The book under review Samain Darbani (a mirror of time) has been penned by an emerging poetess from Pokhara. Gauri Gurung, the poetess of Samain Darbani, is a school teacher by profession. Interestingly enough, while still teaching in a school, she is also running Lekali Chulo Ghar, a traditional restaurant, which is quite popular among the connoisseurs of traditional Nepali foods in Pokhara.
Gauri Gurung has made her debut in Nepali literature with the publication of Samain Darbani. The book contains 135 Free Verses covering all sorts of subjects of our times. Though born and raised in Nawalparasi, she has been working hard for the last one decade to make her presence felt in the Nepali literary firmament. Before writing the present poetry book, she was regularly contributing articles to local and national newspapers of the country.
Her penchant for Nepali literature goaded her to pursue higher education even after her marriage. Family responsibility and household activities could not discourage her spirit of achieving higher education. Due to hard work and perseverance, eventually she earned a master�s degree in Nepali Literature.
�In the beginning I started writing on various subjects of public interest. I would read them for my own satisfaction. I had also written a sizable numbers of free verses. I would regularly rewrite those free verses for the clarity and literary merit. However, I never intended to publish those free verses, but I would post them on my facebook account to entertain my friends. My first readers of my free verses were my facebook friends. When the list of admirers of my free verses grew out of proportion, only then did I think of publication�.
This poetry book is different from other books of free verses. All 135 free verses have been translated from Nepali into Gurung language. This was without doubt a challenging task indeed. Despite difficulties and challenges, the job was successfully accomplished. Now the Nepali readers can read the free verses in both Nepali language and its translation into Gurung language. Since Nepali words have been used to translate the free verses, the readers in Nepali can read the poetry in Gurung language and try to understand its meaning in Nepali.
Gauri Gurung�s concern for Gurung language can be understood when she writes in the introduction of her book. �Owing to lack of commitment and dedication to promote the language, unfortunately Gurung language has reached on the verge of disappearance. Today, there are only a few Gurung scholars in the country, who are truly worried about the existence and promotion of Gurung language. Others only shed crocodile�s tears and lament over the poor progress of Gurung language and literature. Due to lack of adequate efforts, many Gurung words have already disappeared and many more words will disappear if concerted efforts are not made�.
Gauri Gurung gives due respect to popular Gurung language poet, writer and linguist Kear Singh Gurung, for his immense contribution to translate the free verses into Gurung language. �Nepali language has rich stock of vocabulary but this is not the case with the Gurung language. Many Nepali words cannot be found in the Gurung language. As a result, while translating from Nepali to Gurung language, I had to use Nepali words to Gurung language as it is�.
The Nepali readers might be surprised with the name of the book. The name of the book is in Gurung language. The word Samain Darbani means Mirror of Time. When asked with Gauri Gurung about the Gurung name of the book, she said: �I deliberately chose a Gurung word for the name of the book. Gurung language is fast disappearing, as young generations seem reluctant towards their language. This is the reason why today many young Gurung boys and girls can neither speak nor understand their language. I just want to make Gurung words more familiar among the Nepali speaking readers�.
Perhaps this is for the first time any poetry book has been published in Nepali and with its Gurung translation together. The poetess Gauri Gurung has no doubt made a pioneer effort with her book Samain Darbani. However, Gauri Gurung has some reservation about the translation of the book. �There is no Gurung script to write Gurung language� says the poetess. �Therefore, Nepali language is used to write Gurung language. I am glad that I have given life to about four thousand Gurung words in the translation. This is my small effort to make Gurung words popular among the Nepali readers.�
Nepal is a secular country where every religious, cultural and traditional group is free to practice their faiths. All communities are therefore the jaded pearls of Nepal�s cultural heritage. The effort what Gauri Gurung has made should also be imitated by other scholars of different communities. Such efforts will enrich cultural and traditional values of their communities to keep them alive and buoyant.
It seems that after having seen Gauri Gurung�s Samain Darbani possibly the scholars from other communities will also make similar efforts. If this happens then its credit will definitely go to Gauri Gurung. Samain Darbani has opened a sluice gate of opportunities for many scholars, who represent different communities. They can popularize the language and literature of their communities through Nepali language. Newari language, Magar language and Gurung language use Nepali language to express themselves. In brief, Nepali language has become the convenient medium to promote the local language and literature.
The language of Samain Darbani has been well edited, as the book contains almost no flaws. However, while reading the translation in Gurung language, it seems that the poetess had to struggle with the translation. The writer herself admitted in the beginning that there are many words of Nepali language, which cannot be found exactly in Gurung language. In such a situation, the writer has to compromise with the language in general and with the words in particular. If we keep such weaknesses aside then the book Samain Darbani should be treated a magnum opus of Gauri Gurung.
Taking as a whole Samain Darbani is a must read book for those who love reading free verses and at the same time wishing to learn some Gurung words. The poetess must be applauded for her pioneer effort to promote Gurung literature. Since Samain Darbani is the first major literary effort of the writer, the early success of the book will definitely encourage the poetess to create more such literary works in days to come.
The Nepali readers might be surprised with the name of the book. The name of the book is in Gurung language. The word Samain Darbani means Mirror of Time. When asked with Gauri Gurung about the Gurung name of the book, she said: �I deliberately chose a Gurung word for the name of the book. Gurung language is fast disappearing, as young generations seem reluctant towards their language. This is the reason why today many young Gurung boys and girls can neither speak nor understand their language. I just want to make Gurung words more familiar among the Nepali speaking readers�.
Perhaps this is for the first time any poetry book has been published in Nepali and with its Gurung translation together. The poetess Gauri Gurung has no doubt made a pioneer effort with her book Samain Darbani. However, Gauri Gurung has some reservation about the translation of the book. �There is no Gurung script to write Gurung language� says the poetess. �Therefore, Nepali language is used to write Gurung language. I am glad that I have given life to about four thousand Gurung words in the translation. This is my small effort to make Gurung words popular among the Nepali readers.�
Nepal is a secular country where every religious, cultural and traditional group is free to practice their faiths. All communities are therefore the jaded pearls of Nepal�s cultural heritage. The effort what Gauri Gurung has made should also be imitated by other scholars of different communities. Such efforts will enrich cultural and traditional values of their communities to keep them alive and buoyant.
It seems that after having seen Gauri Gurung�s Samain Darbani possibly the scholars from other communities will also make similar efforts. If this happens then its credit will definitely go to Gauri Gurung. Samain Darbani has opened a sluice gate of opportunities for many scholars, who represent different communities. They can popularize the language and literature of their communities through Nepali language. Newari language, Magar language and Gurung language use Nepali language to express themselves. In brief, Nepali language has become the convenient medium to promote the local language and literature.
The language of Samain Darbani has been well edited, as the book contains almost no flaws. However, while reading the translation in Gurung language, it seems that the poetess had to struggle with the translation. The writer herself admitted in the beginning that there are many words of Nepali language, which cannot be found exactly in Gurung language. In such a situation, the writer has to compromise with the language in general and with the words in particular. If we keep such weaknesses aside then the book Samain Darbani should be treated a magnum opus of Gauri Gurung.
Taking as a whole Samain Darbani is a must read book for those who love reading free verses and at the same time wishing to learn some Gurung words. The poetess must be applauded for her pioneer effort to promote Gurung literature. Since Samain Darbani is the first major literary effort of the writer, the early success of the book will definitely encourage the poetess to create more such literary works in days to come.
