After plying his trade as an actor, director, and script writer, Khagendra Lamichhane has now emerged with a new avatar—a short story writer. Lamichhane’s recent book, an anthology of short stories titled Fulani, was released amid a ceremony held at Nepal Academy Hall, in the Capital, on Saturday. The book was launched jointly by journalist Narayan Wagle and author Lamichhane. Fulani has been published by Bookhill publications.

The anthology consists of seven stories, all of which, more or less, deal with the absurdities that surface while we go about living. Most of the stories, set in rural Nepal, reflect the rustic life invoking poverty and hardships its characters undergo. The stories reflect the socio-cultural, economic and psychological status of people from the period of the re-establishment of democracy in 1990 till date.

Lamichhane has already authored two drama collections—Paniphoto and Katha Natak—and also plies his trade occasionally in the theatre and movie industry. Lamichhane has starred in a number of Nepali movies, but he is most known for the title role he played in 2014’s Talakjung vs Tulke. Last year’s Pashupati Prasad, in which Lamichhane starred as the central character, further pushed him into the limelight. 

The event also saw a question-answer session with the author, which was moderated by author Narayan Wagle. 

On being asked how he juggles his time working for such diverse fields as writing, acting, and directing, Lamichhane said, “Because theater, film, acting and writing are interconnected to each other, and are subjects of interest to me, I think I make time for them all effortlessly. It doesn’t feel like a chore to me; I love doing what I do.” He also shared his future project: “For the next one year I will keep myself busy writing film scripts.”

He also shared how he ended up being a writer. “As a child, I was very loquacious; and my seniors would not let me to speak; ‘if I spoke I would get thrashed,’ I was told; and hence, I used to revolt by writing down what I wanted to say,” Lamichhane said.

Speaking during the event, he also shared his experiences about writing stories: “I feel I have more liberty as an artist when I write fiction. I can go with the flow. But when it comes to films and drama scripts, I feel, there are more restrictions.” 

Lamichhane has also written scripts for critically acclaimed feature films such as Pashupati Prasad and Talakjung vs Tulke and has directed and written the play Dant ko Dob, which was staged at the Theatre Village.

But what luck awaits the man of many hats with the short story collection is yet to be witnessed.