Written with a sense of the terrifyingly realistic fear of social disintegration, existentialism steeped in inconsistency, and the insecurity of time, the novel Torkin is the clearest picture of the present day. It is a tragic scene of the present Nepali society shown through a lens.

A quote by Laszlo Kraszáhorkai, who won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, is particularly relevant here. He says, 'We can only deceive ourselves with the future, hope is always related to the future and the future never comes. It is always about to come.'

The young writer Kshitij Samarpan ends the novel by taking it to such a precipice, from that tragic precipice, the reader is neither able to find a way forward to the future, nor to protect the past. The fact that the author takes the reader to the edge of the cliff and returns alone seems to be the strongest aspect of Samarpan's first novel, and the weakest aspect is that it is not possible to debate the brutal ending of the story on the basis of right and wrong amidst the uncertainty of the future.

Therefore, as Kransahorkai said, it indicates that people often have plans, expectations or hopes based on the future. But the future is uncertain, so the events-accidents-phenomena that we create in our own minds are just a kind of deception. People try to give meaning to life by hoping for the future, but reality is never stable in the future.

If someone asks about this novel, my conclusion would be exactly the same. However, it would not be fair to criticize this article for this. Because just saying this is not enough for the subject of social novels written by today's brilliant generation. It definitely demands detail.

The time of writing ghazals by young writer Kshitij Samarpan, who suddenly emerged from writing short stories and poems in Jajarkot, is not that distant past. The writer Samarpan, who was fed up with journalism like a papad to feed his stomach, is a slow-moving but capable writer. Through Torkin, which Kshitij repeatedly raises questions about the just psychology of social order and power, he has demonstrated the Nepali novelist's tendencies in a brilliant way.

Torkin has entered the Nepali novel writing tradition as a subtle influence. There will be a discussion about why this is said.

At this time, I am remembering a saying mentioned by botanist Dr. Tirtha Bahadur Shrestha, he said that it is not enough to say that Nepal is only about mountains, hills and Terai, Nepal also has deserts, we should not forget the northern plateau. The northern plateau and its surrounding human values ​​and cultural contexts, which have been largely ignored by the state and Nepali psychology, are unlikely to fit into the mainstream of Nepali literature. But the novelist Samarpan has started his novel writing from that marginal northern pasture with a long literary context.

Torkin covers the cultural, social and historical environment of Upper Mustang in a multi-dimensional style. In this, the local beauty, the Lhowa language, linguistic charm, social customs, and myths have enriched the story of the novel. The name of the novel, ‘Torkin’, comes from the Lhowa language and means ‘disappearing’ or ‘disappearing’, which indicates the central theme of the story.

Torkin has deeply explored the decline of tradition and culture. The

covers the socio-cultural structures of Upper Mustang, including birth, marriage, death, lifestyle, migration, monasteries and palaces, and the geographical, historical and cultural background. The psychology of the people in the midst of disintegration, its factors, new dimensions of migration trends and finally the disappearing customs, traditions and cultures have made the novel profound. The novel has explained the pace of time and change through the story of three generations, through the story of the ups and downs of life, dreams, relationships and cultural transformation. Such facts confirm that Torkin's story is not just a novel but a document of culture-tradition and social change. Although the

novel focuses on characters from three generations, the story basically revolves around the characters Chhewang and Kunsang. The novel is stretched by focusing on the ups and downs of the lives of these characters due to changing times, society, state system, capitalist economy, globalization of technology and the rise of human comfort.

The author has realistically depicted birth, marriage, death rituals, migration, culture and traditions in the geography of Upper Mustang, especially Charang. It also includes the social, cultural and geographical history of the monastery and the palace. The topics of the then religious system, politics and geopolitical existence have been strengthened in this novel. The author has elevated the novel to the second level by using the myths created by the geography and caste community. Although the use of mythical references in Nepali literature is not interpreted as a creative force, there is sufficient use of myths of caste, community and geography in all the literature written today. It should not be understood as a collection of myths but as a component of cultural heritage. Torkin has supported this argument. If we discuss from the perspective of traditional cultural values, the world is now increasingly moving towards fragmentation, erosion and continuous counter-revolution. Today's Nepali society, plagued by the fourth stage of capitalism, has not been able to protect the foundations of its traditional human existence. The creation of a new culture or fusion, i.e. mutation, has continued through cultural deviation and migration. Torkin has 'caught' exactly that 'timeline' and assessed the life and cultural values ​​of the Himalayan people. The subject of the novel is only a hint for Nepali society. Because it should be understood that the emptying of Nepali rural settlements, the dilapidated houses, the melting mountains and the desolate mountains, the freezing human relationships, selfish love, and the disappearing customs, traditions and cultures are Torkin's subjects.

Although there has been a lot of diversity in subject, structure and style in Nepali novel writing in the last decade, there are still many problems. Most writers are taking the risk of being limited to ordinary stories without studying the subject in depth. The most important issue is what is the value of this novel from the perspective of their community. This novel cannot even overcome the accusation that Nepali literature is too biased. The plot lacks logic and balance, some important characters lose the opportunity to come alive. Some dialogues may seem artificial. The imbalance in the flow of the story confuses the reader, when it comes to the point of leaving an impact on the reader, the author has rushed the story. The topic that struck the reader the most is what does it mean for Chewang to flee abroad? How much does the author have a hand in making Kunsang's heart and decision so hard, and in daring to leave Chewang and live in a lonely world? Why does the clever Chhewang become a prisoner of indecision, why does he become helpless? This novel hardly shares such limitations. And all these reasons have made the novel challenging.