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Kumari Lama is basically a writer. His two collections of essays 'Ujyalo Andhakar' and 'Darjuu Sanlap' have been published. Having made a strong profile as a reviewer and critic, she also teaches English at Tribhuvan University.
Here is an edited part of the 'Five Questions' made for Kantipur with the same author Lama:
The last book you read?
Mohan Mainali's 'Mukam Ranmaidan'. We have different views on war. We glorify war. It is about bravery and courage. However, the pain of the people who joined the war has been expressed in the book. This book has become a document of history for me.
Also, I read Jonathan Lear's 'Radical Hope' recently. It is related to Native Americans. The way we live, various aspects of our value systems, our visions of life are suddenly transgressed. What kind of mood do we have at that time? This is a philosophical book about how we 'track' it.
Your favorite fiction?
My favorite novels in classic fiction are Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment', 'Notes from Underground'. They are dark reality. These books reveal the dark side within us. Dostoevsky works in the social and political background of the Russian society at that time. That's why I like his novels. In addition, in the context of Nepal, Parijat's novel 'Parkhal Bheer and Bahir' is a favorite novel .
Its characters are very lively. Characters like Curie Batuli, who are very low in terms of class, have come forward with a very resistant voice. In today's context, those resistant voices are needed forever. Sarubhakta's 'Pagal Basti' or Narayan Dhakal's novels are also among my favorite novels.
Favorite non-fiction? There are many
nonfiction. Also, I like books that are related to society, culture and history. Like, I am inclined towards it because I belong to the tribal community. Pashuram Tamang's ``Tamang Jati'', Kumar Pajjar's book on tribal beauty, thought, and knowledge system are likes. However, there are many others in nonfiction. A book you want to read but haven't read
?
The book I like to read is 'Tamang Ritual Text' by Andres Hofer. I'm looking for it but I can't find it. I want to understand this because it is a book written after an in-depth study of the cultural practice and ritual practice within the Tamang community. This is a book written long ago. This is lacking in Nepal. It will have to be bought from outside. It is also expensive.
Book recommendation for the new generation?
The new generation has its own interests. Now many new topics have also come. However, when we read books related to society and culture, the scope of knowledge widens. Like Arun Gupta's 'Sanskriti Chintan'. Where there are different layers of culture, myths. Various things related to our society have been exposed there. There are things associated with myths or paradoxes of goddesses. It also leads to creativity in some way. It also helps to stay on the ground.
We are creatures that love to hear and tell stories. These kinds of stories talk about the characters of the society. Through that, we can learn about different history even from characters that seem normal. Narayan Dhakal's non-fiction, Bhuvan Dhungana's novels which can give us different scenarios of society through those characters.
