Narratives of Ageing, Narratives of Nation-building: Manjul and the Poetics of Dissidence in Nepal

Abstract

This article reads the work of a publicly engaged poet from Nepal, Manjul, to explore how revolutions age along with humans and nations. His recent work is juxtaposed against his earlier political activism leading a radical movement ‘Ralpha’ which had spearheaded literary activism against the Panchayati dictatorship. Earlier known for his subversive lifestyle and rebellious literary repertoire, Manjul later turned self-reflective, not only pondering on the ironies of everyday living and the poetics of dissidence but also inching towards a more humanised outlook on the ideals of the nation and the state. Clearly, there are paradoxes in the way the intimate and the public, the accordant and the disruptive, and the conformist and the subversive are played off against one another by those in power. In a poetic tribute dedicated to his forebearer poet Siddhicharan, Manjul contemplates how political slogans may inspire and even serve as cornerstones for certain strands of poetry. However, he emphasises how these slogans are only one of the many dimensions of society and nation. The flame of revolutionary spirit still burns within Manjul even in his advanced years. Yet, it seamlessly blends into the broader tapestry of life embracing the sanctity of thought, expression and action. The article situates this corpus within the anthropological debates on the epistemologies of writing culture.