THE SEMINAL WORK OF A POKHARELI SCHOLAR

Bam Dev Poudyal is a well-known writer. Photo: LB Thapa

By writing the draft of the Nepali constitution, I wanted to prove that the writing of the constitution may be difficult but not impossible. In fact, by writing the draft of the Nepali constitution, I deliberately lampooned upon CA members' pseudo commitment of writing a constitution of the country," said Poudyal sarcastically.

By LB THAPA

Ever since time immemorial, Pokhara has been the epicenter of knowledge. In the past, aspirants of true knowledge would invariably come to Pokhara and quench their thirst for knowledge. In the passage of time, Pokhara has already produced many acclaimed literary figures and great scholars of note. 

Continuing the rich tradition of knowledge and wisdom, recently one name has drawn everyone's attention. He is a Pokhareli scholar, Bam Dev Poudyal. Mr. Poudyal is a lecturer in English and teaches at some reputed colleges in Pokhara. He holds three master's degrees for his credit. The first degree is in English, Political Science and Law. In addition, there are over two dozen books on various subjects under his belt. In brief, Mr. Poudyal is a prolific author of supreme command and authority.   

He had created a whirlpool in Nepali politics when he all alone wrote a draft of the Nepali constitution and published it at his own risk. His astonishing work of writing the draft of the Nepali constitution immediately became the hot subject for discussion in Nepali media. Senior political analysts and legal experts found the work of Poudyal eye-opening for the people who have been assigned to write a constitution of the country. 

"By writing the draft of the Nepali constitution, I wanted to prove that the writing of the constitution may be difficult but not impossible. In fact, by writing the draft of the Nepali constitution, I deliberately lampooned upon CA members' pseudo commitment of writing a constitution of the country," said Poudyal sarcastically. 

Prior to writing a draft of the Nepali constitution, Mr. Poudyal was more familiar with the mass as a textbook and reference book writer. But after the publication of the draft of the Nepali constitution, he proved his mettle of writing on serious and sensitive subjects one like a draft of the Nepali constitution. However, Mr. Poudyal was not complacent after the initial success of the draft of the Nepali constitution. He was rather encouraged to go for a big. And that big he delivered when he singlehandedly produced his magnum opus…a huge dictionary.   

"There were three professors and me to complete the dictionary, but after a few months of work they gave up. I spoke with the publisher but they could not find anyone to work with me on the dictionary. I must admit that the writing of the English-English-Nepali dictionary was in a true sense a frightening task indeed. In the end, I understood that I had to complete the dictionary without anybody's assistance. I expedited the workdays and nights and eventually, I accomplished the task that seemed insurmountable in the beginning…I heaved the sigh of relief" said Poudyal proudly. 

It was the compilation of Sanjeevani Advanced Learner's dictionary that actually brought Bam Dev Poudyal into the limelight. With the publication of this dictionary, most probably he has become the first Pokhareli to accomplish the task of compiling such a vast dictionary alone. The wording in the dictionary both English to English and Nepali is in a lucid form that makes its readers easy to comprehend the meaning of the words without much effort. 

Bam Dev Poudyal, the author, has a unique linguistic advantage. He can write in English and Nepali languages with equal ease and excellence. Had he not been well versed in both languages, he would have never become successful to compile the dictionary alone, which otherwise required a team of experts in Nepali and English languages. 

"It was by no means an easy task to compile the dictionary alone. Actually, it was a task of a team of experts. However, I was alone and received no help at all. Even I had to type all the scripts on my desktop.  At times my wife lost her nerves and asked me to give up, but I remained adamant and never gave in," said Mr. Poudyal triumphantly.   

Bam Dev Poudyal is an author from Pokhara. Photo: LB Thapa

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