It had only been three days since she was subjected to violence by someone she had once considered an inspiration and role model – ‘Gaushala 26’. However, she had not yet reached a conclusion about that incident, ‘Should she raise her voice or remain silent?’ . What kind of reaction would she get when she told others about the sudden disaster that had befallen her life? That fear was in her. Coincidentally, her English teacher, who was studying in grade 12, called her to the front of the classroom to give an explanation of Julia Burgos’ poem ‘I Was My One Route’.

Through that poem, Julia, a 20th-century women’s rights poet, wrote that women’s ‘life is not determined by men, but they should carve their own path’. Gender inequality and the way men view women were expressed in her poetry.

‘I wanted to be what men wanted me to be

An attempt at life,

A game of hide-and-seek with one’s own existence.

But, I was made of the present’

(Nepali translation of the poem)

She had explained that poem in class and said – Women all over the world speak the same language, that language is the language of silence. She wrote in these lines that she could not play hide and seek like other women. She had to make her own identity, to carve her own path. ‘After presenting this poem, I felt like I had to release my pent-up feelings,’ she recalls. ‘It was after that poem that I told a friend about the incident that happened to me.’

She had explained that poem in class and said – Women all over the world speak the same language, that language is the language of silence. After she finished her explanation, her friends applauded her, which was meaningless in the face of the pain she had escaped. However, after explaining the poem Dhara Prava for about 15 minutes, he had the courage to raise his voice against injustice. He had the courage to rebel. He felt that if he did not raise his voice, his whole life would be spent in regret.

‘This incident shows how powerful poetry is, poetry is not just a combination of words – it is also an expression of human feelings,’ says Pradeep Gyawali, a Zen-G leader and central member of the National Independent Party. ‘Sometimes poetry directly touches people’s emotions, which can have a great impact on the reader’s life.’

Gyawali himself is a Zen-G who loves to read and write poetry. A participant in the forefront of the Zen-G movement, he was greatly inspired by the lines of poetry by Ramesh Kshitij. Kshitij's poem titled 'Probability' asked:

'Did you hear some rebel angry with history sharpening his khukuri all night?'

He feels that this poem also resonates with the essence of the movement. He says, 'Later I read many of his other poems.' He believes that the poems he reads have helped him develop awareness related to the values ​​of movement, social justice and equality. Gyawali is also influenced by Indian poet Piyush Mishra. He keeps repeating these lines from the poem titled ‘What is your status?’

‘I would not have been…

The river, the drain, the rain, the clouds,

They are the same as they were,

But what would have happened if I had not been…

The river, the drain, the rain, the clouds,

They remained the same as they were,

But again, ‘What would have happened if it had not been?’ (Nepali translation)

Gyawali, who likes to read poems that are connected with revolutionary sentiment, rebellion and patriotism, writes romantic poems himself. Her poem titled ‘Cocktail’ says:

‘I came

As always, to the same old chowpari

The chowpari that was waiting for you

Earlier, when I was waiting, you would come

But this time you did not come

Only your memories came.’

Upendra Subba’s poems are also among her interests. Prajita Narayani Tiwari, who likes to sit in cafes and read poetry in her free time, says that she likes poems that are closely related to philosophy and life. ‘I am more interested in poetry that inspires us to understand life from a deeper level, question our own existence and move forward by accepting reality,’ she says. ‘I mostly like to read such poems that are not only optimistic but also clearly present the harsh realities of life.’

From the poems of Laxmi Prasad Devkota, which cover various dimensions of life, humanity and sorrow, to the works of Parijat, which expose the harsh realities of life, her interests are. She says, ‘I think Parijat’s writing teaches us to look at life from a new perspective.’

She finds modern consciousness and philosophy in the poems of poet Biplav Pratik. ‘His poem with the title Manmeet, which says ‘All the flowers were engrossed in the city...’, is a poem that I really like,’ says Tiwari, ‘It has had a profound impact on my life.’ Sometimes she even recites poems she has written herself on a public stage. Tiwari's poem titled 'After Meeting You' says:

'After meeting you, a piece of light falls in the eternal darkness of the mind, a drop of hope rises in the corner of the heart that has been damp for ages, a drop of hope rises in the corner of the heart that has been damp for ages,

After meeting you, the silence that has been settled begins to speak,

It seems as if the whole world has stopped at you.'

Roshana Dhungana, who likes to read poetry and post short lines on social media, says that she reads Hindi and Urdu poetry along with Nepali. 'It's not that she doesn't read English poetry either, but I feel like the poems in these languages ​​relate to me a lot,' she says, 'Even in that, I am touched by poems that combine love, love and revolution.' She reads poems from Urdu poet Sahir Ludhianvi to Pakistani revolutionary poet Habib Jalib. Sahir writes

‘In this world suffering from hunger and thirst, love is not the only reality, there is something else too...’

(In this world suffering from hunger and thirst, love is not the only reality, there is something else too)

She likes to read poetry books from Amrita Pritam to Mirza Ghalib. Pritam’s poems are simple, touching with the emotion of the words. She tells Dhungana that she finds her poetry interesting because it reflects the mixture of love, rebellion and women’s search for freedom and identity. Dhungana feels that Ghalib has emphasized love, pain and self-reflection in his works. Among Nepali poems, she likes the writings of Manu Manjil, Buddhi Sagar, and Biplav Pratik. ‘I prefer to read poetry directly rather than reading it written by a particular poet,’ she says, ‘Then, if the poem draws me in, I finally know the name of the poet.’

Gen-G Yuvraj Khatri’s favorites include poems by Bhupi Sherchan to Nawaraj Parajuli. ‘I am also influenced by Thomas Gray’s poem ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’, written in tribute to his friend, this poem speaks the voice of rural life, death, equality, inequality,’ says the law graduate.

Ojha says that he especially likes poems that tell the stories of society. ‘Realistic and progressive poems that tell people’s stories are my choice,’ says Ojha, ‘Among the poets of the latest generation, I also like Rupesh Shrestha.’

As soon as I hear poetry, Bhupi Sherchan’s name comes to mind, says Yetish Ojha, a member of ‘Nepal Gen-G Front’. ‘Every year, I share Sherchan’s poem titled ‘New Year’ on 1 Baisakh, I have also read The Blind Man on a Rotating Table and his other poetry collections,’ he said. ‘When I read poems like Parijat’s Manushi, A Wife’s Interview and remembering his time, I feel revolutionary.’

Ojha says that he especially likes poems that tell the stories of society. ‘Realistic and progressive poems that tell people’s stories are my choice,’ says Ojha, ‘Among the poets of the last generation, I also like Rupesh Shrestha.’

Some say that the new generation is losing interest in reading poetry. However, Gen-G poet Devvrat prefers to say that the new generation has not stopped reading, but has changed its taste. ‘They are more interested in reels, TikTok and Insta poetry,’ he says, ‘They seem to celebrate short lines like captions that are more felt than poetic elements such as images, symbols, juice, and imagery.’ As he says, the new generation likes collections of short poems like ‘Miln and Honey’ by Rupi Kaur and ‘Ashra’ by Balendra. Leela Ram Khadka, the owner of Book Cafe Ujama in Shankhamul, Kathmandu, says, “We have many poetry works in Urdu and Hindi, but I find that many people like collections of short poems.”