Entertainment
Age-old stories from Hindu-Kush in Folk Gods
An anthology of folk short stories popular in the Kailash region of Hindu-Kush mountain range—Folk Gods: Stories from Kailas, Tise, and Kang Rinpoche—was launched on Saturday. The book was launched as part of the ongoing Innovation in Education Fair in the Capital.An anthology of folk short stories popular in the Kailash region of Hindu-Kush mountain range—Folk Gods: Stories from Kailas, Tise, and Kang Rinpoche—was launched on Saturday. The book was launched as part of the ongoing Innovation in Education Fair in the Capital.
The book is also part of a project to promote Kailash region as a tourism hub and ultimately to induct the region as a UNESCO heritage site.
According to publishers, the book is a retelling of the myths and stories set in and popular among the residents of the region.
“Collected directly from the people who inhabit it, this collection both celebrates and provides insights into the people, lives, and culture of this diverse and sacred landscape,” reads a note issued by the publishers. “Through this effort it is hoped these stories will continue to live on, both within the region and beyond.”
The book launch function also saw a performance based on one of the stories in the anthology, featuring artists such as Chandresha Pandey, Subina Shrestha, Rumi Maharjan, Preezol Nepali, and Sarareh Bajhracharya who recited a poem as part of the act.
The stories retold in the book were first narrated in local languages spoken around the region and were translated into English, Nepali, Hindi, Tibetan and Mandarin languages.
The original versions of the stories have been retold by Prawin Adhikari. Prior to this, Adhikari has published a short collection The Vanishing Act and has translated short stories by Nepali-language writers Amod Bhattarai and Indra Bahadur Rai into English.
Folk Gods is published by Safu Publications.