Chandra Gurung

  

Chandra Gurung

5 august,1976

Poet (Nepali)

Graduation in Commerce BBS

First anthology titled उसको मुटुभित्र देशको नक्सा नै थिएन,  2007.

It is our pleasure to add an upcoming Nepali poet Chandra Gurung, to the Indian mainstream. The translation of a foreign language into English or Hindi helps us understand the different societal structure and prevailing conditions.  Being neighboring countries the amalgamation has brought forth beautiful results. Since our societies and cultures do not differ much, it feels as if we are reading, feeling, and understanding the essence and fragrance of our very own land.

Aparna Bhagwat

Chandra’s poetry depicts the politico-socio-economic conditions. Devoid of allusions his poems come direct from the core of his very being. The connotations and denotations are clear and reach out to the readers making them take a close look at the environment and society being created.  Despite all the achievements in life, the longing and yearning for ones own motherland, stands out prominently. The denouement of the poems is easy to understand, increasing the enjoyment manifold. The ensuing poems narrate the poet’s contemplation on issues close to his heart.

 MOUNTAIN, HILL AND TERAI 

Mountains that are injured
By the assault of innumerable Tenzings and Hillarys
Every time,
Trickling cold tears of snow!

Upon the order of some army officer
Adorned in green fitting combat dress,
And waiting for another command
Silently stands the soldier hills!

By the torrent blades of flood,
Terai with a clean-shaved head
Sits quietly
Basking the heat of poverty in winter!

                                   

THIS LIFE


This life,
From the cup of a tea early in the morning
Carrying desires of touching skies
Soars high in the form of steam.

After a while
Dashes here and there
Wanders around the world of fantasy.
And finally,
Dissolves into nowhere before realizing its dream.

Sometimes,
Standing on an estranged place
I slowly sip the tea of life
Prepared without sugar and tea leaves,
Neither any color,
Nor any taste,
And without any sweetness in it,
Only to subside the hunger of dreams
And to quench the flirty thirst of desires.

This life-
Starts every morning
With many thoughts boiling inside me,
But wears out
By everyday exhaustion and failures.
Every evening,
Stinks badly like the rotten dreams
And spreads the foul odor of
Bitter experiences
In every nook and corner of heart.

RULER AND SHOES


The rulers,
Covering their filthy feet
With different design of shoes
Feel secure.

The shoes also
Having got to live under the ruler’s feet

Regard themselves fortunate.

They attain great pleasure
In being at their boss’ service
And being their blind followers
Intone the names of their masters.

These rulers,
In assurance of the courtier shoes
Don’t pay heed to anyone.
In the hands of abettor shoes
Fear none.
And slam kick
Upon tender dreams.

These shoes,
Tread mercilessly
On innocent lives.
And trample
The beautiful flowers of garden.

But one thing-
Whatever transgression and oppressions
These rulers carry out,
They do it only after putting on their shoes.
Without shoes, their naked feet
Cannot even traverse a single step.

Rogue Rulers!

INFLATION 


Nowadays-
Every day,
Every moment,
At every junction,
And in every lane,
I encounter inflation.

I keep walking
On the road of life
And inflation keeps soaring up
To touch the skies.

The contorted face of inflation
Haunts me often
And how I always wish-
That I never confront it again.

Even then nowadays-
Every day,
Every moment,
At every junction,
And every street,
I encounter inflation.

And with every confrontation
My worldly desires -
Clothes for body,
Food for stomach
And a roof for shelter
Get buried in the graveyard of heart.

I always,
Try to walk, protecting myself
And staying safe from inflation
But every time
In the long queue of -
Ration Store,
Gas Station,
Drinking Water Office
And Electricity Board,
I encounter inflation.

FOREIGN LAND


In this alien land,
I have brought with me these two eyes
Always wanting to see the towering dreams.
Along with them
I also have with me my two hands that toil day and night
And, the legs that are measuring more journeys of life.
Coming till here,
I have with me a face that bears my own identity,
A face that has gleamed with every new victory
And, I also have my lips
That smile at every happiness here.

In this alien land-
Legs walk many desires,
Hands have accumulated much happiness,
Life has danced many joys,
Lips have bloomed many colorful smiles,
And much laughter sprouting over the cheeks.

I have everything with me

In this foreign land,

What I do not have here, is a heart-

That could fit all these,

Desires,

Joys,

Happiness,

Pleasures,

Laughter

And Smiles,

A heart that is left somewhere behind -

In my own land.

In my own land.

THE 

THE CITY THAT I’VE LIVED

All over the body of this city

The concrete buildings sprouting like wild mushrooms

All of them

-Stretching their life pooped spines

-Raising their honor stooped heads

-Broadening their dignity sunken bosoms

-Opening their dream captivated eyes

Over the smudged skies

Are humming in chorus- a hymn of their hollow heights.

Measuring the setting youth of life

I have witnessed

-Housing lands turning fat, devouring the green fields

-Water tanks taking height, swallowing the wells and springs

-Houses standing tall, barricading the hills on either side

-Walls erecting high, demolishing the splendor of trees

-Streets lying crushed, under millions of feet

Here- In the city that I’ve lived.

I have found

The advent of movie theatres chasing the Rodhis*

The germination of fast food cafes replacing the tea stalls

And-

On the either side of street

-Lifting heart-alluring showrooms with both hands

-Carrying colourful shops on shoulders

-Wearing artificial smile on faces

To attract the ‘time-pass’ throng of people

Standing swarming are shopping centers.

Here,

In the city that I’ve lived

-Peace prevails if voted to a specific political party
An election proclamation

-‘Buy two get one free’- birth of a new brand of soap

-Brash Ayurvedic medicines healing the most private diseases

Smearing lips with

Such multi-coloured lipsticks of advertisement

Standing are the fashionable walls

Chortling prostitute’s chic smiles.

Here-

Before the hungry huts

Without restraint, spit the star hotels uncouthly.

Making fun of the ill-clad feeble bodies

Time, in short skirts

Walks on the ramp- a modern catwalk.

And, the towering buildings here

Smelling of the chemical beauty of enamels

Stand fastened to one another

Giving home to multi-faceted creatures that never live in harmony.

The city that I’ve lived-

Where different unoccupied sculptures at every crossroad

Are standing quietly

Observing our life full of hustle and bustle.

Here,

Over the black-topped confused roads

Seen are grieving ambulances running.

And,

-Atop the overhead bridges

-At the corners of secluded parks

-On the footway of dark roads

Seen are flirtatious streetwalkers

Finding illicit business on the faces of crowd.

This is the city that I’ve lived

-Neither is covered by a mantilla of love

-Nor is tied by a thread of humanity

-And isn’t surrounded by walls of harmony either

Isolated from all sides… the city that I’ve lived.

Rodhis* -To the Gurung Community of Nepal, the “Rodhi Ghar” is a place for people to relax and enjoy themselves singing and dancing after the hardships of the day in the villages.

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 Translator

Jayant Sharma is a freelance translator and writer from Nepal. Having served in various national and international organizations as translator and writer, he contributes regular write-ups to major national dailies and South-Asian journals regarding arts, literature and culture, and has more than a dozen of books translated to his credit. His interviews on translation and writing have appeared in various journals. He also has worked as editor for different magazines and currently is the executive editor of ‘SATHI’, an English literary journal, a first of its kind in Nepal.