Journalist Yangesh’s debut book, Bhuinya, a collection of 12 nonfiction narratives about the marginalised and downtrodden populace across Nepal’s southern plains, was released amid an event held at the Nepal Tourism Board, in the Capital, on Sunday.

The event also saw author Kumar Nagarkoti and Mohna Ansari, member of the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal, deliver critical commentary on the book.

“Even though it is a work of nonfiction, it has qualities that one would find in a work of fiction. Yangesh’s deft narration and his ability to summarise a deep philosophy about life in his narrative, which one would find in a work of poetry, is extraordinary,” said author Nagarkoti, speaking at the event.

While Ansari hailed the book as a seminal account detailing the plight of the marginalised across the southern plains. “The book touched me in both levels—first personally, because I hail from a similar background; and then, because it chronicles the plight of the downtrodden who have had to bear the brunt of systemic injustice for ages,” Ansari said, adding, “This book deserves to be included as a required reading in sociology departments in Nepali universities.”

Speaking at the event, author Brazesh Khanal, who emceed the event, said that Bhuiyan is a compilation of extraordinary stories of ordinary people.

Author Yangesh has previously published two books of translations—Nailcutter and Mohandas—and also penned the script for director Anup Baral’s feature film Fitkiri.

Bhuinya is published by Fineprint.

(Conversation with the author)

Let’s talk about the title of the book. What does Bhuinyan mean?

Bhuinyan, a word from the Tharu language, translates as downtrodden or “those on the ground”. Bhuinyan, the book, compiles a total of 12 narrative non-fiction pieces that tell the stories of those who have worked hard all their lives but still have not been able to reap the rewards due to systemic marginalisation and they continue to live in the margins of the society. Hence, I thought the word Bhuinyan would do the justice to the book.

The speakers at the book launch compared the book to a work of fiction, referring particularly to the narration of the book. How and why did you choose to tell the story with this technique?

The real stories in the book, many of them, I found, were not less strange than some fictional stories, some were even stranger, one might say. To capture the gravity of the situation, the plight of the characters, I thought, an academic book laden with facts and statistics would not be adequate. It would rather undermine their feelings and their struggles, an injustice to the characters represented. A work of non-fiction is not only about facts; it is also about emotions. It is my attempt to keep the situation and the characters as real as possible, with due justice to their stories.

Many people know you as a film critic first. How did you come about writing about the stories of the marginalised?

The idea for the book was first conceived during a Women’s Convention, which took place in Chitwan in 2011. There I met one of the characters represented in the book. I wrote her profile and published it in a newspaper. That led me to realising that there are countless such stories that were waiting to be told.

Born and raised in a middle-class family in the hills, I was aware of the plight of the middle-class but not of the marginalised. And it is only the middle-class whose problems find their way into mainstream discourse. Once I came across such stories of the havenots, who are struggling day in and day out only to have something to eat, I wanted to be a medium for their subaltern voices.

Even though the subject of the book is the downtrodden, the audience will invariably be the middle-class. What lessons can readers gather from the plight of the marginalised?

The book is not only about the hardships of the marginalised, but it also touches upon some of their success stories. The lesson one could gather from the book could be ones I myself came across: That even though it is political wrangling and developmental issues that hog the mainstream news, there are graver issues in our country. If the book makes the reader a little more empathetic, a little more aware, I would consider the project a success.