Journalist Ghanashyam Khadka’s debut novel, Nirvana, saw a soft-launch amid a programme held in the Capital on Sunday. The novel was launched jointly by notables from the Nepali media such as Sudheer Sharma, Hari Bahadur Thapa, Dil Bhusan Pathak, Subhash Dhakal, Prashant Aryal, and Kiran Nepal, among others. The book has been published by Alchemy Publications.

The book revolves around the themes of love, spirituality, and the complexities of life and also boasts nuances of Eastern philosophy.

“The book touches upon such deep subjects; even so, Khadka is able to present them in a simple and intriguing way,” said Sudheer Sharma, Editor-in-Chief of Kantipur Daily, speaking during the event. “Khadka’s ability to give a literary touch to issues that he reports on has been materialised in the novel.”

Speaking during the event, author Abhaya Shrestha noted, “The ‘self-realisation’ aspect of Buddhism is prominent in the novel.” Shrestha even went on to compare the novel to Herman Hesse’s magnum opus, Siddhartha.

“I have tried to dig deep into the ways how we can ease ourselves into our journey through the complexities that we face on our everyday lives,” said author Khadka.

The event saw journalists Balkrishna Basnet and Basanta Basnet read out excerpts from the book.