March 25, 2005

Adhikari's poems and songs not only speak out the woes of the people but also guides society to good path

By THAKUR AMGAI

Dinesh Adhikari : Rich feelings

Amid a prevailing school of thought that encourages and promotes freedom of expression in creative writing irrespective of the impact it leaves in public, poet Dinesh Adhikari stands out. Like all other litterateurs, he, too, likes to express his feelings freely in writings. However, he opines, if the creation is to go to the public, i. e., published or broadcast, then we need to reconsider whether the content sends a positive message to the public or a negative one.

"The songs, poems and any genres of writings and songs that shows a wrong direction to the audience and readers should be barred from being publicized," said Adhikari. "In that the media person should be more selective. By nature a writer's job is to create. Whether the creation sends good message or a bad one to the public should be checked before it goes to the public."

Apparently, he is not pleased with the course the Nepalese music industry is taking currently. For a litterateur firm in expressing the woes of people responsibly in a manner to guide society towards right course, the present anarchical songs, which are responsible for most of the indiscipline among youths today, is obviously hard to digest.

Not surprisingly, Adhikari's poems are not easily grasped by most people educated in the urban setting. It is because his poems and songs speak out the words of sufferers in their own language. Adhikari uses typical Nepali phrases and metaphors to convey his feelings. Many of them are attributed to traditional rituals and practices, which is beyond the knowledge of most people of younger generation.

As a child, Adhikari was groomed in a literary environment. He says, "As a child I wrote to win contests and now I write for self satisfaction."

Now, he is Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Health. He served for twenty years as a government lawyer and traveled to various districts in the course of his job. He was recently transferred to look after the administration of the Ministry from the Office of the Attorney General. Before joining the government service, he had a brief stint working as a journalist.

This period of employment during which he traveled to the villages and got to witness the difficult lifestyle of Nepalese people of some of the most remote parts of the country provided him with a lot of inspiration to write. "I have seen and felt both the extreme difficulties as well as the prosperity in the life-styles of the people," said Adhikari. "And my ingredients for writing are both the woes as well as the pleasures of these people."

Looking at his writings, one gets the impression that difficulties of Nepalese have the most impact on him. Recalling the memoirs of his travel to various districts, he further adds, "I have traveled to extremely remote and poverty stricken villages ranging from places where there was no arrangement of bedding in the entire village to places where the use of salt in their meals used to be a jubilant occasion."

His sweet and bitter experiences in the villages of Nepal are reflected very well in his writings.

Adhikari At A Glance

Publications: Antarka Chhitaharu, Dhartiko Geet, Adim Awaj, Indrajatra, Afnai Man, Atirikta Abhilekh, Jungleko Katha Jungle ko Byatha

Cassettes Albums and CDs: Kabitako Mausam, Bhawanaka Matharu, Sukha Dukha, Bola Bola Pakhaharu, Birano Man, Pareliko Dilmuni, Yatra, Anubhuti, Lipi

Awards: More than 20 major awards including the much-revered Madan Puraskar and Suprabal Gorkha Dakshinbahu