Rimal is one of the world's greatest poets: Yuyutsu Sharma

How about the New York Writers Workshop in Kathmandu? The organizers of the

workshop are old friends of mine. In New York I traveled for two decades, taught at New York University. During that time I got to know Tim Tomlinson. I saw him going sometimes to Spain, sometimes to Greece. They had plans to go somewhere this year. I said - Where is the best, mysterious country like Nepal? Come here, here is culture, art, diversity. Actually this program was planned before the covid epidemic, but it was stopped. Now the opportunity has come, I thought we should do it.

This workshop and Himalayan Literature Festival is dedicated to Nepali poet Gopal Prasad Rimal. Why Rimal?

What I think is that great poets like Rimal have been forgotten in Nepal. He is being devalued. He is a truly original and Nepali poet. His life is wet for the rule of law, the history of this nation and democracy. Based on that, he has created the entire writing. We should look upon him as one of the great heroes of poetry. I thought, not only in Kathmandu, people from Los Angeles, Beijing to London should know about him. Rimal can be put up against any of the world's greatest rivals. So I put him in the center. We are also planning to release his translation at the festival. Our festival is dedicated to him. We will do a program called 'Remembering Rimal', mixing his poems with poems of some other Nepali poets, in which their poems will be staged. At the inauguration, Rimal's son Madan Rimal will share some memories of his father. A poet will be remembered in every festival – next year it may be Devkota or Siddhicharan or any other.

In what sense is this workshop and literature festival different from others?

This workshop is the origin and exercise of creativity, where participants will write according to their interests. We will interact in workshops on various topics, such as Zhankri Pesa, Yoga, Narrative, Memoir, Poetry, Photography, Translation etc. And, we will present the product that comes out of it at the Himalayan Literature Festival. It is not only a festival but also a writing discourse with a retreat. In this the teacher guides and perfects the participant's manuscript. It is also an experimental process. Here there are not only speeches, but also discussions on practical, practical matters of writing. 30 writers have come to Nepal, whether they are on 'Writers Blog' or want to go to a secluded place and work on their manuscripts for a week, we help them. It will inspire writers, advance their creative careers.

You are a rare poet who can make a living by reciting poetry in different countries. How do you find the attitude of writers from other countries towards Nepal?

Nepal has a friendly image. There are people all over the world who like Nepal, consider it great and respect it. People are excited to see Everest, Nepali cultural diversity. I also praised the life of Nepal and the life of Nepali people while singing the praises of Everest and Himal. Thousands of books can be written about Nepal's mountains. Himal is the great source of creativity.

What separate programs are there in this workshop and the Himalayan Literature Festival?

Authors come from all five continents, from America, Europe, India, Australia. About 100 foreign writers will participate. The meeting of writers will be like a Kumbh Mela and a great festival. There will be interactions, panel discussions, book launches. There will be matters of translation, nation, career, culture. It will be at a multidimensional level. In my opinion, every Nepali writer should come to this.