Nepal’s first poet remains unrivalled over century
In spite of his busy schedule Monday, when the new budget would be
tabled in parliament, Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal attended
a literary meeting in the morning, indicating the importance of a man
who remains unrivaled even 141 years after his death.
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Bhanubhakta Acharya |
Not only Nepal, but Nepali-speaking people living in as faraway
places as Darjeeling and Sikkim in India, in Hong Kong and in American
cities, celebrated Monday the 195th birth anniversary of Bhanubhakta
Acharya, one of the nation’s earliest and greatest epic poets.
Acharya was born in Tanahun district, some 110 km west of Nepali
capital Kathmandu, in 1814. As his family name indicates, he was born in
a Brahmin family and was well-versed in Sanskrit, the language spoken by
the elite during his time.
It was also the language in which the classics were written and the
language of education. Acharya is hailed as the national poet of the
Nepali language because he decided to translate the Ramayana, one of the
two best known Hindu epics, from the Sanskrit into Nepali so that
ordinary people could also read it.
According to legend, the unworldly poet had to spend some time in
prison due to an allegation that he had misappropriated government
funds.
It is said that he translated the epic while behind bars. He was 40
at that time.
June 14, Xinhua |
