Mahesh Paudyal

महेश पौड्याल मैले, बाँस बाँसमा लेखेँ कविता पात पातमा लेखेँ गीत तृणहरूमा छोडेँ मुक्तकहरू भरेँ फूलहरूमा सङ्गीत र भनेँ  हावालाई — “म नरहेपछि, प्रिय वातास वनभरि मैले रोपेको कविताको यस उद्यानबाट उडाइ लानू मेरा कविता मेरो हृदयको मृदुल भाषा मेरो प्रेमको अजश्र गाथा र पु¥याएर आउनू, दूर–सुदूर, छरेर आउनू देश–परदेश । मलाई थाह थियो, सभ्यताको संक्रमणले ग्रस्त मेरो जिन्दगीको उमेर मेरो कविताको जत्ति पनि छैन र मैले कविता छोडेका बाँस, पात र तृणको जत्ति पनि छैन । म ढलेपछि, एक दिन र सँगै गएपछि मजस्ता अरबौँ मान्छे, धरतीबाट यस मानवशून्य पृथ्वीमा मेरो कविता, हावाको विमान चढेर उडेछ, देश–परदेश पुगेछ दूर–सुदूर शून्य शून्य यस पृथ्वीमा र सुनाउन थालेछ मेरो र मजस्ता मान्छेहरूको प्रस्थान–कथा एकोहोरो, ढुङ्गा, माटो र कंकडहरूलाई हाड, पत्थर र अक्करहरूलाई श्रोतादीर्घामा थिएछ केवल एक कहालीलाग्दो जडता वा कतै हिमालको कन्दरामा कुँजिएका जिन्दगीबाट थाक्नसम्म थाकेका सात चिरञ्जीवीको आक्रान्त मस्तिष्क । ब्रह्माण्डको नादसँग एकाकार ॐ कारजस्तो मेरो कविताको ध्वनिमा, सुन्छौ — आज पनि प्रति

[Ganesh Dhungana of Dhading Bensi is today a national youth ICON. A journalism graduate from Bangalore University with a first-class degree, he is also an MA in Rural Development from Tribhuvan University. He earned a distinguished diploma in leadership from the University of Indonesia. He has attended global youth conferences in Mangolia, India and Nepal. For many years, he led Youth Network Dhading that earned a lot of repute for its excellent performance and lasting impacts among youths of Dhading district. The architect of Action Nepal, Ganesh now leads Mission: Better Nepal, a social campaign of brilliant graduates for all-round development of Nepalese youth. In 2008, when he was just a little lad, Kartikeya Child Talent Award Trust had awarded him the Kartikeya Child Talent Award, and I was present in the ceremony. After the award distribution, I had talked to Ganesh. Here I recall what passed between us.] Mahesh: Congratulations Ganesh, how are you feeling? Ga

—   Mahesh Paudyal We had our school in a thickly populated square in Imphal. There were many schools big and small in its vicinity, and the competitions were tough. We were making a difference by doing things other than pure classroom stuffs. Our claims were many, though we did few. Our greatest strength was that we encouraged children to take park in competitions and festivals out of the school. In every program we held, our Head Master would announce the same thing. We even talked over tea, "Our Head Master uses a template speech. It has been twelve years since we started the school, and his lines are exactly the same. The diaries, year after year, differ in their color and paper quality. About the content, not a single alphabet alters.' His sayings were few though. He would say that classroom tutoring alone was not enough, and we needed to encourage children in real-life participation. For this particular claim, we had collected more than a thousand students

— बोनी स्मिथ याकेल अनुवादः महेश पौड्याल “हजूर, यो कहाँ प-यो होला?” “समाजिक सुरक्षाको कार्यालय ।” आत्मविश्वसपूर्ण उत्तर । “मैले किन फोन गरेकी हुँ भने, मेरी आमाको भर्खरै देहावसान भयो....मलाई हजुरको अफिसमा फोन गरेर समाजिक सुरक्षा वापतको .... त्यो खै के भन्छ....त्यो के पो... रकमको चेक पाउन सकिन्छ कि भनेर बुझ्न भनिएको छ ।” “हजुर, मैले बुझें । तपाईकी आमाको नाम सामाजिक सुरक्षा कार्यालयमा दर्ता थियो? कति थियो उहाँको उमेर?” “हजुर....थियो । उहाँ अठत्तर हुनुहुन्थ्यो ।” “उहाँको दर्ता नम्बर थाहा छ?” “हजुर, थाहा भएन । त्यो अफिसको रिकोर्डमा होला ।” “छ, यहाँ त अवश्यै हुन्छ । म हेरिहाल्छु । उहाँको नाम?” “स्मिथ । मार्था स्मिथ । मार्था रुथ स्मिथ पो लेख्नुहुन्थ्यो कि क्या हो! कहिलेकाहीँ त विवाहपूर्वको नाम...मार्था जेराबेक स्मिथ पनि लेख्नुहुन्थो ।” “एकछिन होल्डमै बस्नुस् है । म हेर्दिन्छु रिकोर्डमा । एकदुई मिनेटमै भैहाल्छ ।” “हुन्छ...” उहाँले बुवालाई र बुवाले उहाँलाई लेखेका प्रेमपत्रहरू एउटा पुरानो बाक्सामा छन्, रिबोनले या सुकेर अरहरो बनेको छालाको लोतीले बाँधेर राखेका । ती पत्रहरू १९१८ द

(Story) Mahesh Paudyal “ Hang on dear moon,” said the nightingale, “for there is no light, and I am not yet decided where I would put up tonight.” It was extremely cold, though the sky looked very clear. It was twilight, but the moon was just an arc of diamond upon the head on the western mountain. The nightingale shivered remembering the previous night. O, what a dreadful experience it had been! Someone in the south had set the whole forest on fire, and its little nest on a little willow had burnt, roasting its two little kids to death. It shed two drops of tears for the kids and flew away, and sat on a silver wire that hanged between iron poles, knowing that a silver thing would not burn. It was nightmarish, hanging on a silver wire all through the night. “Allow me to stay here for tonight, for both of us are dying soon,” said the nightingale to an old ebony tree that stood alone in a big, flat land, bare and shabby. “How do you  say so?” asked the tree. “You

(Story)  Mahesh Paudyal  “Mom, please buy me a new bicycle,” said Kumar, who was eleven years old. His father had died when he was just two. His mother was very poor. “How much does it cost?” Mother asked. “It must cost somewhere around five thousand rupees.” Mother did not answer. Instead, she went into the kitchen and continued cooking. Five thousand rupees was something too much for her. She did not have that much money in hand. For a few days, Kumar said nothing. But one day, as soon as he came back from school, he threw his bag and said, “Mom, please buy me a new bicycle. I need it.” This time too, Mother kept quiet. She took a sickle and went into the woods to collect grass for her goats. In his third approach, Kumar said, “Mom, please! Buy me a new bicycle. I need it. If you did not buy, I will leave home and never come back.” The mother replied in a hurry, “Wait, my child!”  Then she rushed in, and came out with her piggy bag. She laid the piggy bag