Analysis of 'Janayuddha Ka Diary Samalochana': A New Frontier in Literary Criticism

Criticism holds a high position as a distinct genre dedicated to interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating works related to art, thought, literature, and aesthetics, discussing both their merits and flaws. The term 'Samalochana' (criticism) entered the Nepali language from Sanskrit, with its etymological meaning being 'the act of looking at everything comprehensively.' In Nepali literature, criticism is often considered a relatively new genre compared to others. The development of criticism followed the development of creative literature. Currently, various forms of criticism are emerging in the literary market.

Although criticism is generally regarded as the genre for assessing literature, modern criticism evaluates works by considering aspects like the ideological stance of the work, the depth of the subject matter, social relevance, global consciousness, class allegiance, literary standard, and objectivity. The relationship between the work, the author's life, and their conduct is also beginning to be examined in conjunction with criticism.

Criticism is certainly not a genre solely for praising the work and the author. Nor is it merely a genre for reviews and book discussions. In its true sense, the scope of criticism is very broad and extensive. Criticism dissects both the good and bad aspects of a work to establish sound judgment. The development of criticism occurred during the evaluation of literature, art, and aesthetics. There is also a prevailing notion that criticism alone helps make literature high-quality.

Marxist critical consciousness has established a proud position in the field of criticism. This type of criticism analyzes the individual, family, society, thought, culture, politics, literature, or any social behavior or class action based on historical and dialectical materialism, class relations, relations of production, and power structures. This form of literary criticism also works to ascertain whether the work and the related genre have been used to perpetuate exploitation or if they serve as a challenge or critical consciousness. This is an important reference point for revolutionary intellectual and academic processes in the field of criticism.

In the realm of Marxist criticism, there is an understanding that any idea, morality, art, or theory is not an isolated or transcendental object but is born from historical circumstances and relations of production. A prominent critic from the Marxist circle who holds this view is Khem Thapaliya. His critical work, 'Janayuddha Ka Diary Samalochana' (Critique of the People's War Diaries), has recently hit the market. This critical work extensively reviews more than half a dozen People's War diaries by the diarist Manarishi Dhital. With the publication of Thapaliya's work, 'Diary Criticism' has been added as a new genre in Nepali criticism. It has now become a distinct genre, offering scope for further research and investigation.

Diarist Manarishi Dhital is a People's War combatant, politician, journalist, and writer. There is no doubt about his outstanding contribution to Nepal's class struggle. This critical work written by critic Khem Thapaliya provides a detailed discussion of seven People's War diaries by Manarishi Dhital and clarifies the importance of diary writing. The presented critical work, 'Janayuddha Ka Diary Samalochana,' fundamentally provides a systematic entry into the framework of Marxist criticism.

In this critical work, critic Khem Thapaliya attempts to interpret the ideologically significant diaries of diarist Manarishi Dhital not merely as emotional diaries but as historical materials arising from the class struggle against the feudal-capitalist state structure. It is appropriate to view the People's War not just as an event but as the result of a historical necessity, and to interpret and analyze it accordingly. The critical work proceeds with enthusiasm within this critical current.

The People's War diaries of writer and journalist Manarishi Dhital are not just emotional memories of the Nepali People's War but historical documents of the class struggle, which Khem Thapaliya has meticulously unraveled from a Marxist critical perspective. Critic Thapaliya has offered his balanced view with seriousness and a sense of responsibility. The various series of Dhital's diaries—'Jel Yatra' (Jail Journey), 'Beni Yatra' (Beni Journey), 'Aadhar Yatra' (Base Area Journey), 'Rajmarg Yatra' (Highway Journey), 'Pili Yatra' (Pili Journey), 'Gandak Yatra' (Gandak Journey), and 'Gufapress Ka Chithi' (Letters from Gufa Press)—are specific expressions transformed from personal feelings into the historical journey of collective popular struggle.

Khem Thapaliya has examined numerous subjects and various contexts from diarist Manarishi Dhital's diaries from a critical perspective, including the repression faced by the People's Liberation Army (the army of the proletariat representatives) after the failure of talks between the then CPN (Maoist) and the Government of Nepal, the arrest of journalists, experiences written from prison, struggles in open public spaces and closed state fronts, and the conscious flow of martyrdom and sacrifice. In 'Janayuddha Ka Diary Samalochana,' the fact that the people's history, which the bourgeois state tried to suppress, was not suppressed but remained historically alive, is interpreted in a new, realistic critical manner, a method that can be considered the method of Marxist criticism.

The diaries presented by diarist Dhital documented the base areas of the proletariat class in Beni, Karnali, Western Terai, and central base areas. This critical work, using diarist Dhital's diaries as a basis, clarifies that the mood of the people's government, the new culture formed during the People's War, and the unified class leadership were necessary political transformation processes according to Marxist philosophy, i.e., the historical and dialectical materialist viewpoint.

Diarist Dhital's diary has become a direct record of revolutionary practice, while Khem Thapaliya's criticism has become a theoretical intervention that explains the clear foundation of class perspective, ideological struggle, and people-oriented historical writing for that record. This critical work stands as the basis for making Diary Criticism a new, original, and long-lasting genre in Nepali literature. The perspective on criticism, the process, and the theoretical discussion of Diary Criticism further confirm this; it is at a new intensity in the new journey of thought and debate.

Indeed, Diary Criticism is a new terminology in the literary field. Through this work, it has assumed the form of theory at the center of criticism. The critic has also established a framework in this work. Diary Criticism is poised to emerge as a style of critique centered on the diarist's direct experience, the relativity of time, and the struggle. Critical work based on a serious, ideological, and emotional writing like a diary is not found even in fragmented forms. A systematic study tradition of diaries is also not seen in the Nepali critical tradition. Therefore, this critical work is entirely original because it stands on the measure of philosophy, theory, and ideology.

This critical work is not only the definitive work of this genre; Thapaliya himself and other interested parties need to do much more systematic work in this field. Not all diaries carry the same people-oriented ideological value as Manarishi's. Some diaries are written giving high priority to fear, conflict, incongruity, and weak self-confessions. Certainly, Marxist critics must view such works in connection with historical consciousness and class reality. Only in this way does criticism become not just evaluation but a process of thought formation. Thapaliya's presented work, 'Janayuddha Ka Diary Samalochana,' can be taken as an attempt to begin the chapter of thought formation through questioning.

It is well known that the importance of a new genre is challenging and long-lasting because Diary Criticism opens up the possibility of re-reading diaries written over time—connecting them with history, politics, psychology, and literature—not just a single work or a single period. It also opens a path for continuous interaction with society. It provides future writers and critics with a durable method for extracting social meaning from personal experience. This is why the future of the Diary Criticism genre is bright. If the remaining pathfinders of criticism embrace it, Diary Criticism will become a powerful critical genre that endures for a long time in the critical journey of Nepali literature. Finally, many thanks to Manarishi Dhital for the People's War Diaries, and endless congratulations to Khem Thapaliya for the Critique of the People's War Diaries!