AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH KUMA RAJ SUBEDI

Credit: The Hemingway Post, a literary magazine. 

 

Kuma Raj Subedi was born in the Parbat district in Nepal. He holds MA and MTESL degrees. He was a permanent government-recruited ELF teacher. At present, Mr. Subedi is working as a lecturer at TafeSA, Australia. He often writes about issues such as women’s suffering, memories, religion, nature, migration, love and culture. 

As a poet and translator, his literary works have already been published in various print and online platforms. Some of them are the Misty Mountain Review, Spill words, Indian Review, Muse India, Polis Magazino, Kavya Kishor, Aksharang, Sipay, The Gorkha Times, Of Nepalese Clay, Sind Courier, NewsnJeju, Ink Pantry, The Indian Periodical, Nepalnamcha, Poetishes, The Offline Thinker, Setopati, Poeticia, The Rising Junkiri, Sahitya Sangraha, Modern Poets Anthology (Ukiyoto Publishing), and The Writer’s Cafe etc. 

He has recently participated in KM100NZ haiku competition held in New Zealand and Joy to the world poetry festival. He is affiliated to TramsEnd Poets and Friendly Street Poets. 

He has been awarded as the Best Poet of the Event in the International Nazarul Poetry Festival 2023 in Bangladesh. He has been exclusively interviewed in MTV in Nepal. He has also been interviewed in a literary program by Kalika FM and Vijaya FM about his creative writings and current literary trends and styles. He has been interviewed and got published in Kayakairan Daily. Three book reviews on his debut anthology of poetry have been published in The Rising Nepal, a leading and the oldest English newspaper in Nepal. 

In the recent past, LB Thapa, editor and publisher of The Hemingway Post, interviewed Kuma Subedi and tried to learn more about his literary journey. The excerpt of the interview is available for the esteemed readers of The Hemingway Post.

THP: You have been writing for decades. When did you begin writing seriously?

I started writing during my college days. However, it was not very regular then. Later when I started teaching career and got involved in volunteering with an International ICT project my writing shifted from literary to Information technology for some time. I did some interviews with Open Source software advocates and leaders, wrote articles on Information Technology, poetry  and stinging political satires for The Chitwan Post Daily. To foster the creativity in school children, I together with other two like minded colleagues published a monthly literary magazine “Manjari” for a few years which was very popular among school children in Eastern Chitwan. At the turn of this century, I should say, my writing got a momentum.

THP: It seems that you are fully immersed in literature. Along with your teaching profession, you have produced a body of literature. How do you manage to do all sorts of literary writing?

Teaching profession and creative writing skills are intricately connected. Story telling, effective communication, enhanced expressiveness, critical thinking and problem solving, empathy and understanding are required for every educator and creative writings enhance these skills. So far as the time management is concerned, I mostly write short poems these days which do not require long contemplation.

THP: Will you please tell us about your arrival in Australia? Also, tell us about your struggle to establish yourself as a man of letters.

I moved to Australia in July 2014 as an international student to study Masters Degree in Teaching English to the Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in the Flinders University in SA when I was not offered even a two year contract position in South Korea, Japan and  China. Language institutes those days preferred teachers from English speaking countries - the recruiters in these regions are snared by the native speakers fallacy. By then I had formal education of twenty-one years in English language and solid teaching experience in government schools for seventeen years. 

However, I could not get a TESOL job in neighbouring countries when I wanted to change my teaching environment. I felt really bad while Nepal was struggling with political instability, and economic hardships due to the Maoist insurgency nor the teaching learning environment was sound. One of my ex-students who was  also a close neighbour had been shot dead in Tikauli jungle in Chitwan; he was in the army.  I witnessed an army personnel being shot while walking in front of the school I was teaching at; schools throughout the country were frequently closed and teachers were forced to pay good portion of their salaries to contribute to the so called people’s war and the unsuccessful attempts to get teaching position threatened my ego deep inside and made me feel worse. 

Life for international students in any country is difficult due to various factors such as financial constraints, cultural differences, employability concerns, work-life balance, navigating the system in place, technology gap etc. Almost everyone faces some of these challenges but the resilient ones bounce forward if they remain focused in their study goals. Having not only the previous experience  in one’s professional career and  but also working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and a sound technological knowledge is very helpful as  technologically advance Australia is a multicultural nation, too. 

I enjoy reading both Nepali and English literature. I love playing with words in my spare time. I am doing a job that everyone else is doing. My teaching career started in 1997 and I will continue to teach as I enjoy this profession.

THP: You are also in the teaching profession in Australia. We want to know from you if you are satisfied with the academic performance of the Nepali students studying in Australia.

Those students who have strong career goals, sound knowledge and good competency in English language have always excelled in their studies. However, there is a growing tendency among the Nepali students to deviate from their study goals. They tend to change,  if enrolled in the course which is not in the PR categories neglecting their favourite area of study and previous area of expertise. This has a devastating consequence in the long run as the occupation lists in Australia goes through periodic evaluation and may change throughout the course study period. Moreover, if you choose to study course which you really don’t enjoy studying, you cannot expect to achieve high.

THP: Many Nepalese students look desperate to get Australian citizenship. How do you look at this trend of Nepalese students?

Factors such as economic opportunities, political instability, religious prosecution and environmental conditions are responsible for people to make such decisions. It is not a new phenomenon. If we look back in the history, we see European migration to Americas in the 19^th and 20^th century and Great migration of African Americans in the early 20^th century.  Today, globalization and technological advancements have also influenced migration.

Australia is a land of opportunities and country built on migration. Australia offers post study work visa  to let its university graduates get work experience and live permanently if they fulfill the requirements. Obviously, for everyone job opportunity, social security system, economic gains, Australian democratic values and good governance are key factors, which have attracted skilled human resource to Australia let alone Nepali graduates.

THP: What is the attitude of Nepalese students towards literature? Do they take an interest in Nepali literature?

The world we live in today is fast paced and rapidly changing. Technology has significantly impacted our lives and the work we do. Economic considerations have led students to choose fields perceived as financially more lucrative. Moreover shifts in educational and career trends such as increased emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have impacted interest in Arts.  I think, due to this reason, there is a decreased interest in arts and humanities worldwide in general. However, growing number of schools have felt the need to incorporate Arts (A) in STEM to foster creativity, critical thinking, and meaning making. Absence of A makes education too monotonous and mechanical.

However, Nepali community in Australia is very aware about the importance of teaching Nepali language and culture to their children and role of literature in language development. Hence, several ethnic Nepali schools have been opened throughout Australia to teach Nepali language to school aged children which is a prerequisite to inculcating interest for enjoyment of literature.  Good number of attendees in literary programmes organised in different states show that there is a growing interest as well.

THP: Do you think a Nepali teacher like you can have a successful life in Australia?

Everyone can have a successful life in Australia regardless of their country of origin, job titles, skin colour and political belief. As I said earlier, it is a land of opportunities which values your knowledge, skills and education. All you need is dedication in what you do.

THP: In general, do you think a poet can live a decent life by writing poetry as a vocation?

While it’s challenging, some poets can make a living from writing good poetry but it is relatively uncommon. Poetry often has a limited market compared to mainstream literary genres. Many poets supplement their income by teaching, publishing themselves, performing their poetry or taking on related freelance work. The financial viability, I reckon, depends on factors such as poet’s fame, engagement with the broader literary community and ability to diversify income streams. Both creative pursuits and practical considerations are paramount to garner financial success in the field of poetry.

THP: Book reading culture has been in rapid decline in Nepal. Is it also true for Australia?

Reading culture in Australia is very strong. From the very early formative years students are encouraged to develop a reading habit. Premier’s reading challenge  is a literacy initiative developed by Australian state governments which is not set as a competitive event but rather as an individual challenge to each individual students to foster literacy and a reading habit. There are public libraries in all cities and councils have made a number of books  available to cater the needs of its diverse population.  A survey of  Australian reading habits  conducted in 2016 by Macquarie University revealed that there is a strong culture of books and reading in Australia. The survey also revealed that 95% Australians enjoy reading books for pleasure and over 80% of Australians with children encourage them to read. However, the emergence of new digital technologies might have some negative effects to this.

THP: Most people say that poetry books do not make a decent sale. But we see several poetry books being published throughout the year. What do you say?

It is true that publishers favour publishing fictions than poetry. Poetry needs very careful reading as it is  replete with images, symbols, metaphors, cultural allusions and language much more complex than of a fiction. It is more than simply reading a text. There are occasions where the readers have to go beyond the text to understand the reference and its meaning. In other words, the text is open for multiple meanings and interpretation which many readers find difficult to assimilate. Therefore, there very selected readers for poetry.

On the other hand publishing cost is still affordable in Nepal and poetry anthology is usually small in volume. Recent growth in national poetry events and the telecast of of Poet’s Idol programmes have significantly arrested public’s interest in poetry and poets perhaps see the opportunity in it.

THP: It is also blamed by the critics that, in recent times, floods of poetry books have been published, but the majority of them are substandard. In short, quantity has, of course, increased, but not quality. What's your opinion?

I think there is some truth in it. But in country like Nepal where the adult literacy rate is less than 60%, an increase trend in publishing of poetry books is already a good sign. Quality comes after much criticism on already published works. The critics need to awake both the readers and poets. We have a very few skilled critics who do justice to the work. Many of them either write a libel or superficially praise the work. This is one of the hurdles Nepali literature must overcome to produce a body of quality works.

THP: In the recent past, you published a poetry book, “The Colors of Spring, an anthology of poems." Will you shed some light on this book and the flower in its front cover?

“The Colours of Spring” is a collection of 77 poems written over two decades all of which were already published either in print or online media in Nepal and many other countries. The poems in it are themed around love, memories, women suffering, nature, beauty, religion, oppression and politics.

The flower on the cover page is South Australia’s state floral emblem- Sturt’s Desert Pea. It is native to Australia. Captain Charles Stuart noted the occurrence of this flower in 1844 while he was exploring between Adelaide and central Australia. I was fascinated by the beauty and the shape of this flower and decided to use in the cover. Moreover, I wanted to show my gratitude to the land which I call a home now. The photo titled “Beauty in the Bush” was gifted to me by the photographer Ann Nunn to use in the anthology.

THP: In the poem ‘A Demagogue', you have mentioned 'monkey man’. What exactly does the monkey man mean in the poem?

This poem speaks to the ongoing struggle against oppression and power and the idea of uncontrolled aggression and danger. The metaphor “monkey man” has been used to describe a politician who pretends to be the voice of people but who in actuality is a self-serving individual, a reckless person who turns deaf ear to ordinary people’s daily problems. I think, this metaphor is significant and aptly used in the poem as it serves to evoke a sense of deception and trickery as the monkey is clever and mischievous animal. By comparing the demagogue to a monkey, it is, perhaps, suggested in the poem that such individual is not to be trusted and his antics are deceptive and dangerous.

THP: You are among a very few writers who write both in Nepali and in English. What is your experience with writing in both languages? In which language do you find yourself more comfortable expressing your ideas?

I enjoy reading and writing both in English and Nepali language. Because Nepali is my mother tongue, I use it mostly in speaking with family members and English is the second language which I use in the professional setting. In creative writing,  writing process in these two different languages is the same. However, my choice of words while writing in Nepali is more spontaneous than in English. I rewrite my writings more often to convey the (un) intended meaning in both languages.

THP: One of your poems says, “I, sitting on a rugged rock, think, what if the Americans had erected skycapers alongside? Will you please elaborate on this part of your poem? 

This excerpt is from my poem “American River” which I had composed nearly 3 years ago while I was traveling with my parents in Kangaroo Island (KI) in South Australia which the third largest island in Australia. Surrounded by bush land and boasting spectacular coastal view, American River offers various opportunities like fishing, boating, swimming, and wildlife watching. One evening I was walking along the beach and later I sat on big rock to enjoy the scene where I saw fishermen returning home, birds swimming, tree-leaves making whistling sound with gentle breeze. The atmosphere was profound and rather sublime. It’s sea coast but the area is called American River as it is named so as the first American sealers who had stayed there for 4 months in 1803.  If the American had built their colony there making KI their home, the face of KI would have been different. Its natural beauty would have been lost and the fisherman's practices there would have been obsolete or expensively monetized. Every year nearly 1.5 lakhs visitors go there to enjoy pristine coastline, flora and fauna.

THP: What is your recent literary project that you are busy with?

I am planning to publish my second anthology of poetry. It will be a collection of my Nepali poems. I am hoping to finish it by the end of this year.

THP: What is your advice for aspiring writers and poets?

Creative writing is a rewarding thing. Writing regularly helps to hone the writing skills. Besides, to be a good writer one must first be a good reader to broaden understanding of the current literary trends and practices. A good writer does not hesitate to seek feedback from peers or seniors. No one should be discouraged if their writing is not accepted, published or appreciated. Many great writers went through rejection before they really become famous. 

THP: Thank you very much for giving your valuable time to The Hemingway Post, a literary magazine.

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to reach out to your readers. I wish for the success of The Hemingway Post.

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