Author Radha Poudel, a nurse by profession, gave up a lucrative position in Bharatpur to work in Khalanga, Jumla instead, where she was witness to the attacks by the then-Maoist rebels in November, 2002. Her account of the attack, Khalanga ma Hamala, went on gain critical acclaim, earning her the prestigious Madan Puraskar in 2014. Now an activist for menstrual rights and rural transformation, Poudel talks to The Post’s Samikshya Bhattarai about Khalanga, women in literature and her love for reading. Excerpts:

How has being awarded the Madan Puraskar helped you as a writer and an activist?

On one hand, it was a great personal achievement and I was honoured to have followed the footsteps of two of my heroes, Parijat and Jhamak Ghimire. The space for women authors in Nepali literature is growing and I am glad to have played my small part in helping effect that paradigm shift. On the other hand, and more importantly, the award helped bring the stories of the people of Khalanga to the limelight. It became a call for all stakeholders to act towards the systemic poverty, injustice and exclusion in the Far-Western region. I am glad that the award was not just a personal feat but also beneficial for Khalanga’s residents.

What is your current relationship with Khalanga and how has the settlement changed over the years?

No matter where I am, or what I am involved with, Khalanga always stays with me.  Currently, there are many development activities going on in Khalanga and adjoining districts. Physically, Khalanga has dramatically changed since 2009. There are few things such as education, health services and transportation that have improved over the years; but the life of women and girls is still largely the same. Though Khalanga is one of the most developed and accessible settlements of the Karnali region, people are still dying due to poor menstrual hygiene, poor maternal and neonatal healthcare, in addition to poverty and exclusion from the state. So yes, progress has been made, but there is still a lot to be done.

Do you think there is a gender-bias when it comes to the Nepali publishing industry and readership?

I consider myself lucky to have been born a woman. My experiences in life and the influence of other strong women (my mother and sisters) greatly influenced who I am today. However, as many women professionals will attest, it is not easy being a woman in Nepal, as the overall status of women continues to remain poor. Furthermore, I am from a non-political, poor, rural family and from a nursing educational background. In both areas, I constantly encountered challenges but I consider each challenge to be an opportunity. 

What do you think should be done to encourage more women to take to literature?

It is no secret that we still live in a patriarchal society that it still has very conservative notions about what a woman should and should not do. In that context, women authors who are seeking to make wider and transformative impact on Nepali literature and the society are often criticised and sidelined. It is not easy to become a writer if you’re a woman, if you are not willing to cross over from your comfort zone. But I think more than just a ‘literature problem’, this is more of a ‘societal problem’, and women in all walks of life struggle with various glass ceilings. There are things the government can do, but at the same time, the onus also falls on individuals—to empower women from the grassroots level. Only then, will a larger space be created, not just for women authors but for women across the board.