Laxmi Prasad Devkota (
Nepali:
लक्ष्मीप्रसाद देवकोटा; November 12, 1909 – September 14, 1959) was a
Nepali poet,
playwright,
novelist. Devkota is regarded as the greatest poet of
Nepal and
Nepali language and is honored by the title of
Maha Kavi ("The Greatest Poet") in Nepali literature. Some of his popular works are
Muna Madan,
Kunjini, and
Sakuntal "Champa" .
Life
Early life
Devkota was born on the night of
Lakshmi Pooja
on 12 November 1909 (1966 Kartik 27 BS) to father Teel Madhav Devkota
and mother Amar Rajyalakshmi Devi in Thatunati (now Dhobidhara),
Kathmandu.He started his education at the
Durbar High School in
Kathmandu where he studied both in
Sanskrit-grammar and
English. After finishing his
Matriculation exams from
Patna at the age of 17, Devkota pursued the
Bachelor of Arts along with the
Bachelor of Laws in
Tri Chandra College and graduated from
Patna University as a Private Examine Only after a decade from his graduation as a lawyer did he finally started working in
Nepal Bhasanuwad Parishad( Publication Censor board), where he met famous
Playwright of Nepal
Balkrishna Sama. At the same time, he worked as a lecturer in
Tri Chandra College and
Padma-Kanya College.
Health
In late 1930s Devkota suffered from
Nervous Breakdowns, probably due to the death of his mother, father, and his two-month old daughter. Eventually in 1939, he was admitted in
Mental Asylum of Rachi,
India for five months.
Later years and death
Laxmi
Prasad Devkota was a chain smoker throughout his life. After a long
battle with cancer, Devkota died on September 14, 1959 at the
Ghat of
Bagmati River in
Pashupatinath Temple Complex,
Kathmandu.
Work and Style
Laxmi Prasad Devkota on a Nepalese stamp
Devkota contributed to Nepali literature by starting a modern Nepali
language romantic movement in the country. He was the first to begin
writing epic poems in Nepali literature. Nepali poetry soared to new
heights with Devkota's innovative use of language. Departing from the
Sanskrit tradition that dominated the Nepali literary scene at the time,
he wrote
Muna Madan
(1930), a long narrative poem in popular "jyaure" folk tune. The work
received immediate recognition from the Ranas: the country's rulers at
the time.
Muna Madan
tells the story of Madan—a traveling merchant—who departs from his wife
Muna to Tibet in a bid to earn some money. The poem describes the
thematic hardships of the journey: the grief of separation, the itching
longing, and the torment of death. The following couplet which is among
the most famous and frequently quoted lines from the epic celebrates the
triumph of humanity and compassion over the hierarchies created by
caste in the Nepalese culture.
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क्षेत्रीको छोरो यो पाउ छुन्छ, घिनले छुँदैन
मानिस ठूलो दिलले हुन्छ जातले हुँदैन ।
|
A Kshatriya touches your feet not with hatred but with love.
Great is a man with a great heart; not with great caste, creed, or by birth.
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Considered his
magnum opus "
Muna-Madan" has remained widely popular among the lay readers of Nepali literature.
Laxmi Prasad, inspired by his five-month stay in mental asylum in 1939, wrote free-verse poem
Pagal(
The Lunatic).The poem deals with his usual mental ability and is considered one of the best nepali language poem.
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जरुर साथी म पागल !
यस्तै छ मेरो हाल ।
म शब्दलाई देख्दछु !
दृश्यलाई सुन्दछु !
बासनालाई संबाद लिन्छु ।
आकाशभन्दा पातालका कुरालाई छुन्छु ।
ती कुरा,
जसको अस्तित्व लोक मान्दैंन
जसको आकार संसार जान्दैन !
|
Surely, my friend, insane I am
Such is my plight.
I visualize words
but hear the visible.
fragrance I taste
and the ethereal is palpable to me.
The things I touch--
the world denies their existence
nor knows their shape
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Devkota had the ability to compose long epics and poems with literary
complexity and philosophical density in very short period of time. He
wrote Shakuntala, his first epic poem and also the first "Mahakavya"
(epic poem) written in the Nepali language, in a mere three months.
Published in 1945, Shakuntala is a voluminous work in 24 cantos based on
Kālidāsa's famous Sanskrit play
Abhijñānaśākuntalam.
Shakuntala demonstrates Devkota's mastery of Sanskrit meter and diction
which he incorporated heavily while working primarily in Nepali.
Devkota also published several collections of short lyric poems set
in various traditional and non-traditional forms and meters. Most of his
poetry shows influence of English Romantic Poets like
Wordsworth and
Coleridge.
The title poem in the collection "Bhikhari" ("Beggar") is a reminiscent
of Wordsworth's "The Old Cumberland Beggar". In this poem, Devkota
describes the beggar going about his ways in dire poverty and desolation
deprived of human love and material comforts. On the other hand, the
beggar is also seen as the source of compassion placed in the core of
suffering and destitution. Devkota connects the beggar with the divine
as the ultimate fount of kindness and empathy:
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कालो बादलबाट खसेको
अन्धकारमा भित्र बसेको,
ईश्वर हो कि भिखरी?
घर, घर, आँगन चारी
बोल्दछ, आर्तध्वनिमा बोल्दछ
करुणामृत दिल भारी ।
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Fallen from the black clouds
Living in the darkness
Is he the god or a beggar?
He wanders from house to house
He speaks in tunes suffused with pain
A heart weighed with compassion.
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Many of his poems focus on mundane elements of the human and the
natural world. The titles of his poems like "Ban वन" ("Woods"), "Kisaan
किसान" ("The Peasant"), "Baadal बादल" ("Clouds") show that he sought his
poetic inspiration in the commonplace and proximal aspects of the
world. What resonates throughout most of his poetry is his profound
faith in humanity. For instance, in the poem "Woods," the speaker goes
through a series of interrogations rejecting all forms of comfort and
solace that could be offered solely to him as an individual. Instead he
embraces his responsibility and concern for his fellow beings. The poem
ends with the following quatrain that highlights his humanistic
inclinations:
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दोस्त कहाँ छन्? साथ छ को को? घर हो तिम्रो कुन देश?
जान्छौ कुन पुर भवन मुसाफिर, ल्यायौ कुन सन्देश?
दोस्त मेरो शुभ उद्योगी, साथ छ साहस बेश ।
विश्व सबै घर, हृदय-पुरीतिर ल्याउछु सेवा सन्देश ।।
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Where are your friends? Who go with you? Which land is your home?
What place do you seek, Traveler? With what news do you roam?"
"My friend is decent diligence. Courage comes with me.
whole world's my home. To heart-land I roam with hues of Humanity"
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Besides poetry, Devkota also made significant contributions to the
essay genre. He is considered the father of the modern Nepali essay. He
defied the conventional form of essays by blatantly breaking the rules
of grammar and syntax, and embracing a more fluid and colloquial style.
His essays are generally satirical in tone and are characterized by
their trenchant humor and ruthless criticism of the modernizing
influences from the West in the Nepali society. An essay titled भलादमी
(Bhaladmi) or "Dignitary" criticizes a decadent trend in Nepali society
to respect people based on their outward appearances and outfit rather
than their actual inner worth and personality. In another essay titled
के नेपाल सानो छ? (Ke Nepal Sano Cha?) "Is Nepal insignificant (small)?",
he expresses deeply nationalistic sentiments inveighing against the
colonial forces from British India which, he felt, were encroaching all
aspects of Nepali culture. His essays are published in the collection
Laxmi Nibhandha Sanghraha (लक्ष्मी निबन्धसङ्ग्रह).
Politics
Laxmi
Prasad Devkota was not active in any well-established political party
but his poetry consistently embodies an attitude of rebellion against
the
Rana dynasty.During his self exile in
Varanasi he started working as editor of
Yugvani newspaper for
Nepali Congress party resulting in confiscation of all his property in Nepal by the Rana Government.After Introduction of democracy through
Revolution of 1951 ,Devkota was appointed as a member of
Nepal Shalakar Samiti in 1952 by King
Tribhuvan.Later in 1957 he was appointed as Minister of Education and Autonomous Governance under premiership of
Kunwar Inderjit Singh.
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