MY FIVE PICKS
Reading books can be the most enjoyable task, an everyday escape, and an opportunity to learn. I found the following books to be a real treasure trove and suggest you read these books. I am sure you will not regret reading them. These books will take you to a world of imagination, suspense, and thrills like never before. So, dear readers, grab a snack and a cup of hot tea and pick up one of these books.
The book has ably dealt with the subject with utter honesty, and therefore the author deserves our kudos. Maybe for the first time, the readers would come to know about those people who played a pivotal role in keeping the movement going and making their presence felt in New Delhi.
The book is also very informative for those who want to understand the Gorkhaland movement as it was. The book has presented every single detail and piece of information related to the movement. It has well elaborated on the contribution of many people who were not seen on the frontlines, yet their contribution was extremely significant to making the Gorkhaland movement a success.
The book has aptly narrated the woes of the people who suffered at the hands of the state police. The book has duly mentioned the heartbreaking stories of the people most directly and realistically.
The book starts with three boarding school boys: Tukai, Norong and Rupesh who go to a boarding school in Kalimpong. As days passed, the bond of their friendship also grew, but soon they were caught up in the quagmire of the violent Gorkhaland movement.
To understand the Gorkhaland Movement, the present book cannot be ignored. The author has aptly presented why a movement like Gorkhaland was necessary. The demand for a separate Gorkhaland state had become necessary for the Nepali-speaking Indian Gorkhas. To make this demand come true, every single Gorkha participated in the protest.
Finally, the Gorkhaland Movement was settled peacefully when the Memorandum of Agreement for the Formation of a Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a semi-autonomous administrative body for Darjeeling, was passed by the West Bengal legislative assembly in 2011.
Altogether, the book is a good read to understand the movement from a broad perspective. At the same time, the book is also very important for students of international relations and research scholars.
BAHATTAR SALKO BHUKAMP
Bahattar Salko Bhukamp (The Earthquake of 72) is the most comprehensive book ever written about the devastating earthquake that shook the nation in 2015. This earthquake was the second major earthquake after 1933.
According to seismologists, Nepal’s geographical location makes it extremely vulnerable from an earthquake point of view. Nepal lies exactly above the fault line of tectonic plates that cause repetitive earthquakes.
It is thanks to the hard work of the authors Taranidhi Bhattarai, Nimananda Rizal, and Kishore Thapa that the book has achieved such a degree of prominence. Thus, the credit entirely goes to the trio's rigorous research work and finally managing to get the book published.
The book has gone much deeper into the subject matter and presents what exactly happened after the earthquake that had an epicenter in the middle of Barpark, a small tourist village located in the Gorkha district. How people in those areas were hit by the earthquake and forced to live in destitute conditions. After being hit by the earthquake, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to live under the open sky as their houses had been reduced to rubble.
Many people who were hit hard by the earthquake turned homeless in minutes. Unfortunately, most of the victims could not receive government aid, and they were forced to live under the open sky. Forget about the makeshift houses for the earthquake victims; the government even could not provide tents to those homeless people. Many people saw on their televisions how greedy politicians took away all the tents that were supposed to be received by the earthquake victims.
Many earthquake victims received timely help in the form of clothes, food, and shelter from individuals and private organizations. However, the government completely failed to reach the needy. Those who received government aid were fake earthquake victims, and many of them were political activists.
At the end, the book asks a question about the government. Has the government learned any lessons from its past mistakes? Unfortunately, the government spent much of its time and resources organizing seminars, symposiums, and high-level meetings at star-level hotels. In reality, the government has learned no lesson from past catastrophes. Even today, the country is completely ill-prepared to tackle a situation more similar to the 2015 earthquake.
The book is a good read for people who want to know more about the devastating earthquake and, in the meantime, its social, economic, and financial ramifications on a much wider level.
CHAUBISI RAJYA PARBAT
Chaubisi Rajya Parbat is a historic book written by Chandra Prakash Baniya. The entire book has been divided into five parts. The first part is devoted to the downfall of Khas kingdom and the inception of Baisi, Chaubisi kingdoms.
Khas kingdom was established by the Khasa tribe around the 11th century, which spread from far-western Nepal and parts of Uttarakhand state in India. The Khasa Malla kings ruled from the 11th to the 14th centuries. The downfall of Khas kingdom began after the death of Abhaya Malla, and that gave birth to the Baise rajya.
The second part of the book describes how the Parbat kingdom came into existence, rose to prominence, and finally plunged into oblivion. Parbat Kingdom was considered one of the most powerful kingdoms in those days. It included 24 states known as Chaubisi Rajya. The book has gone into detail to describe the causes of the downfall of the Parbat kingdom, or Chaubisi Rajya.
The third part of the book deals with the social, economic, and administrative systems that prevailed in the kingdom. The book has not only described the social, economic, and administrative systems popular in the kingdom but also established the practical utility of these systems to consolidate a kingdom into a powerful nation.
The fourth part of the book highlights the popular places of historic value located within the Parbat kingdom. Similarly, the fifth and last parts of the book describe the political condition of the Parbat kingdom after its dissolution.
The author writes in the book that the unification of Nepal began in Nuwakot. Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah had conquered Balkot, Nuwakot, and Makwanpur. Prithvi Narayan Shah was much emboldened after winning three prominent kingdoms and annexing them into the Gorkha kingdom. Thereafter, Prithvi Narayan Shah decided to invade the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal’s territory had reached as far as Darjeeling and Sikkim.
Prithvi Narayan Shah, after annexing Darjeeling and Sikkim into the Gorkha kingdom, fought hard to conquer the Baisi and Chaubisi kingdoms. Though he put all his might into defeating the Baisi Chaubisi kingdoms, he could not become successful in his own time. The Baisi Chaubisi kingdoms had only been annexed to the Gorkha kingdom after Prithvi Narayan Shah’s demise. However, Prithvi Narayan Shah, until he remained alive, fought relentlessly against the Baisi Chaubisi kingdoms and made them much weaker. Thus, all the credit for Nepal’s unification goes to Prithvi Narayan Shah alone.
LEFT –RIGHT
The book Left-Right is penned by Netra Panthy. The author has been in the service of journalism for the last one and a half decades. He is the author of three popular books. Besides publishing books, Panthy has also made and directed at least four full-length documentaries.
Left-Right is entirely a political book. The author has used his own political and journalistic experience to write the book. Thus, the book has presented a thorough analysis of present and past political dramas and their impacts on Nepali society.
Soon after the last election, many political activities began taking place in the country. The writer has made use of his own political experience and tried to explain how things must have happened and what their impacts could be on the future of Nepali politics.
It is said that politics is a dirty game. At least it has been proven true for Nepali politics. There are several stories in the book where leading political leaders have compromised their vested interests. There are also many examples in the book where it is show how political leaders give or withdraw support only to make or break governments.
Corruption is rampant in Nepali politics. The political leaders are found not to have any regard for any constitutional rules whatsoever. They define and redefine constitutional acts as per their comfort. No high-caliber political leaders have ever been punished for corruption. They are openly involved in corruption, and the entire system watches them like a mute spectator. Kilos of gold are illegally passed through the Tribhuwan International Airport. Of course, not for the first time, gold is seized, but not the real players who were involved in the smuggling. The interesting thing is that after some time, the entire gold will disappear, yet no action will be taken against anyone. It is believed that such things have happened in the past and will happen in the future as well.
Over the years, it has been seen that the entire political leadership of Nepal sometimes tilts to the Right and sometimes to the Left. But no matter whether it is the Left leadership or the Right leadership, one thing does not change, and that is corruption. The present book, Left-Right, has shown the real faces of Nepali politicians and their politics. This is a must-read book to understand more about the vagaries of Nepali politics.
Publisher: Sangri-La BooksGenre: Political & Legal Fiction
Language: Nepali
Published: June 19, 2023 Paperback
ISBN13: 9789937775465
ISBN10: 9937775469
Pages: 670
BOTH SIDES OF COINS
Interestingly enough, the author has also included a few short chapters related to child psychology and his memoir. This chapter seems to be a bit off-topic, but anyhow, the author has made its inclusion as meaningful as possible.
While writing this book, the author has taken help from diverse subjects, including literature. The author has made himself as realistic as possible. The author’s explanation is therefore based on facts and data. To support his point of view, he has taken help from science, literature, sociology, and psychology.
Altogether, the book is an interesting read. The subtle analysis of the subject is simply outstanding. The author’s way of analyzing the subjects is unique, and that makes him different from other scholars. If someone wants to read a scholarly book with serious in-depth analysis, then I would like to recommend Dr. Nawa Raj Subba’s book "Both Sides of the Coin".
Genre: Literature/Essays
Language: English
Published: December 18, 2022
Edition: 1st
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| LB Thapa is the publisher and editor of The Hemingway Post, a literary magazine. |
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