Pradipna Raj Panta

Laxmi Prasad Devkota needs no introduction to the world of Nepali readers. His poetry and essay occupy an exalted place in Nepali literature. His poetry and essay are filled with gracefully calibrated language and easily strike and arouse the interest of the readers. Some of his essays remain markers and holy relics of my most cherished reading experiences too. Here I am sharing the reading experiences that I have never forgotten.

Pretty, Quiet and Great
When he wrote Nepal is “pretty, quiet and great” in the essay entitled Ke Nepal Sano Chha (Is Nepal Small), many people frowned their eyebrows at what he was writing. Nepal, perched between the two giants of China and India, is small and landlocked. As a result, he was ridiculed by many for calling a small country great. But Nepal is great in its own way.
In the first paragraph of his essay, he wrote, “Nepal, pretty quiet and great. I wrote but I don't know how I got this feeling of greatness." He admitted the small geographical size and wrote a few salient features of Nepal.
“Open a map of planet earth and see the size of Nepal. It looks like a drop hidden in the ocean. This little piece resembles a small room in the contour of the Himalayan Mountain. Many countries and people have not even heard its name. Similar to the green capital of peace, this tiny piece of earth is more interested in concealing itself than looking forward. It praises solitude, not the hustle-bustle of the world. It prioritises (prefers) meditation over the vain competition, it respects knowledge and it loves the mountain."
Devkota is a remarkable essayist and turns an incisive eye to an issue that is often difficult to explain by facts and figures. After describing Nepal in the first paragraph, he raised serious questions.
Which is bigger, man or elephant?

Which country is bigger, China or Nepal?
Then he wrote, Diamond is small, the pearl is small and the gem is small (size). Sweet-spoken (babbling) children are small. The eyeballs are small. At the centre of the heart, the rhythm of the heartbeat is steady and small (short). It's okay to be a small part of the earth but it's (smallness) happening universally like a point (sound) of Om. What is small and what is big? If we say that the star is big, but they are like fireflies (light insects) in the galaxy. If we say that the sand particle is small, then the magnification of sand in the microscope is large. Two things in the universe are bigger. One is physical and the other is spiritual."
The answer ultimately lies with the reader of the essay, but there is a certain consensus as to what makes a nation “great” or “small”. Let me explain.
Most of us, and especially Nepalese, make the mistake of thinking that the greatness of a nation is all about the large geographical size and a vast population of the country. And yet many countries including Nepal lacked these things. Nepal is small in size and like a drop of the ocean in an Atlas, and yet we are wealthy and powerful in ways that hardly anyone can comprehend. The great Laxmi Prasad Devkota in his essay has indicated that power, size and population may not be enough but genuineness and stability are important to become a great nation.

Examples can be given in endless ways. Take for example the Assyrian or Roman empires. If the army had made the nation great, the Assyrian empires would never have fallen. If science and technology were indicators of greatness, Nazi Germany would have ruled the planet. If money made a nation great, an oil-rich country in the Gulf state would be great. Apart from this, the United States, Russia and China also have many things, such as natural resources like oil and vegetation, science and technology miracles, huge GDP etc. Are they great? No, not necessarily. It makes them a prosperous country in terms of material wealth and physical power. They are not standards of real worth or true value. To be great, countries must have a standard of true value and Devkota defined what true value is.

Knowledge Is Power
The phrase knowledge is power, which is credited to many poets, essayists. But this phrase has also been coined by Devkota in the essay. We all know that the statement "the pen is mightier than the sword" is true because knowledge makes a man more powerful than the sword. Devkota believed that the more knowledge a person acquires, the more powerful he/she becomes.
Nepal was once the centre of attention and power of the entire universe. Nepali culture has influenced many parts of the world. Lord Buddha was born here and spread the message of peace to the whole universe.
Even Nepal is not known to another part of the world, its message of peace is known all over the world.
That's why he wrote and throughout the essay, he has emphasised knowledge and this is the true value of the nation and this is what makes Nepal great forever. In the end, he concluded, "Why should I not write great?"
Apart from his definition of great based on perception, Devkota believed that the greatness of a nation can also be seen as an object of intelligence. He wrote that "In other words, we can also experience greatness because of its rational structure and our ability to understand the structure through thought"
Eccentric
Devkota has the distinction of being among the top Nepali writers but was not held in high esteem by some of his contemporaries. The reason he was disregarded is that he was far ahead of his time and writing style, and also because he was considered somehow insane, due to behaviour that would be thought of as slightly eccentric – today, for example, his habit of eating the castrated goat's head, playing cards all day and night. According to his contemporary, once he was prepared to kill himself, he picked up a knife saying if I can kill myself then I will not die because my soul is immortal. At the same time, he also refused to take medicine during his illness. Later Pushkar Sumsher wrote a letter to Laxmi Prasad suggesting him take medicine. But it all seemed pretty tame. It seems to me that he just showed some strange strategy to find his muse.
We can name some of his incredible eccentricities in his daily life and sometimes in his writings but overall he was an excellent writer and till now he cannot be compared to any person within or outside of Nepal. In the essay, he wrote some such words that cannot be explained by facts and figures.

"When I sit under the Peepal tree (Ficus religiosa), then I will know greatness, I will say to my friends, Aha, what an insight I have gained. I enjoy Bankali but when I go to Kolkata so I forget. Heaven or hell, don't tell me the pride of another nation, my heart knows where my diamond is and what is their fragrance (significance).
There is an Aryan civilization in my homeland that gave me a spiritual response. Another's crown resides in my head and my crown resides in my heart."

Extraordinary
I haven’t read anything quite as thorough and lucid as his essay and I can’t remember how many times I have read it. But every time I enjoyed reading Devkota’s essay “Ke Nepal Sano Chha ”. His essay tells me more about Nepal than all the books I've read. Every time I read his essay, it was as if the author was holding my hand through the entire book, leading me like a child to some unknown destination. And once it ended, I was amazed to find that the overall message of the essay is nationalism. If you haven't read it, read it now.
After reading this essay, I can say with a hundred per cent certainty that you must be well aware of what Nepal is. But not only that – you will know many amazing things about Nepal that you have never heard.
You will greatly increase your appreciation for the nation. The entire essay that we usually see all over the world as well as on the web cannot be compared. I have read many essays in various international languages and I have also read Devkota essays by heart.

I don't know but I believe I have a very strong vocabulary of English as well as Nepali. So clearly my description reflects more than many critics' experiences and I am able fully to comprehend the power of his essay and I believe that the great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota could pick any subject, and portray it onto a page and make us see what we are unable to see on our own.
Laxmi Prasad Devkota was an extraordinary person. Although he is best known as a great poet, we also see him as the best writer of the essay. His popular essays included in the book Laxmi Nibandha Sangrah belong to categories: sentimental, emotional and philosophical. Great essays written by him include: Ke Nepal Sano Chha (Is Nepal Small)
Nationalism is perhaps the truest explanation in Devkota’s writing and transcends parochial boundaries and expresses itself as an idea of global welfare. His essays contain a wonderful exposure and outstanding literary voice of our time. He is read and admired by all the people of Nepal.
He was born on the day of Laxmi Pooja and on the occasion of his birthday I love to remember him and reading his book is also a wonderful pleasure.

(Panta writes on Nepali literature)