Damodar Pudasainee ‘Kishor’ is the author of 11 books; his work ranges from poetry, travel memoirs to philosophy. Pudasainee also works as a director at the Office of the Auditor General. An avid reader and traveller, Pudasainee’s travel memoir, Parkhal Bhitra Ko Rajdhani, about his visit to Upper Mustang, will be out on shelves next week. In this conversation with the Post’s Samikshya Bhattarai, Pudasinee talks about his love for reading and writing. Excerpts: 

What is the inspiration behind your new book, Parkhal Bhitra Ko Rajdhani?

I love to travel and then recollect and share bitter-sweet memories from the trip. Rajdhani, like many of my other books, is a travel memoir, refection of my visit to upper Mustang. The book is not just a personal account of my stay there but also explores the culture, geography, society and many other facets of the region. In Rajdhani, I have attempted to bring to light these facets, and to portray the potential our rich biodiversity has.

Travel memoirs are not a very popular genre in the country; yet, what keeps you gravitating towards it?

 Travelling is very important; it lets one experience the pain, pleasure and the way of life of different places. And travel memoirs are a great source for recalling and re-experiencing the ups and downs. I realised that there were not many travel memoirs written in Nepali, and the ones which existed held limited personal reflection and failed to resonate the atmosphere and settings of destination. So I started writing memoirs as a means to provide a better depiction of the society that I was travelling to, and to evoke the sense of being there. Also, I think one should try to give back to the society as much as one can; I do so with my words.

When and how did your love for book start?

When I was young, many religious priests came to my house regularly and I listened to them intently as they narrated epics. They always encouraged me to learn to read and recite. I also habitually snooped around my father’s multilingual collection of books.  At a very young age I had already understood the importance of reading and writing in order to understand oneself and the world around us. My curiosity turned into a habit and the habit turned into love for reading and writing. Now, it is an integral part of my being. 

You also wrote a philosophy book—Dharma ko Hangover—which is very different from your other works; what prompted you to write it?

I think, being a writer, it is very important to challenge yourself and also the mores of the society you disagree with. I read somewhere that writers are akin to the opposition in the government—never hesitant in pointing out the shortcomings of the system. Dharma ko Hangover is my way of challenging what I see as religious dogmas. Through the book, I question the motif behind different religious texts. 

You have worked in the field of literature for almost four decades; how has the literature scene evolved over time?

There has been a huge change in the mindset of readers as well as writers in the last few years. With reading habits soaring among the general public, as we can see from the rise in the sale of books, readers have also begun to look for varieties and substance in the books. So naturally, writers are also challenged to explore different genres; this has brought a very positive change in the literature scene of the country. 

Who are some of your favourite authors?

I am inclined towards works that reflect truth behind the society. Bhupi Sherchan, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Ramesh Bikal, and Guru Prasad Mainali are my favourite Nepali authors. I also relish works of Mikhail Sholokhov and Maxim Gorky.

What advice do you have for the readers?

Young readers nowadays read a lot already but I feel that most of them avoid Nepali literature. So I request the young readers to read more Nepali books and understand the society they live in better. Also, I think that the readers should act as critics, analysing and giving suggestions to the writers. This will help the writers grow.

Besides reading and writing, you also have a full time job; how do you juggle your profession and passion? 

Reading and writing are two things that I love most, so I don’t have any hard time balancing these with anything else. Where there is a will; there is a way, so my desire to read and write makes it possible for me to still continue this despite my busy schedule.