Mero Chowk

Mero chowk is the second poem of Bhupi I read. When my friend tossed the book "Ghumne Mech Maathi Andho Manche" in my hand, I opened it to have a look through it. And this poem happened to be the first poem and I read it. I read it and read it again (not again and again..only twice) but nevertheless I was very impressed with it.. The surreal picturization of of a struggling man living in a small 'Galli' in Kathamandu (just the way I was back then).
But this was all as I had to hurry back and those days I rarely did have time for 'other'/'extra' stuffs like poem or anything (busy with academics and personal works I must say). But next time when I thought of Nepali poems, this was the one which struck me first. Anyway my poetry knowledge was not that good to recall any good works by any poem but Bhupi struck me with this. And this is how here a renewed (I must say renewed because I had lost the interest back then. But before I came to Kathmandu, my grandpa, mom and mama were (maybe) tortured for my insistence to tell me some poems and recite them..but they were basically limited to good 'ol time poems. I mean Ramayana and Mahabharat and latest poems then used to be Chakrapani Chalise!!)

Anyway this new interest waves took me back to Bhupi and I got drowned in him!! Now I have many favorite poems but this being the first one keeps a big importance.. And as always repeating is always fun as We tend to find more meanings and sense than before..

For those who can not understand Nepali, I have searched for translated version of this poem also.. Very sorry that I didn't realise to note his name.. I will post the translators name after searching it. But till then the translated version of Mero Chowk is below

My Yard

In a narrow alley is my yard.
what isn?t here? everything is.
countless disease,
endless hunger,
boundless grief,
only bliss is absent,
there?s a ban on it.
in a narrow alley is my yard.
what isn?t here? everything is.
in this yard of mine
god-made men and
man-made gods
both live.
but both are dejected.
both are frustrated.
men are dejected
because they are
tortured by fleas all-night-long
tortured by monies all-day-long
and the gods are frustrated
because
no one worships them, no one respects them
so, in this yard
gods and men
blaming each other
curse their luck together
in a narrow alley is my yard.
what isn?t here? everything is.

By Bhupi Sherchan
Translated by Suman Subba

Ps: I just did a google search and found him..our dear translator is named Suman Subba.
Thanks Suman Daju...