Author Shankar Prasad Gaire Discusses His Literary Journey and Focus on Mythological Characters in Nine Questions

Shankar Prasad Gaire of Palpa has been involved in the teaching profession for a long time. Gaire, an associate professor at Tribhuvan Multiple Campus (Tansen), published his novel 'Ujyolotira' in 2074 BS.

His novels 'Krishna' (2078 BS) and 'Sutaputra' (2082 BS) have also been published. Gaire, who also writes ghazals and literary criticism, has one ghazal collection and three works of literary criticism published. Here is an interview conducted by Rama Subedi with Gaire for Ratopati's 'Nine Questions' series:

1. Why do you write, and what inspires you to write?

You have asked a very serious and interesting question. This question is a bit difficult for me. Although it is hard to state the exact concrete reason, I have been interested in writing since childhood. Even while herding goats, I would write something in my notebook. However, it was my teacher Dr. Chiranjivi Sharma who inspired me to write essays. Whether there was much literary consciousness in that, I cannot say. Perhaps it was my destiny to become a writer. That's why I started writing regardless of whether the environment was favorable or unfavorable.

Regarding the second part of your question, what inspired me to write, I cannot say exactly either. Perhaps it was written for a little self-satisfaction. Perhaps the lure of fame or reputation. Perhaps the lure of earning some money. But fundamentally, I write to present my perspective on society.

2. What kinds of books are your favorites?

I do not have a specific preference for reading. I read whatever book comes into my hands. As a student and teacher of literature, I naturally read more literary works. Lately, I have been reading more fiction. Besides this, my interest in the works of Eastern literature is growing.

3. What difficulties have you faced while pursuing literary work while living outside the capital in the Mofasal (outskirts)?

Do you accept the environment implied by the word 'Mofasal'? There is no Mofasal here anymore. The Mofasal has broken down. Wherever the writer sits, that is the center. Naturally, the environment is not the same for writers living inside and outside Kathmandu. Even outside Kathmandu, the environment is not the same for those living in big cities versus those living in small villages, settlements, and district headquarters.

I feel that in the current situation, the farther away a writer is from the center while pursuing literary work, the more difficult it is for them to rise and get opportunities. But for an established writer, wherever they reside is the center. I have to struggle where I am pursuing literary practice.

4. You always feature mythological characters as protagonists in your novels; what is the specific reason for that?

It is not entirely true to say that I only focus on mythological characters. It is true that my identity as a writer so far has been largely due to works based on mythological characters. As I mentioned above, my first novel written was 'Maitighar ko Punarnirman', which could not be published. My first published novel is 'Ujyolotira', which is based on a social theme.

Yes, I have consecutively written two novels based on mythological subjects recently, both centered on the Mahabharata. Perhaps I will write a long-form narrative on a mythological subject again. I have written in the preface of the novel 'Krishna' about why I am attracted to this area. In any case, I enjoy writing on mythological subjects.

5. How much justice can be done when writing about characters from myths? Are there any specific difficulties in writing about mythological characters?

The question, 'How much justice is done when writing about mythical characters?' is abstract in itself. What state is considered justice? While writing 'Radha', Dharabasi made Krishna a villain. Kumar Bhattarai made Krishna and the Pandavas villains and the Kauravas virtuous characters in his novel 'Ashwatthama'. In Puranas and highly modern writings, Krishna and the Pandavas are made virtuous, and the Kauravas are made villains. What should be considered justice and injustice in this?

The implication of your question might be how completely one can portray the life of the character. After reading 'Krishna', some readers reacted, 'You have elaborated a bit too much.' And some also said, 'It would have been better if you had written more about Krishna.' Therefore, I feel that the writer tries to do justice to the subject or problem they raise. To be clearer, if the reader is satisfied, it is considered that the writer has done justice to the character or subject, and if the reader is not satisfied, it is not considered justice.

Not all readers will have the same reaction to any subject. If such an expectation cannot be held in historical writing, it is certainly impossible in literature.

The biggest difficulty I felt while writing 'Sutaputra' after writing about 'Karna' was the fear that the subject matter would repeat itself, leading to accusations from readers that the same topic was being repeated. I was writing a novel, so there was also the complexity of whether it would turn into a recitation of the Puranic story rather than having novelistic quality. But nothing like that happened.

6. If you have to recall at least one literary work that has deeply impressed you in Nepali literature, which one do you recall?

Among those I like very much are the works of Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala and the novels of Dhruvachandra Gautam. I am very impressed by Dhruvachandra Gautam's art of presenting even ordinary subjects in a miraculous way. Similarly, I particularly like the linguistic regionalism of Indra Bahadur Rai.

7. How do you find the current literary market in Nepal?

Before Corona, the literary market had picked up very well once. Corona severely hampered it. Looking at the recent reading culture of Nepali literature, it seems like a patient recovering slowly from a chronic illness. Writers who have become self-sufficient solely through Nepali literature cannot even be counted in double digits.

8. Do you consider your writing to be for a specific purpose, or something else?

I have also heard that writers/literary figures write for specific purposes. I feel that those who write with a specific purpose follow a certain tendency or ideology. I am not bound by any specific ideology, doctrine, or tendency in my writing. When I write a specific work, I set a specific objective. To that extent, even in the stories I have been writing recently, I have used my pen with different objectives.

While writing 'Krishna', my attempt was to humanize the divinity and demonism of the characters described in the Puranas, with the goal of presenting the height of love and the importance of friendship. While writing 'Sutaputra', my objective was to present a critical perspective on the form of discrimination seen in the present day through the caste-based discrimination in the mythological subject matter. Therefore, different objectives are set with each creation.

9. You wrote 'Sutaputra' centering on Karna; why again, as much has already been written about Karna?

I feel that the stories and subjects of the Mahabharata hold the most potential in Eastern literature for reconstruction. The works written on Karna in Nepali literature by Rajeswar Devkota and Navaraj Lamsal are highly acclaimed. So much has been written about Karna in Indian literature that it is astonishing. Therefore, what I want to say on this subject is that it is not important which character or subject the writer chooses to write about. What is important is what new perspective the writer can present through it.

I wrote about him because I felt Karna was the most suitable character for what I wanted to write about or convey through my work. I want to add here that although Karna is the central character of the novel 'Sutaputra', it has so much originality that readers will not find it by reading the Mahabharata, Puranas, or any other ancient text.