras, India, along with young Shankar. He attained his early education at home under the guidance of his mother and maternal uncle. Later, he was enrolled in a school but could not attend school regularly because misfortunes fell upon him one after another. When he was just eight years old, his younger brother died. His mother also passed away when Shanakar was 13 years old. This tragic incidents turned his life ups and down. Having none to take care of him in Benaras, he returned to Kathmandu to join his parental family. In Kathmandu, he was enrolled in Judodaya High School and passed SLC. He completed Intermediate in Science from Trichandra College. When he was in college, Laxmi Prasad Devkota and Bal Krishna Sama taught him. Having found such a great literary icons as his teachers, he got interested in literature. By that time he had already read literary works of many Nepali and foreign writers. In course of his reading, he happened to read some of Gopal Prasad Rimal’s poems, which had a deep influence on Lamichhane’s life. He wrote the first poem at the age of 14 in 1998 BS. His poems and articles were published in different magazines like Sharada, Indreni, Pragati and Sahityashrot. But he did not document his published and unpublished works. As a result, some of his works have perished. When his poems and articles were published in different magazines, he was known in the literary circle as a young writer. In the meantime, his father died when he was 22. With the untimely death of his father, responsibility of supporting his family came upon him. He, therefore, started working as a junior clerk in the government office. Lamichhane was of unstable nature and he kept on changing jobs. He was always frustrated because of his financial difficulties. This frustration has been reflected in his essays. Shankar was a revolutionary and maverick. He was against the existing social and cultural practices. He wanted to revolt both in thinking and action. His revolt against the social and cultural practices began with marrying Ratna Thulung, a girl from another caste, in 2008. Shankar was from a Brahmin family and marrying a girl from another caste during that time was a big revolt against the existing social and cultural practices. It was indeed his progressive determination. Lamichhane wrote in different genres of literature, which include poetry, short stories and essays. But he is basically an essayist. Lamichhane is a solid pillar in the branch of Nepali essay. There were many essayists prior to Lamichhane but they wrote in traditional and monotonous dictum. He was one of the vociferous critics of the old fashion of literary writing. Lamichhane broke the tradition and wrote his own style and art for which he has earned a high degree of reputation. Away from the traditional pattern of essay writing, he has used the form of monologue and tells his feelings in a narrative ways. His expression is artistic, articulate and clear in meaning. In the non-fiction part of Nepali literature, Lamichhane’s essays are characterized by stream of consciousness which many English writers like James Joyous, T S Eliot, Samuel Becket and Virginia Wolf have used in English fiction. His broken dreams and frustration that he had developed within himself because of tragedies one after another right from his childhood and financial hardship he underwent are duly reflected in his essays. He has expressed different aspects of life and society through the use of images. Sometimes the reader finds it difficult to follow the developments in the plot and cannot figure out what exactly the author wants to say because of unique narrative style characterized by punctuation one after another and multiple clauses in a single sentence. In his essays, he wanders from one point to another very frequently and talks of different issues simultaneously. But he has his set goal of giving a clear message— the message of forward thinking and intellectual conceit. Describing his essays, Lamichhane once said ‘my essays are not for ordinary readers but for intellectual and academic ones who would be born in 50 years and even after’. But his essays attained popularity right during his own lifetime and continue to stir the mind of people even today. Experiment in writing is yet another Lamichane‘s trait in writing. He has experimented diverse issues and styles and also in the use of language. This makes Lamichhane a versatile writer. Although abstract on theme, language and meaning, he has written essays in rhythmic beat that gives the reader pleasure to read and re-read. That is the beauty of his writing. He puts together multiple issues in a single essay but keeps the enthusiasm and interest of the readers intact because of narrative language and rhythmic tempo in the writing. Introduced by Laxmi Prasad Devkota in his essays, Lamichhane has perfectly followed this style and has carried even further, which is characterized by monologue and self-depicting approach. He always regarded Devkota as his literary guru and he followed his footsteps in non-fiction by applying the same style of monologue that Devkota has used in most of his essays. The essay ‘Abstract Chintan: Pyaj’ (Abstract Thinking and Onion) is the best example of the use of stream of consciousness in Nepali non-fiction. This is also one of Lamichhane’s best works, for which he got prestigious Madan Puraskar (Madan Academic Award). In this essay, he personifies an onion with a human being. He finds life like the onion with numerous layers one after another. According to him, it is difficult to understand one’s behaviour because a person has multiple faces. He has created character and he narrates the story in a way a stream flows down from the mountain top uninterrupted. Lamichhane’s abstract themes and ideas flow like a stream. In all his works, there is a strong sense of an abstract art in writing. In his essays, Lamichhane has expressed his own pains and plights through the medium of essays. The essays are his pains, plights and tears that he endured when he was alive. He felt as though he was alive not for himself but for others. To some extent, he is true. He lived to contribute to Nepali literature and he surely did. Many readers may not understand his essays in a straightforward manner as he talks all sorts of abstract things. Lamichhane was always in search of life within himself and new value system in the society. He says, ‘one must know how to laugh’. ‘If one laughs without knowing the art of laughing, it is tantamount to the pain of crying’. He is of the view that the life we are living is an abstract phenomenon and we are living an imaginary life. According to Lamichhane, one conjures of living a meaningful life but that is just an imagination. As a result, the price of life is cheap and becomes cheaper than vegetable. He compares life with the vegetable cooked in the kitchen every day. In his essays, he mainly discloses the contradictions of the society with which one has to confront every day and face them in whatever way they come. The life begins with the hassles of managing for morning meal and develops by looking for a job during the day and ends with a tired sigh of frustration and pain in the evening. We find abundance satire towards life in his essays. Like Bhupi Serchan, who has used full of satire in his poems, Lamichhane has satired and attacked on the existing social, political and cultural malaise and societal contradiction and perversions. He has his own way of looking at things and he accordingly explains and interprets on different subjects and issues. He sees the things they way other people have never been able to see. He says human being lives on faith and belief. If faith and beliefs are dead, a man cannot remain alive. That is Lamichhane’s philosophy about life. In a way, Lamichhane is a philosopher and a humanist satirist. In terms of quantity, there are only a few books to his credit. But they are abundant in quality, which represent an entire era in Nepali literature. His four collections of essays have been published. They are ‘‘Abstract Chintan: Pyaj’, ‘Godhuli Sansar’, Bimba Pratibimba and ‘Shankar Lamichhane’. He is also short story writer and a poet. But his poems and stories are not as powerful as his essays are. His only collection of short stories is Gauthali Ko Gundh ) A Swallow’s Nest). In the stories and poems, his style and approach are similar to his essays. He was once accused of plagiarism by an anonymous reader, which Lamichhane also accepted. This virtually put his writing career to an end. However, the enigmatic quality of writing, powerful imagination, articulate argumentation and allegorical use of words and language have made him immortal in Nepali literature. He passed away at the age of 48 in 2032 BS.

Source: Gorkhapatra (Yuba Nath Lamsal)

किताब मोह ।।

Short Biography of Bhavani Bhikshu

Bhavani Bhikshu (1914-1981)

Bhikshu was born at Taulihava village in the Kapilvastu district of the Tarai, but he spent much of his life in Kathmandu. He made his first appearance in Nepali literature with an essay on criticism, originally written in Hindi, that was translated into Nepali and published in Sharada in 1936. His first story, "Mankind" (Manav ), was published two years later, and he soon established a reputation as a poet. Bhikshu edited Sharada for several years after 1940, when the former editor, the poet Siddhicharan Shreshtha, was jailed for his political opinions, and Bhik-shu worked for the Royal Nepal Academy after its foundation in 1957. Bhikshu's life was not without its sadnesses: he had lost two wives, one of whom deserted him, by 1952. This might account for the innate pathos of many of his stories and for his long ruminations on the nature of love.

Bhikshu's mother tongue was not Nepali but Awadhi, a dialect of Hindi, and he received his basic education in Hindi at Indore. His writings in Nepali are often criticized because his prose lacks the spontaneity of a mother-tongue writer, his sentences are sometimes awkwardly constructed, and his vocabulary tends to be somewhat grandiose. Nevertheless, his stories are regarded highly for their thoughtfulness and subtlety. Most have women as their central characters, and Nepali critics heap praise on Bhikshu for his analyses of female psychology. I suggest that Bhikshu's most interesting stories are those such as "Winning and Losing" (Harjit ) that describe village life in the Tarai and those that deal with topics from the Rana period. Bhikshu also authored two novels. Bhikshu's stories are available in four collections:Gunakeshari (1953), Maiyasaheb (1960) (both named after the principal female characters of particular stories), Avarta (Whirlpool, 1967), and Avantara (In the Mid-die, 1977).

Etiquettes of Eating using Fork and Knief

What should I do or not do when I am eating with the help of fork and knief?

We generally pay a lot of attention to good table manners. Even young children are expected to eat properly with knife and fork.

We eat most of our food with cutlery. The foods we don't eat with a knife, fork or spoon include sandwiches, crisps, corn on the cob, and fruit.

Things you should do:

If you cannot eat a certain type of food or have some special needs, tell your host several days before the dinner party.

If you are a guest, it is polite to wait until your host starts eating or indicates you should do so. It shows consideration.

Always chew and swallow all the food in your mouth before taking more or taking a drink.

Always say thank you when served something. It shows appreciation.

You may eat chicken and pizza with your fingers if you are at a barbecue, finger buffet or very informal setting. Otherwise always use a knife and fork.

When eating rolls, break off a piece of bread before buttering. Eating it whole looks tacky.

On formal dining occasions it is good manners to take some butter from the butter dish with your bread knife and put it on your side plate (for the roll). Then butter pieces of the roll using this butter. This prevents the butter in the dish getting full of bread crumbs as it is passed around.

In a restaurant, it is normal to pay for your food by putting your money on the plate the bill comes on. 

When you have finished eating, and to let others know that you have, place your knife and folk together, with the prongs (tines) on the fork facing upwards, on your plate.

"I was taught never to place ones fork tines facing upwards, but to do the exact opposite, to place the fork with the tines curved and only the tips sitting on the plate. This was because if you had anything of an acid nature i.e vinegaret dressing etc it would tarnish the fork, so as little as possible of the fork would be left placed on the plate to avoid this. If you also so consider that silverware would have taken time to polish by staff a tarnishing of the silver would take them longer to clean off (if indeed it had not been damaged beyond repair) thus staff would be tied up cleaning these items not getting on with other tasks that were needing to be done. Worse it could be these days ones self doing the cleaning not a job wanted by many these days I dare say. Acidity can damage even modern made cutlery tarnishing it beyond repair and with the cost of good cutlery the best way to keep it getting spoit is to place the knife and fork together fork tines facing down so only the tips of the fork are upon the plate.

Things you should not do:

Never lick or put your knife in your mouth.

It is impolite to start eating before everyone has been served unless your host says that you don't need to wait.

Never chew with your mouth open. No one wants to see food being chewed or hearing it being chomped on.

It is impolite to have your elbows on the table while you are eating.

Don't reach over someone's plate for something, ask for the item to be passed.

Never talk with food in your mouth.

It is impolite to put too much food in your mouth.

Never use your fingers to push food onto your spoon or fork.

It is impolite to slurp your food or eat noisily.

Never blow your nose on a napkin (serviette). Napkins are for dabbing your lips and only for that.

Never take food from your neighbours plate.

Never pick food out of your teeth with your fingernails.

Things that are ok to do:

It is ok to pour your own drink when eating with other people, but it is more polite to offer pouring drinks to the people sitting on either side of you.

It is ok to put milk and sugar in your tea and coffee or to drink them both without either.

How to Write Creatively

For most people,creative writing is not easy. In fact, you might find yourself ripping your hair out. Trying to produce creative writing will make you lose sleep, lose hair, and lose patience.

                       (picture taken by sudhir at creative writing workshop organised by Prasfutan International on Dec 2012)
Creative writing can be challenging but rewarding.Some use it as an escape; others just want something to call their own; there are even those who just do it to get chicks. Creative writing is something that you can be proud of; you will feel wonderful when you finally get your story to work out.
The average person is much more creative than he or she thinks. You will be amazed by what you come up with if you just take the time to try. Whether you want to write a short story, a novel, or jot down some poetry, these eight steps, some tips and warnings can hopefully help you on your way of creative writings..

1

Relax before writing. You cannot write something if you're frustrated. If you are typing, make sure you are sitting up straight with your feet flat on the floor if you are planning on writing for a while. You always want good posture when you’re typing so as not to injure your back, shoulders, or wrists. If you are writing by hand, make sure that you are sitting up straight, not lounging in your chair. If you are sitting on a couch or laying in a bed when you are writing or typing, make sure your shoulders are up so you don’t injure yourself. It might sound a bit stupid that you could injure yourself by writing a creative piece but, it’s possible.

2

Sit down at the computer and type something, anything. Even if you do not yet have all of your plot worked out, you can be working on the setting, characterization, dialogue, and word choice

3

Have a passion for what you are writing. You've probably become used to writing long essays about boring books or stories about assigned topics. Well, since this is your story, write about what you like. You can piece together memories, facts, and fiction to make a great story.

4

Convey emotion in your writing. It adds so much to any story, making the story relevant to the reader and the real world.

5

Show your work to others. It's a terrible thing to have your great novel that you spent three months writing lying around in a folder in your computer. Have someone critique your work so that you can see what you did well and what you could improve.

6

Edit thoroughly multiple times. Make sure to check for both spelling and grammatical errors. If your piece is longer, run through the plot line in your head. Does it make sense? Is it relatively easy to follow? Would you be interested in reading this work if you were a reader?

7

Come up with a topic and plot before hand. This way, it will be much easier to write.

8

Don't think of anything troubling that is on your mind. Concentrate on your writing, and focus completely. Don't let anything bother you

TIPS

• Keep a snack nearby. If you're hungry, you'd be thinking more about your empty stomach than the subject of your writing piece.
• Keep going and don't give up.
• Keep a pen and paper with you for notes and doodling.
• Set aside a specific time each day to write and treat it like a commitment.
• If you become frustrated, try to take advantage of that emotion; let the frustration seep into the writing.
• Always keep a notebook with you wherever you go, in case a good idea pops up. Also if you had a really weird dream you can scribble it down and make a story out of it. Some authors became world famous because of strange dreams they had.
• If you feel as if you are getting writer's block, just type! Something may come to you.
• Unless you're doing a review of a television show, turn it off. Nothing distracts like the seductive allure of television.
• With longer pieces, try breaking it up into sections and starting a fresh document for each. This will help with organization.
• Join a writing group at your school or at a library. This will allow many insights into other writing styles.

Warnings

• Ignore "yes" people, those who will tell you that your writing is amazing even if it's not. Sure, the ego boost feels good, but it will not make your writing better. Instead, seek out that blunt friend everyone hates. It might hurt at first, but if it helps improve your writing, it is well worth it.
• Always think that you are not writing it for others but for yourself to make you even more confident.
• Stay focused! After you write for a while, you may start to think about other things and write less and less.