On
the third day of Tihar, when most of the people were busy in making necessary
arrangements for the evening Laxmi puja, Mahakavi Devkota was born from the womb of Amar Rajya Laxmi Devi and
father Tilmadhav Devkota in Dillibazar, Kathmandu on November 12, 1909. As he
was born at a time when the entire Hindus including his family were worshiping
Goddess Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth, his parents took his birth as the
greatest gift of Goddess Laxmi. Accordingly, his name was given Laxmi Prasad.
However, he turned out to be the gift of Saraswati, the ‘Goddess of Knowledge’.
He has earned the fame through this name in the field of Nepali
literature. In a short lifespan of fifty years he produced some eighty books in
Nepali and in English.
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| Laxmi Prasad Devkota (1909-1959) |
Early
Life
When Devokota was born, Nepal was ruled by the
Rana oligarchy. The Rana administration was not enthusiastic about educating
the masses, so the permit to study was a privilege. Devkota’s family went
through a lot of trouble to enroll him at Durbar School, the only school in the
Kathmandu Valley. Devkota was talent since his childhood.
He started writing at the early age of ten and proved to be an excellent pupil. He finished school
with good grades and went to Trichandra College in 1925 to study science. He
got his B.A. in arts in 1929 and went to India in 1931 on a scholarship to
continue his studies. Devkota was impressed by the libraries he saw in India,
and he and his friends wrote to the Rana Prime Minister asking for permission
to open a library in Kathmandu. They were put in prison for this and had to pay
heavy fines. This was the beginning of Devkota's political life.
The
days of Hardships
After
he received the degree, he returned back home and started to live the family
life. Despite taking tuition classes to supplement his earning, sometimes for
fourteen hours a day, financial problems never left him. His popular book ‘Muna
Madan’ was written during this time. All the poets of the time wrote using the
old Sanskrit forms. The book
challenged Sanskrit scholars who dominated the Nepalese literary scene. While
these scholars determined good poetry as those following the Sanskrit form, ‘Muna Madan’ was based on the jhaurey folk tune. This was completely
new and it received recognition. It is still a best seller even after more than
several decades of its publication.
The
mid-thirties were a terrible time for Devkota: his mother, father, and a
two-month old daughter died within two years. This shattered Devkota
completely. Devkota was never a smoker at school or college, but when he
learned to smoke, he became a chain smoker. He was exceedingly nervous and
began to complain that everything hurt him. His brothers were worried enough to
put him in a mental hospital in Ranchi, India, for five months in 1939. He
makes references to his experience in the lunatic asylum in his famous
free-verse poem ‘Pagal’ which is one of the best written poems in Nepali.
Years
of Active life
After he
returned to Nepal, he worked as a part of Nepal Bhasanuwad
Parishad, a state organization that acted as a censorship
board, and also taught at Tribhuwan University. He wrote several of his
epic poetry during this time. In 1948, Poet
Devkota presided over the first national poetry festival of Nepal organized by
Nepali Sahitya Parishad and delivered a famous speech. Immediately after this
poetry festival, he exiled himself to Vanarasi, India, to edit Yugvani (The
Voice of the Age), which was a mouthpiece of the Nepali Congres. In Nepal, his
house and properties were confiscated by the Rana government. In less than
three months after his unannounced departure from the house, his second son
Krishna died. His eldest son Prakash soon joined him in Varanasi.
Poet Devkota returned to Kathmandu shortly before the
restoration of democracy in 1951. At that time, he was trying to sustain the
family at Kavi-Kunja with a few tuition jobs. However, he also kept producing
many excellent works. From April 1956, a literary monthly titled ‘Indreni’ was
launched from Kavya-Prathisthan, of which Poet Devkota was the president. The
Asian Writers' Conference was held in New Delhi, December 23-29, 1956. Poet
Devkota led the delegation of Nepali writers to this conference. It was for
such events that Devkota had translated many of his own works as well as those
of his contemporaries into English and published them in the two bilingual
issues (2nd and 7th.) of Indreni. The poems thus translated are highly
representative of the age.
Later, Poet Devkota also led a delegation of Nepali writers
to Tashkent to attend the Afro-Asian Writers' Conference, which was held from
October 7-13, 1958. He impressed the audience with his excellent introduction
to contemporary Nepali literature, made many friends, and was, in turn,
impressed with the central message of peace and the need for justice that the
conference highlighted. While he was in Russia and immediately after his return
to Nepal, Devkota wrote several essays in English that discuss national and
literary issues at home from a more global and comparative perspective.
On Friday, July 22, 1957, Royal Nepal Academy was established
and Poet Devkota was its member from its inception. From July 26 to November
14, 1957, he served as the Minister of Education under Dr. K.I. Singh's
cabinet. As a minister, he promoted the Nepali as a national language, he
opened schools all over the country, and he also worked to establish Tribhuvan
University.
Important
Contributions
Devkota
contributed to Nepali literature by bringing the Sanskrit tradition
to its end and by starting modern Romantic Movement in the country. Devkota was
the first to begin writing epics in Nepali literature. Nepali poetry soared to
new heights with Devkota's groundbreaking and innovative use of language.
Departing from the Sanskrit tradition that dominated Nepali literary scene, he
wrote ‘Muna Madan’ (1930), a long narrative poem in popular
"jyaure" folk meter. ‘Muna Madan’
is perhaps the most popular of all works of Devkota. The simplicity of
language, folk and lyrical verses and rhythmic expression made this book
popular among the all including ordinary folks. Muna Madan’s popularity also
made Ranas to appoint Devkota a member of the Nepal Bhasanuwad Parishad. Devkota
had the ability to compose long epic poems with literary complexity and
philosophical density in very short period of time. During this period, he wrote, ‘Shakuntala’, his first epic poem
and also the first "Mahakavya" (epic poem) written in Nepali
language, in mere three months. Published in 1945, Shakuntala is a voluminous
work in 24 cantos based on Kalidasa’s famous Sanskrit play
‘Abhijnanasakuntalam’. ‘Shakuntala’ demonstrates Devkota's mastery of Sanskrit
meter and diction which he incorporated heavily while working primarily in
Nepali. It is said that Puskar Shumshere Rana
challenged him to write another epic in a period of one month. Accepting the
challenge, Devkota wrote another epic ‘Sulochana’ in ten days. Both ‘Shakuntal’
and ‘Sulochana’ are Devkota’s masterpieces.
He
is regarded as the propounding father of romanticism in the Nepali literature.
Devkota was deeply influenced by the writings of William Wordsworth, P.B.
Shelley, Byron and John Keats. He is the pioneer of modernity or modernism in
Nepali literature, especially in essays and poetry, and he is also regarded as
'Anshu Kavi' (spontaneous poet). He could write poems in a spontaneous manner
and even while signing autographs for his fans, he used to write a poem
before putting his signature. His poetry depicts the romantic characteristics
like humanism, metaphysical relationships, aesthetic values, past glories,
praise of nature etc. Apart from romantic writings, he wrote some potent
revolutionary poems possibly under the impact of P.B.Shelley. Devkota is also
credited with the innovations of native Nepali vocabulary. He not only had
a deep vision of literature, but was also well versed in theology,
philosophy, history and in all inter-disciplinary genres.
Devkota’s
contribution to Nepali literature are as follows-
Poetic
works: Muna Madan, Raj Kumar Prabhakar, Kunjini,
Shakuntal, Sulochana, Basanti, Putali, Bhikhari, Mhendu, Ravana-Jatayu Yuddha,
Chhahara, Chilla Patharu, Luni, Mayabini Sashi, Maharana Pratap, Manoranjan,
Nabras, Sitaharan, Dushyanta Shakuntala Bhet, Aakash Blochha, Balkusum,
Chhayasanga Kura, Katak, Gaine Geet, Sunko Bihan, Bhavana Gangeya, Sundari
Jarpini, Aashu, Prathimas, Prithiviraj Chauhan, Maina, Pahadi Pukar, Muthuka
Thopa, Laxmi Kabita Sangraha and Laxmi Giti Sangraha.
Essay:
Laxmi Nibandha Sangraha
Plays:
Sabitri Satyaban, Rajpur Ramani, Basanti, Maina and Krishibala and Bharatmilap.
Laxmi
Katha Sangraha (anthology of Devkota’s short stories)
Fiction:
Champa
Devkota
translated William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth into Nepali
Devkota’s
Legacy
Although
Devkota started writing during the Rana period when the free thinking and
creative writing used to be discouraged, he broke the traditional and
conventional style and introduced a new genre and approach in writing poems and
other forms of literature. Devkota's literary works are marked by flow, variety
of style and subject matter, critical and relevant thought, powerful
imagination and compassion for the living. He was a prolific writer who
experimented with every form and genre of literature. He wrote not just
innumerable poems, but also epics, long narrative and/or descriptive poetry
called khandakavyas in Nepal, plays, one-act plays, essays, short stories, and
even a novel. Furthermore, he has contributed significantly to Nepali children's
literature, too. He has also translated many of his own works as well as those
of his contemporaries into English. He is the first Nepali writer to produce a
significant bulk of poems, essays, and plays written originally in English.
Devkota
grew as a writer throughout his career. One of his earliest achievements is the
successful use of a popular folk meter called jhyaure in his yet best-selling
long narrative poem: Muna-Madan. This work kicks against the Classical
Sanskritic tradition of metrical poetry even as it depicts the life of ordinary
people in a simple, native language. The poet, however, adopts the Sanskriic
tradition in Nepali Shakuntal, an epic he wrote in three months. This epic is
rich in Sanskrit vocabulary, highly imaginative, and powerfully lyrical in many
places. The context and characters of this story from the Mahabharat and the
Padma Purana are given Nepali characteristics and context.
While
the poet shows great mastery over the varnik form of Sanskrit meter in Nepali Shakuntal,
with "The Lunatic," he arrives at a very successful form of modern
confessional poetry in free verse. According to his contemporary, Bala Krishna
Sama, Devkota was born thrice into literature: first, with Muna-Madan; second,
with Nepali Shakuntal; and, third, with "The Lunatic."
Devkota's
literary oeuvre witnesses a consciousness that not only comprehends the
cultural heritage of Bharat Varsha but also appreciates other cultures and
civilizations as different. His works also exhibit a high realism where
purified art encapsulates truth that transcends the local to universalize
itself into a sort of ethos of the age. While Nepal remains at the core of his
writing, Rome, Greece, the greater India, England, Russia, and many other
literary and artistic arenas of the globe find a room in his writing. It is for
this reason, too, that Devkota deserves a place among meritorious writers of
the world. It is high time for him to be situated at the hub of South Asian
literary discussions.
Devkota
exhibits a great love for Nepal and its people in his works, which are simply
extensions of his life and thought. He loved the country, its people, and his
own mother tongue, Nepali, which he enriched and endowed with the expressional
possibilities of a modern sensibility. Today, he is lovingly known as Mahakavi
or Great Poet for his great body of powerful poetry and significant writings in
Nepali and English. He commands great respect in the world of Nepali letters.
Nearly half a century after he left the literary scene, Devkota's contributions
in diverse genres of literature and many areas of Nepalese social and cultural
life remain deeply felt and appreciated.
Despite
holding some important and high-ranking positions, his financial status was
always precarious and he had to struggle a lot for survival. But the
difficulties he suffered never deterred him from writing and making
contribution to Nepali literature. The contribution Devkota made to enrich the
Nepali literature would always be written down with golden letter. We cannot
imagine the state of Nepali literature without Laxmi Prasad Devkota. Thus,
Laxmi Prasad Devkota has earned a greatest respect in the heart of Nepalese
people both in Nepal and abroad. Recognizing his unprecedented contribution in
the field of literature, he was honoured as a life member of the Nepal Academy.
Devkota was also conferred with the title of ‘Mahakabi’ (Poet the Great). He
died at the age of 50 due to cancer in September 14, 1959. With his demise people
lost a brilliant icon of Nepali literature. Although he is no more with us, his
writing will always keep him alive in the hearts of the people who love Nepali
literature.
YouTube Links for Mahakavi Devkota
(Binod Bhattarai is a Doctoral Fellow at Department of Sociology,
Pondicherry University, Puducherry – 605014, India)
