Kathmandu, February 28, 2018: At a function held at Mandala Theatre in the capital on February 25, 2018, author Yangesh was bestowed upon with Pahichan Puraskar 2074 for his debut book, ‘Bhuiyan’. The award is given every year by the London-based Pahichan Puraskar Kosh.
Bhuiyan is a compilation of a dozen narrative essays circling around the stories of marginalized communities of the Terai. More than a story of suffering, the book recounts the struggle of people as they fight against the feudal system that still outbreaks several communities in the region.
Though the book is not a history book, it does offer a reading of Nepal’s history that is different from the textbook narrative of history. Author Yangesh clarified that there is still a lot more to be written about the issues the book centres on.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Bairagi Kainla, renowned litterateur and the chair of Nepal Academy, said “In our country, there is not only the problem of the powerful class oppressing the powerless, but there is also the oppression within members of an oppressed community. There is not only the ‘vertical’ oppression but also the horizontal.”
Kainla added, “The state should have brought about a policy that would ensure equality but the rulers of the state seem to have embraced the policy of ‘divide and rule.” Speaking at the function, senior litterateur Khagendra Sangroula said that Bhuiyan has placed bare the ‘hellish’ aspects of the Nepali society.
