M.B. Pradhan : A Living Legend
(published in The Rising Nepal, Friday Supplement , June, 2014)
Sandhya Regmi
MB Pradhan reciting Sandhya's translated poem, July 2012
My first meeting with MB Pradhan
It was a brand
new Saturday. Early in the morning of July 21, 2012 I got a phone call from
Professor Govinda Raj Bhattarai giving me a pleasant surprise. “A great academician, writer, poet,
columnist, translator and linguist from Darjeeling
is in town.” I was invited to attend a literary function, for an interaction
on MB Pradhan’s newly released travelogue ‘Man
ka rahar ra lahar haru’ (‘Waves of
dreams and desires’) at the Rodum Foodland in Kamal Pokhari. The invitation
was a great honor for a tyro writer like me. Additionally that occasion would
provide me a rare opportunity to meet such a noble personality.
The luck factor too was in my favor.
I happened to be in Kathmandu at that very
moment. In fact, I had just arrived from Ho Chi Minh City- where I have been living
and working since the past 8 years- to organize a highly significant socio-religious
event to mark the 84th birth anniversary (‘Sahashra chandra darshan’) of my respected father Kamal Raj Regmi
and a book release ceremony related to that event ‘Kamal Raj Regmi: in various dimension’- on which I had been
working strenuously for the past one year.
Other invitees in the programme
comprised renowned writers, literary critics and professors of Nepal, about 15
personalities in total. Among them were prominent novelist Dhruba Chandra
Gautam, renowned story-writer Padmawati Singh, and some other literary critics,
and professors from Tribhuvan
University. A small yet
powerful gathering, hosted by Professor Anjana Bhattarai- portraying a true
reflection of her magnanimous heart. No words could describe how honoured I
felt to be a part of this intellectually elite group.
Naturally, the moment was filled
with anticipation. With heart full of thrill, passion, and zeal, I waited for
the chief guest to arrive in the venue. While waiting, I found myself
transformed into a teenager’s dreamland …. My poetic and artistic heart fused with
imaginative part of the mind started portraying very bright and warm colors all
over the canvas my dream writer and poet MB Pradhan. How would he look like… is
he handsome? Would I fall in love with him ??
I awoke from my dream, with the
arrival of a tall man of almost 6 feet height in a maroon T-shirt and dark blue
trousers and of very sportive personality as if he had participated multiple-times
in the Olympics. Indeed a very attractive and a charismatic personality- no
less than that of the world-renowned football player Maradona. At a closer
observation, his high forehead and elegant face compared with that of a learned
saint, and his eyes shined as if his brain stores a universe of millions and
millions of wisdom-cells (‘Gyan kosh’),
reminding me of the scientific brain of Sir Albert Einstein. For all his
nobilities, one thing was missing in this gentleman. He was free from all the
pride and ego. All I could see was love, love, and only love in his eyes.
As the curtain opened, Professor
Govinda started reading his 10-page long analysis of Pradhan’s travelogue, shedding
light on each and every aspect of the writing, projecting how unique place this
book would secure in the travelogue-literature history of Nepali language. A
Wordsworth in the heart and a Shakespeare in his mind, I thought. Amidst the
cozy literary session, I was asked to recite my poem ‘Briksha’ (Tree), from the recently released book containing
collection of my poetry and paintings ('Sandhya
ka kavita ra kyanvasharu’), a poem aimed at fostering awareness in global
warming, green house gas emission reduction and environmental protection.
The next session of the event
witnessed the release of English translated version of Professor Govinda’s reputed
novel ‘Muglan’. I not only felt
highly honoured to be the first recipient of the book, but also got pleasantly
surprised when I saw that it had embodied my comments on it in the first column
of the readers’ response. Assistant Professor Lekhnath S Pathak at the Department
of English of Tribhuvan
University had toiled for
seven years in translating this book.
The programme concluded with a
lunch reception. While all the other guests were busy entertaining themselves in
the dining hall with food and drinks, I stayed behind and shared few moments
with MB Pradhan, exchanging ideas and opinions related to the event, and also complimented
him some literary works that I had authored.
…………….……………
Next day early in the morning while
I sat in front of my laptop to get into internet to read the morning news I was
delightfully astonished to see an email which read: … “Dear Miss Regmi, I liked your poem very much. Hurriedly translated
three stanzas…. I hope you like it. MB Pradhan”
Yes, he had transformed it
overnight! …. I read the translation with sheer delight … with tears of joy running
down my eyes…. It ran:
‘Ode to a tree’
Exposed to the tempest from time immemorial
But not beaten,
Battling against lightning thunder down the
ages
But not lost,
Smitten by blistering rains for centuries together
But not shaken,
Shorn of all its beauty in winter
Yet reborn in grandeur in spring,
Spreading fragrance and freshness,
To earth under the azure sky;
Forever smiling even providing shelter
To criminals raising arms for slaughter.
Standing upright as an oak tree
On the mountains,
Smiling as a ‘Christmas Tree’
In its abode of snows,
Dancing as a ‘Pine Tree’ smeared
With sands all over,
In the grueling heat of the sun
You flap your wings constantly,
To provide pleasant whiff of air.
Inhales himself the dust and smoke
To bring lively breeze
And refreshing greenery in abundance.
Suffering from pangs of dislocation
The nectar bearing coconut tree
Still stands a hero as always.
To you he has always provided
Has taken nothing from you ever,
The people annihilated
By spate of river and floods
Depleted by earthquakes
And lost their hearth and home,
Shattered by all destroying fire
And failing to receive any succour,
From society and state
He has sustained them
As an affectionate mother
A lap full of tenderness
A cloak to naked body
And an embrace of friendship.
As I read his translation I
wondered ….what a great passion, skill, and horizon he is blessed with; … each
and every line of the translation is coupled with feelings and meanings- just like
the clouds impregnated with rain. MB Pradhan has the passion, zeal, vision and
skill to lead poetry and translation into the new millennium.
Before MB left Kathmandu to
continue his journey to Europe and USA, I had the honour of hosting
and arranging a farewell programme for him. This provided added opportunity to
interact with him, as I had not yet quenched my thirst of his poetic heart. On
25th of July, a group of ten of us gathered at Bhancha Griha of Bag
Darbar, to cherish the moment with MB. During the candlelit dining amidst the
folk dances and music, MB recited, with profound sentimental feelings and zeal,
his English translation of my 5-page long poem 'Ode to a tree', transforming the hall into a Shakespearean theatre
but with full of greeneries, making the event lifelong memorable.
Five days after the farewell,
yet another email dropped on my computer from my poetic hero: …"Dear Sandhya, Greetings from Frankfurt. We landed here amidst great excitement and almost
got lost in this huge airport with practically no signs in English. While
flying high above the Arabian ocean, I was literally lost in the mists of your
poems and got nostalgic… I have completed the translation of the first half of your
poem entitled 'A Letter to my Motherland Nepal'. I hope you like it….” Thus:
A Letter to my Motherland Nepal
Into migrants metamorphosed we are
Much against our inner proclivity
In the very present transcended we are
Into mere onlookers of the past.
Our countrymen we greet thee.
Name and honour in
an alien country
Seemingly a distant dream
Reaching long before,
Across the seven seas
Disembarked on the hostile shore
Commuted in Bombay
with crispy notes
As awfully cheap commodities.
Before we touched the dreamland of Malaysia
Beguiled without any sympathy
By our own malefactors.
On ashore once of Mauritius
Fleeced clean by marauders
Of Indian ingenious
Landed once on the dunes of Dubai
Assaulted without compassion
By our own Indian conspirators.
Slit by blades of Iraqi terrorists
None to shade tears for us.
when toiled day and night
we as menial workers.
Once we set our feet on UK,
As typical new recruits,
Transported forthwith to confront
The bullets of the dreaded Talibans
When fortune smiles on us
Through unerring DV though,
All our paraphernalia we dispose.
And land on the shore
of USA
Only to wake up in morn startled
To find life of menial labour ahead.
And the cry comes from within
To your homeland to return
which is a mirage in the desert now.
We fall prey sometimes to
Bali’s bomb explosion
Or marooned at Phuket
When hell breaks loose of Tsunami.
By the time we enter the camp
Of German refugees
Burnt alive by Neo Nazis.
To Hong Kong and Singapore
We toil our weary way to begin
A new life of helpless porters.
Totally incapacitated we are
With humiliation and exertion
In Japan and Korea
struggling
As servile labourers..
Wiping out the beads of perspiration
On the gulfs of Arab,
we literally crumble into pieces
And go down forever.
Events of this nature if repeat
On the sublime and holy
Land of your birth
Solemnization of your last rite
Is a certainty by your kith and kin
In a dignified way.
We die here a death
Of a beast unsung,
A disreputable dissolution indeed.
We bow our heads to
thee
Our countrymen and all
People of respectability.
This poem echoes the cries of
thousands of sons and daughters of mother Nepal who are living outside the
country. I had penned its original version with my grief-sunken heart with tears
rolling down the paper while living overseas (paradesh), after the most unfortunate, terrifying, barbaric, and cruel
murder of a dozen of innocent young and aspiring sons of mother Nepal in September 2004, while toiling in Iraq to realize
the mother’s dream. And now, MB has, through his splendid translation into
English language, made it accessible to wider circle worldwide.
Upon bidding farewell to MB and
after my holidays in
Nepal
were over, it was time for me to return to
Ho Chi Minh City. This time I was flying with
a gift so precious- MB’s travelogue. When the TG 577 took off from Kathmandu heading
towards
Bangkok I gazed through the window the wide
open sky far above the horizon, and through the chain of snow-capped peaks of
the
Himalayas- the land of the Yetis, while my
artistic heart started pouring snow-white colors all over the mountains in the canvas
of my heart. I grew even more sentimental, firmly gripped in my hands was Pradhan’s
travelogue, the pages of which I started turning over one after another,…each word,
each line, each sentence, and each paragraph of every page was breathing with
life. With the reading of each page, I started understanding Pradhan’s
personality in fine detail.
Born in Pokhriabong in Darjeeling on 6th April 1933, Mr. MB (Manbahadur)
Pradhan has got outstanding educational background. He passed his matriculation
examination of Calcutta University from St. Robert’s School, Darjeeling in 1949. Moving
forward, he prosecuted his college education at St. Joseph’s
College, Northpoint, Darjeeling and Darjeeling Government College.
After his graduation, he proceeded to Shantiniketan, Visva Bharati
University from where he
did his Masters in Education in 1964 and was placed third in the University. He
earned his diploma in Guidance & Counseling from the Bureau of Educational
& Psychological Research, David
Hare Training
College, Kolkata in 1962.
Even after earning those prestigious degrees, MB refused to contain himself
within the limits of his formal education. His continued passion for education
and knowledge led him to continue riding the life-long self-learning vehicle.
He has had a very successful
professional life with 28 years of teaching career. MB started his career as a Principal of Ghoom
Boys’ school, Darjeeling.
At this point of time, his father was taken ill and the doctor advised him to move
to a warmer place. He then joined Dr. Graham’s Homes, Kalimpong- an institution
of international repute- where he spent most of his productive and eventful
years. After his retirement, Pradhan joined Saptashree Gyanpith Kalimpongn as ‘Pracharya’ (Principal) and built this institution from its nascent stage to
its present stature. It is an English school (plus 12) with more than two
thousand students.
MB’s passion for Nepali
language and literature is evident from his active involvement in it from his
schoolhood. During his school and college days, MB was an editor of a Nepali
handwritten magazine ‘Sudhar’, a popular literary venture very much in vogue
during those days. An exhibition of such numerous magazines from every nook and
corner of Darjeeling
and its neighbouring areas used to be held annually and on one occasion, Dr.
Parasmani Pradhan, a legend and a well-known figure in the history of Nepali
language and literature was one of the members of the Selection Committee. MD’s
relentless love and appetite for the Nepali language and literature lead him to
pursue second Master degree in Nepali literature from Tribhuvan
University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Mr. Pradhan is also a freelance
writer. His numerous articles written in English have been published in leading
newspapers, magazines, and journals, including ‘The Statesman’ (Calcutta), 'Illumine’
(Siliguri), ‘The Courier’ (Delhi), ‘Darjeeling Today’ (Darjeeling), ‘The Rising Nepal’ (Kathmandu), etc. He
has contributed many articles in Sahitya
Academy’s publication ‘History of Indian Literature’ in 8
vols. Besides, he has penned numerous articles in Nepali dailies including 'Sunchari', 'Diyalo', 'Prawah', 'Himalaya
Darpan', 'Gorkha Bharati', 'Diyo' etc.
MD has authored many books,
some of them are 1) ‘New History’, 2) ‘Social
Studies’, 3) ‘Sugam Nepali
Byakaran ra Rachana’ (in collaboration with Mr. Bhaichand Pradhan), 4) ‘Teach yourself Nepali’ (in
English), 5) ‘Guidance to English Idioms
& Phrases’, 6) ‘Kalimpong
ka Graham Bajay’ (translation of Dr. Minto’s book ‘Graham of Kalimpong’), and 7) 'Man ka lahar ra rahar haru' (A
Travelogue).
MD has not limited his spare
times in writings. He contributed actively as the Convenor of Association of
Heads of ICSE/ISC schools of Kalimpong. He is serving as the Editor-in- Chief
of ‘Pulse Yo’- a youth magazine in
English. He is the Adviser to ‘Nag Dhara
Jana Kalyan Samiti’, Kalimpong. At present he is serving the President of 'Nepali Sahitya Adhyayan Samiti', a
premier literary institution of Kalimpong recognized by Sahitya
Academy, New Delhi.
Talking about MD’s travelogue,
reading has always been my hobby ever since my school days. I recall that the
first two Nepali novels I had read at the age of 12 were the ‘Seto Bagh’(White Tiger') and ‘Basanti’ by Diamond Shamsher Rana. My
interest for travelogues aroused profoundly after I got the taste of ‘Bidesh ko yatra swadesh ko samjhana’ (‘Remembrance
of homeland while travelling abroad’) by Ghanashyam Rajkarnikar, a pioneer in
travelogues writing in Nepali language in recent time (probably the first ever
travelogues written in Nepali language is 'Junga
Bahadurko Belayet yatra' ('Junga
Bahadur’s trip to England')). This was followed by ‘Belayet tira baralinda’ (‘Wandering towards England’) by Taranath
Sharma, 'Tin baas’ ('Three facet accommodation')
by Dhanush Chandra Gautam, ‘Spain ko
Samjhana’ (‘Remembrance of Spain’) and
‘Europe ko Chhitthi’ (‘Letter from Europe’)
by Lain Singh Bangdel, ‘Saat Soorya Ek Fanko’
(‘A single rotation around seven suns’) by Ramesh Bikal, etc. I also recall
reading the ‘Sangai basaun yo raat’ by
Dr. Govinda Raj Bhattarai, an essay of which I liked so much that I could not
help translating into English entitled ‘This
night could be the last one - be together !!’
Today, numerous travelogues exist
in Nepali literature, leaving the readers confused on which ones to pluck and
taste. Among the piles of these literatures, Pradhan’s travelogue stands tall.
It is a must read pick for anyone interested in the literature of this kind.
A book tells not only about the
story in it, but also provides insight on the personality of its writer. Before
closing this note, I wish to list some outstanding matters that I have come
across, while going through the travelogue.
1) Pradhan’s travelogue: A masterpiece literature
I dare to rate the book ‘Man ka lahar ra rahar haru’ (‘Waves of dreams and desires’) as the
best travelogue ever written in the history of Nepali language and literature.
Earlier writers of travelogue Ghanashyam Rajkarnikar, Taranath Sharma, Dhanush
Chandra Gautam, and Lain Singh Bangdel have set up their own legend in the 'niyatra sahitya' with their immortal
writings. And today, MB’s travelogue has set new record and added new dimension
in it. The book deserves the prestigious literary award like 'Madan Puraskar',
and is recommendable text book for inclusion in university course. For the
benefit of wider spectrum of readers, the travelogue is worth translating into English
and various other languages.
The book contains what a
travelogue is traditionally expected to talk about. It vividly captures MB’s
travel experiences, shedding light on civilization and culture of various
societies both in the East and the West. This is the first travelogue ever in
the history of Nepali language and literature which has indeed connected Asia,
Europe and North America together. Through his
travelogue, Pradhan has not only connected the three continents but also
harmoniously fused together the religious faith and belief in the three
religions: Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity.
What makes this literature
unique and very special, and distinguishes it from others is that besides being
a travelogue, it fuses in contextual form the encyclopedia of geography, history,
philosophy, sociology, and science- and serves its readers in a same plate.
2) Pradhan: A literary Traveler
In his lifetime, Pradhan has
extensively travelled to Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand,
Cambodia, USA, Hawaii Islands,
Canada, England, Scotland,
Belgium, Germany, France,
Austria, Italy, and Switzerland,
and his neighboring countries Nepal
and Bhutan.
But MB is not an ordinary traveler. As noted in the foreword of the book by Dr.
Diwakar Pradhan, MB is a leading literary traveler the so-called 'Sahityik Yayawar'.
A literary traveler is far placed
from an ordinary traveler. While the latter travels and sees only with his
outer eyes ('Charma chakshu’), the
former does so with his inner literary eyes ('Gyana chakshu’). While the latter complains of thirst and gets
restless amidst the vast Sahara desert, the former
finds an oasis in the desert with his inner literary eyes.
MB has additionally been
blessed with some special qualities. His each observation is deep and every
expression, description and illustration are the outcry of his sentiments-
giving deep insight into life. He has the skill of describing the most minor
incidents as frying fish and potato chips with literary flavor ('sahityik mithas'). In addition, Pradhan
possesses a unique and elegant style of writing. As our ‘Mahakavi’ Lakshmi Prasad Devkota used to see each and everything
with his poetic eyes and literary heart, so does Pradhan as he describes every
minority in a poetic way in depth of sentiments and affection.
No wonder, MB’s travelogue charters
the readers through a series of magical, lively, adventurous tours across the
world. Its readers can get the nectar and derive the pleasure of world-travel,
even without setting own foot out of the house.
In one instant, a reader finds
himself worshipping 'Daibutsu'- the
statue of Amitabh Buddha in the pagodas of Kamakura of Japan (pg. 6). A moment
later, the reader takes the tour of and offers prayers to the majestic Hindu
temples of the 'Angkor Watt' in Siem
Riep of Cambodia- the once lost civilization of the Khmer which had started 1100
years ago and which is now designated as UNESCO’s world cultural heritage site
(pg. 158). With the next sip of the tea, the reader would be visiting the
precious gothic cathedrals- the
architectural masterpieces of Cologne and
Munich in Germany (pg. 23, 26).
3) Pradhan:
A poetic heart
I quote a line of what ‘Mahakavi’ Devkota wrote in his essay-collection
'Lakshmi Nibandha Sangraha': “Swarga ko rass bhariyeko chhati lai shabda
shastra padnu pardaina, tyasai jharjharaundachha” (“A man with a poetic heart does not need any Ph. D. in literature. The
literature spontaneously flows from his heart…”). Pradhan’s writings have
proved that he has such a heart.
MB has an extraordinary capability
in expressing himself in very long sentences; sometime his one sentence runs
through a full paragraph. Yet, his expressions are not only grammatically
correct and structurally flawless, but they also flow beautifully in a musical
rhythm much like that of a stream running down a hill.
Pradhan has given striking
title to each chapter of his travelogue. The adjectives he uses are poignant
with meaning, heart touching, and often rhyming, such as ‘kalkalaundo California’ (pg 74), ‘jhalmalaundo Netherland’ (pg 199) which I liked so much that I
tried to find the English parallel to them as ‘the emerging California’ and
‘brightly lit Netherland’ respectively.
The words and expressions he
selects in his writing testify the beauty of his brain. He confidently and yet
elegantly writes ‘London
ko sero phero sab mero’ (pg 65) ('I
am the owner of London’s territory'), ‘Lagdachha malai ramailo Paris
ko pakha pakhero’ (pg 162) ('I admire
the Paris
village'), ‘Mero mridul smritipat ma
Monalisa’ (pg 193) (‘Monalisa in my subconscious
mind’) making the readers gleam with glory. What I find most beautiful in
his writing is as we read through we feel we are seeing vividly all the
descriptions in a series of pictograms as if we were watching a movie; his
words convert themselves spontaneously into pictures and start dancing in the
wind. They have the colors of Rhododendron ('Laliguraas')
and the fragrance of Almond blossom ('Parijaat')
and at the same time one can even hear the musical rhythm flowing through his
writings. A combination of the 3 ‘S’ namely ‘saundarya’
(beauty), ‘sugandha’ (fragrance)
and ‘sangeet’ (music) simultaneously
outpouring miraculously through his writings. Every single line Pradhan jots
down becomes a poem, a song. When he reaches West Virgina
(pg 276) he is spell-bound by the beauty of the heavenly Senando - the
waterfalls, the sunrise and the sunset; his heart drums with pleasure and
dances with the daffodils. He grows nostalgic to his homeland and starts
singing together with John Denver….
“Almost
Heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge mountain Shenandoh river
Life
is older, older than the trees
Younger
than the mountain, blowing like a breeze
Country roads, take me home to the place
I
belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take
me home country roads.”
Furthermore, Pradhan also has
the zeal, passion and capacity to create his own literary words appropriate to
theme as our Mahakavi Lakshmi Prasad Devkota used to do. This has been a
supplementary contribution by Pradhan to enrich the Nepali Thesaurus.
Pradhan is another Mahakavi
Devkota who carries all three personalities- Wordsworth, Keats and Shelly in
his heart. He is a genius poet, an extraordinarily talented laureate, a
celebrity of literature, and pride of literary society.
4) Pradhan:
A sociologist and an anthropologist
A very interesting chapter in
Pradhan’s travelogue is about the Aamish tribe of Lancaster of Pennsylvania in the
USA
(pg 131- 150). I suggest its readers not to miss this chapter while going
through the book. It is most astonishing to note the fact that even in the most
developed nation of the world there exist tribes who choose to remain absolutely
detached from the urbanization, industrialization and materialization and follow
with pride and joy the conservative traditional ways of life limiting
themselves to their home and neighborhood.
Pradhan takes us along with him
to such interesting nooks and corners of the world to get introduced to and
also derive pleasure through the observation of such conventional life styles, living
mechanism, social behavior, religious beliefs and moral values which are inconceivable
in the new millennium in the age of Science & Technology.
Aamish lead a pious lifestyle
with firm belief in their own morals, virtues, and values. They are isolated
from the industrialized materialistic world, which is suffering from environmental
and social degradation. At a time when today’s world is threatened by such
issues as environmental pollution, green house gas emission, and global warming,
Aamish's lifestyle declining to use motorbikes, scooters and 4 wheelers as transport
vehicles could serve as a good lesson for the rest of the world towards reducing
environmental pollution, maintaining our ecosystem, and managing our resources
sustainably. No matter how awkward their living style may sound, their small world
is free from environmental, social and moral pollution. Their attributes such
as maintaining a very strong family bond, living in joint families, cultivating
hospitable nature, visiting churches
frequently, offering regular prayers to God, abstaining from alcohol,
cigarettes, drugs and discarding the modern machineries and even the electric-electronic
equipments such as television, telephones etc, and not indulging themselves in materialistic
pleasures ('bhautik sukhasayal'),
respecting the family norms have definitely helped contribute towards a more pollution-free
environment, and a more socially coherent and a healthier society.
This is more a matter of
sociology and anthropology, in which Pradhan has indeed opened our eyes through
his travelogue.
5) Pradhan
- A prominent journalist
Besides serving as editor in
magazines stated earlier, MB’s historical meetings and interviews with Sir Edmund
Hillary and Tony Hagen (pg 8-17) are remarkable events, which have given extra
fragrance and colors to his travelogue. He has not forgotten to
express his gratitude to late Dr. Harkha Bhahadur Gurung for his providing the
opportunity for getting introduced with these international personalities in
the rest-house of Tiger mountain.
The content of his exclusive
interview on one hand shows Pradhan’s profound love for Nepal and on the other hand Hillary’s extreme emotional
attachment to Nepal, Nepalese,
and the Himalayas. Hillary considered
Sagarmatha as the holy shrine of Lord Shiva, so he believed that stepping on
the Mt. Everest with their feet would amount to an act of disrespect to the
holy land, so both Edmund and Tenzing Norgay bowed down their heads very low,
soon after reaching the summit and planted Nepal’s ‘sun and moon’ embodied flag.
I was moved and blown away emotionally while reading these lines, thinking how high
and pious our Himalayas were considered by these climbers, who describe Nepal
as a piece of Shangrila directly fallen from the heaven to earth.
In his travelogue, MB has
introduced the Swiss geologist Tony Hagen as one of the first foreigners to
explore the height of Nepal’s
Himalayas and a leading figure who subsequently became Nepal’s best friend, and helped in
the field of development aid.
The travelogue literally took
me back to 1984 and 1999. I recall that, in 1984 Tony was awarded the then Nepal’s highest honor ‘Birendra Pragya Alankara’
for his outstanding services to Nepal.
In fact, I had witnessed that honorable event. Again in 1999 when I was working
as a translator and interpreter for the German Embassy, Hagen had returned to
Nepal 50 years after his first visit, accompanied by film crew, in order to
return a ring known as ‘the Ring of the Buddha’ to his old friend, the Buddhist
monk Chogye Trichen Rimpoche- the last surviving teacher of the Dalai Lama.
Rimpoche had given Hagen
the ring 40 years earlier as a token of appreciation for his tireless
commitment and support for the welfare of Tibetan refugees. A documentary
feature film ‘the Ring of the Buddha’ recounting Hagen’s life and work was subsequently
prepared, which became hit in German and Swiss cinema halls.
6) Pradhan – An outstanding historian
While going through MB’s
travelogue, we feel as if we are reading a book on history. Particularly, the chapter entitled ‘At the broad background of Nazi’s brutality
- Rutka Laskier and Anne Frank’s diary' (pg 176-191) deals with a series of
the barbaric incidents of second world war and genocide- merciless murder of innocent Jews by
the German Nazis.
The author digs deep into the life
story of Anne Frank, starting from her plight along with her family in Frankfurt,
escaping the German Nazis and sheltering in Amsterdam,
then her hideout ('bhoomigat') in the
‘Secret Annex’ after the brutal attack over Holland by the Nazis, till her most tragic
demise in January 6, 1945. Apart from Anne Frank, Pradhan also introduces to
the readers a Jewish teenager Rutka
Laskier from Poland,
also referred to as ‘polish Anne Frank’ and her 1943 diary chronicling three
months of her life during the Holocaust.
The travelogue provides a vivid
description of the most melancholic incidents in the Bergen-Belsen
concentration camp of Germany and the concentration camps of Poland, as described
by Anne Frank and Rutka Laskier in their respective diaries, where even the old,
sick, diseased, disabled, pregnant and new-borns were not spared of the inhuman
barbarous cruelty and murder by the Nazi troops- all dying one by one like animals and insects, out of hunger, thirst, exhaustion,
physical and mental torture, and ultimately by poisoning inside the gas chamber.
Pradhan has successfully carved
such vividly descriptive histories in his travelogue. The heartbreaking events,
and the unbearable sufferings of the innocent Jews as described by Anne Frank
and Rutka Laskier will not leave even the tough-minded readers from shedding
few drops of tears and feeling awfully gloomy while going through these
contents. While going through these melancholic histories described by Pradhan,
I recalled the cinema ‘Schindler’s List’
I watched in 2000. His descriptions come as in film, revolving round our eyes as
if we are witnessing those deaths inside the gas chamber. Pradhan’s travelogue has
thus established himself as an outstanding historian.
7) Pradhan: An artistic heart, an art
lover
Pradhan takes all his readers
to an expedition to the world-renowned and most prestigious art gallery - the Louvre
of Paris - one of the world’s largest museums and a historic monument of Art
and Architecture.
I, being a devotee of fine arts
and an artist, was not only inspired by his rich description of contemporary
fine arts, but also got drowned in the two chapters of his travelogue, namely ‘I admire the Paris village' (‘Lagdachha malai ramailo Paris ko
pakha pakhero’) (pg. 162-175) and ‘Monalisa
in my subconscious mind’ (‘Mero mridul smritipat ma Monalisa’) (pg. 193-199).
He introduces to us the Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman and North Asian
antiquities, and sculptures; including the most ancient Greek statue ‘Venus de Milo’ carved by Alexandros
(130-100 BC) and ‘Winged Victory of
Samothrace’ by an anonymous Greek artist (200-190 BC). Pradhan goes deep into
the description of Louvre’s most prestigious Leonardo de Vinci’s ‘Monalisa’ (1503), and much deeper into
the oil colors and canvas.
Besides Monalisa, Pradhan
reveals to us the other Masterpieces of Louvre - Vinci’s ‘Virgin Mary with her mother Saint Anne and infant Jesus’ (1508) and
‘The virgins of the rocks’ (1483), Raphael’s
‘La bel Jardinière’ (1507), 'Slaves’ (1513) of Michelangelo, ‘Marriage at Cana’ (1563) of Paolo Verones
and the Spanish painter Diego Velazquez’s ‘Infantas’
(1653).
In his book, Pradhan does not
miss to pay tribute to the world-renowned Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (pg
195), whose work, notable for its
rough beauty, emotional honesty, and bold color, had a far-reaching influence
on 20th-century art. After years of painful anxiety and frequent
bouts of mental illness, Van Gogh had committed suicide at the age of 37, by
shooting himself with a gun. While going through Pradhan’s words on Van
Gogh, I vividly recalled my visit to Amsterdam
to the Van Gogh museum during my immortal Europe tour in 1994 while studying in
Germany.
Ironically, for the emotionally sincere artist whose paintings did not fetch
any price during his lifetime, his masterpiece painting ‘the Potato Eaters’ got
the price tag stuck 10 million USD after his demise.
Pradhan defines art and paintings
not only as creative expression to manifest the conceptual intention of
practitioner. Rather he rates them as creation and abstraction meant more for the
archaeologists, abstractionists and transcendentalists than for ordinary
people. As an artist, I myself try to apply all my mental, emotional, physical, and
spiritual energy towards personal transformation and growth. I am of the same
strong opinion as that of Pradhan that art should have a myriad of uses: as a
tool for psychological healing, a symbol in spiritual rituals, an impetus for
political or social change, an expression of inquiry, a form of entertainment,
evidence of status or identity, a reminder of what’s important, and most
commonly, a simple celebration of beauty.
8)
Pradhan: A philosopher
and a mentor
Pradhan's specialty or
uniqueness lies in his intelligence to see each and everything in a
philosophical manner transforming the most ordinary subject into the sublime.
Philosophy is hidden in each and every chapter, every land he steps his feet
on, each monument he visits, every art piece and sculptor he observes, he does
not miss to share the glorious history and the lessons learnt, sharing and spreading
enlightened opinions and messages to mankind.
Germany is not just a country of
mechanics and technology for him nor just a land of gothic architectures and
cathedrals. He turns over the pages of German history (pg. 24) revealing the
world-renowned German philosophers, socialists, reformers, scientists, writers,
and attributes the success of today's Germany to Karl Marx - the revolutionary
communist and the messiah of socialism, Emanuel Kant - the central figure of
modern philosopher, Max Scheler - the
social and ethical philosopher, Martin Luther - the reformer and the translator
of the new testament of Bible, Robert Koch - the founder of modern
Bacteriology, and Johannes Wolfgang von Goethe - the poet, play-writer and
novelist.
Similarly when he reaches Paris (pg 162) he recalls the social and political
upheaval in France
in the 18th century. He attributes France's today's progress and prosperity to
the intellectual freedom ignited by the enlightened writer and philosopher
Voltaire and his 'Candide', the scientific mind of Marie Curie, two-time Nobel Prize
winner whose work led to the discovery of radioactivity, the novelist Honore
de Balzac's magnum opus 'The Human Comedy', presenting a panorama of French life, the
intellectualism and existentialism of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul
Sartre and the novel waves floated in the world of art and paintings by the
Impressionist painters Pissarro, Renoir and
Gauguin. To Pradhan even 'Monalisa'
is not only a painting, but also a philosophy.
The dazzling development, the
heights and peaks of achievements in Science & Technology of the prosperous
industrialized nations is not just a miracle of a single day; the nations and
their people have toiled and struggled relentlessly, selflessly and fearlessly fighting
against all kinds of exploitations, suppressions, and discriminations, and even
sacrificed their precious life towards achieving individual freedom, human
rights, equitable social system, and prosperous nation. This is an example and
inspiration - a good lesson for countries like ours to learn with baby steps in
the path of national development.
9) Pradhan: A natural critic
In his last Chapter ‘Thailand - South East Asia’s Paradise’
(pg 290-296) Pradhan has proved himself a natural critic.
In his eyes, Thailand beams amidst all the nations in Southeast Asia like a bride with beauty and ornaments. Pradhan
goes on to describing Thailand as a country blessed with the natural scenic
beauty and resources, breath-taking blue serene ocean, political freedom and
cultural uniformity, sovereignty, a country which has never been colonized by
outside forces, and also refers to it as a Paradise of South East Asia. However,
Pradhan balances his views by daring to criticize flaws some aspects of the
culture and civilization.
Its restaurants, pubs, café,
bars, massage parlors, brothels and prostitution centers have definitely
amassed a fortune of foreign currency to the nation. However, some of these
activities have challenged and put big question on the morality, mental
consciousness and sentiments of the sector of society involved in or affected
by it, though they may have already been physically accustomed to that type of lifestyle.
Pradhan does not hesitate to question the integrity of highly intellectual
international personalities like Joseph Conrad, Somerset Maugham, Alfred Boke
and Pisko Eyre, who had once fallen in love with this nation and were all in
praise side only.
Another big question mark to all
nations no matter the East or the West who are enjoying their social, cultural,
and sexual freedom including premarital sex, multiple sex partners, and embracing
all the materialistic luxuries, is would they ever look back once to the
traditional lifestyle of the Aamish tribe of Lancaster Pennsylvania (pg.
131-150) free from environmental, social and moral pollution and get to learn
something good from them?
10. Pradhan: A track-maker for all the trekkers
At the ripe age of 80s when
others would be either bed-ridden with diseases, physical exertion or finding
excuses to take complete rest both physically and intellectually, Pradhan has
set an everlasting example by using all his energy, time, and resource to craft
a Masterpiece of his lifetime in the ‘Niyatra
Sahitya’. The human body made of the ‘Panchabhootas’
- the five essential elements of air,
water, earth, fire and sky will perish away, but the writings of Pradhan will
continue to live to infinity. Pradhan has secured immortality with his travelogue.
He continues to remain a magnetic personality and his book a continuous source
of inspiration to people of all ages.
However, his pen has not stopped
there. In fact, he is now busy writing his memoirs. He is a staunch believer in
the well-known maxim 'Work is Worship'. Pradhan is walking on earth in the path
of ‘karma yoga’ towards enlightenment
as guided by the enlightened Siddhartha Gautama and the ‘Bhagawat Gita’ singing
the songs of ‘Charaibeti’ ‘Charaibeti’ ('chara'
+ 'ewa'+ 'iti') meaning “Continue to walk, that is all life is about.” I
find it relevant to quote Robert Frost here whose aphorism is adopted by
Pradhan.
"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep
But I have many promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep"
Pradhan is hence a track-maker
for all the trekkers. Take an inspiration from him and keep walking trackers!
One question on the travelogue
Going through MB Pradhan’s
travelogue was like a world tour for me. I saw, felt and thought along with
Pradhan- the same way as he did. It was like holidaying in the most beautiful
resorts observing gorgeous mountains and breath-taking natural scenes with the background
of vast blue ocean. I have been completely drowned in the vast ocean of dreams
and desire and experienced extreme joy as if it were a celebration. I travelled
extensively to wherever Pradhan has led to see the grandeur of the
world-renowned art galleries. Until I completed going through it, whenever I
had free time, this book used to be in my hands; it was with me while
travelling in the bus, waiting for the doctor in the hospital, working in the
office hidden below the keyboard of my PC, even while going for my own holidays
and also in my sleep next to me in my bed. In fact, this book followed me like
my shadow. My poetic and artistic heart lost control; I surrendered, I fell in
love with his writings … astound by his sheer wisdom, ideas, opinions, and of
course his philosophy. I had read many other travelogues in my life but this
book did cast a spell on me, and today I would like to ask very affectionately
to my poetic hero, "Sir, how did you manage to craft such a masterpiece in
your lifetime, and I wonder how the literary world would reward you for this
herculean task ?”
.................................
Pradhan recently celebrated the unveiling
ceremony of his respected teacher a great sage swami Prabuddhananda in the
precincts of Rajbhawan in Darjeeling,
which was carried out with great pomp and splendour, followed by the launching
of the book 'Prabuddha' a memoir on
swamiji.
Swamiji was a social reformist, a
prominent educationalist, and one of the makers of modern
Darjeeling, to whom Pradhan has dedicated his
article
'My master as I saw him'.
Here, Pradhan
pours out his heart -
"
I
cherish a pleasant memory of those glorious five years of my life with swamiji at Ashantully and Woodbine
Villa. Every word he spoke turned out to be a divine message and every breath a
prayer. His radiant smile, his kind and reassuring words dazzle as a guiding
star and a perpetual fountain of inspiration for me and to him goes the
singular distinction of being one of the makers of modern Darjeeling ; to that
great teacher, friend and philosopher, I pay my tribute. I miss you swamiji very much."
History repeats. The way
Pradhan has expressed his deep gratitude and love for his guru, I would like to
pour out my sentiments to this noble personality today whom I consider my
friend, my teacher, my poet and my philosopher - "Pradhan Sir ! for me you
stand as tall as an intellectual giant, as intelligent as Einstein, as poetic
as Devkota, as philosophic as Socrates and as accomplished as the mountain
Kanchanjungha ! Bless me so that I could
absorb the divine nectar that exude from your enlightened personality, catch
the rare sparks of wisdom that emanate from the abysmal depth of your
scholastic achievement and seize that 'aura' which reflects from your dazzling
brilliance. I bow down to thee as you have to Prabuddhaswami. Amen !!"
