Kathmandu, Oct 20: Various programmes are being organized today to mark the 117th birth anniversary of great poet laureate of Nepali literature, Laxmi Prasad Devkota in the country and abroad.
Born in 1966 BS, on the auspicious day of Laxmi Puja of the Tihar festival, Devkota passed away on Bhadra 29, 2016 BS. His dozens of creations including ‘Munamadan’, ‘Sulochana’, ‘Shakuntal’ and Pahadi Pukar are very famous. He was a great and notable poet and essayist who penned books in almost all genres of Nepali literature with a great foot print.
He penned half dozens of epics, two essay books, dozens of long narrative poems, dramas, story books and fictions, among others. Devkota was a master in fusing eastern and western philosophy in his writings. Poet Devkota had mastery over several languages including Nepali, Sanskrit, English and Hindi. He has penned epic Shakuntala in English. He is attributed for welcoming western romantic poetic trends in Nepali literature.
Devkota contributed significantly to the global publicity of the Nepali literature by translating Nepali books into foreign languages and leading Nepali delegation to various foreign conferences. In 1997 BS, he published ‘Prasiddha Prabandha Sangraha’, a collection of essays by 15 famous foreign writers, which were translated into Nepali.
Nepali language became a compulsory subject in Nepal’s curriculum on the initiatives of Devkota during his tenure as the Education Minister in 2016 BS. He also contributed to the establishment of the Nepal Academy. He wrote ‘Shakuntal’ epic in three months, ‘Sulochana’ epic in 10 days and ‘Kunjini’ long narrative poem in a single day.
