Balkrishna Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana or Bala Krishna Sama ( ne, बालकृष्ण सम; 8 February 1903 - 20 June 1981) was a Nepalese

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. For his great contributions to

Nepali literature Nepali literature ( ne, नेपाली साहित्य) refers to literature written in the Nepali language. The Nepali language has been the national language of Nepal since 1958.Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Lite ...

, he was awarded the title ''Natya Siromani'' (Crest-jewel of playwright). He is considered as one of the trimurti (trinity) of Nepali literature alongside

Laxmi Prasad Devkota Laxmi Prasad Devkota ( ne, लक्ष्मीप्रसाद देवकोटा) (1909-1959) was a Nepali poet, playwright, and novelist. Honored with the title of Mahakabi ( ne, माहाकवि) in Nepali literature, he was kno ...

and

Lekhnath Paudyal Lekhnath Paudyal ( ne, लेखनाथ पौड्याल; 1885–1966) is regarded as the founding father of modern Nepali poetry literature (Kabi Shiromani) in the twentieth-century. His most important contribution is believed to be to ...

. He is often called the "

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

" of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

Personal life

He was born on February 8, 1903 to General Samar Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana and Kirtirajyalaksmi Rana in Gyaneshwar,

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

. He married Mandakini in 1921. Sama was awarded with the Tribhuwan Puraskar from Nepal Rajakiya Pragya Prathistan in 1972. The same year he received the Bishesh Upadhi from

Tribhuvan University Tribhuvan University (TU; ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. In terms of enrollment, it is t ...

and in 1978, the Prithvi Pragya Puraskar from Pragya Pratisthan. He died in 1981.

Education

Sama graduated from

Durbar High School Durbar High School () or Bhanu Higher Secondary School, opened in 1854 is the oldest modern school in Nepal located near Rani Pokhari, Kathmandu. The school was originally built to teach sons of Ranas exclusively but was opened to public citizens i ...

Ranipokhari Rani Pokhari ( ne, रानी पोखरी; lit. queen's pond), originally known as Nhu Pukhu ( new, न्हू पुखू; lit. new pond), is a historic artificial pond located in the heart of Kathmandu, Nepal. The square-shaped tan ...

and studied science in

Tri-Chandra College Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, more colloquially known as Tri-Chandra College, is a constituent campus of Tribhuvan University located in Ghantaghar, Kathmandu. Found in 1918 by Chandra Shumsher, it is the oldest institute of higher learning in Ne ...

. During his second academic year, he was sent to

Dehradoon Dehradun () is the capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, district and is governed by the Dehr ...

for

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

training as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. After that, he became a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

under the premiership of Chandra Shumsher Rana, who was the

Prime Minister of Nepal The Prime Minister of Nepal ( ne, नेपालको प्रधानमन्त्री) is the head of government of Nepal. The Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers of Nepal and the chief adviser to the President of N ...

at the time.

Writing career

A majority of his time, Sama was alone at home finding peace in solitude, gradually spending more time in art and literary activities. He started publishing his writings in reputed magazines such as ''Sarada'', ''Udhyog'', and ''Shahitya Shrot''. Afterwards, he shortened his surname "Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana" to "Sama" because he no longer wished to be associated with a ruling

regime In politics, a regime (also "régime") is the form of government or the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of a government or institution and its interactions with society. According to Yale professor Juan Jo ...

that had once governed Nepal with

autocracy Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perh ...

. His

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

''Bhater'', published in Pragati in 1953, reflects his feelings on

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

Notable works

Several of his

dramas Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been c ...

have been inspired by

's works. His dramas such as ''Prem Pinda'', ''Swasni Manchhe'', ''Buhartan'', ''Tapobhumi'', ''Atyadhunikta'', and ''Bhater'' present the social context of the

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histori ...

era; ''Mukunda Indira'', ''Ma'' and ''Mutuko Byatha'' show the emotional and romantic sides of Sama's personality. ''Amit Basana'', ''Boksi'', ''Talamathi'', and ''Andhabeg'' are based on the topic of human

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. His dramas on historical personalities, ''Amar Singh'', '' Bhimsen Ko Antya'', and ''Bhakta Bhanubhakta''. ''Birami Ra Kuruwa'' is another drama dealing with philosophy, while ''Prahlad'' and ''Dhruba'' are based on

religious Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

figures. During his time, Bal Krishna Sama became known as one of Nepal's greatest dramatists. Sama also wrote stories,

poems Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in a ...

essays An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...

, compositions, and

biographies A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

. His contemporaries

and Lekhnath Poudyal were involved in writing poetry. ''Aago Ra Paani'' and ''Chiso Chulho'' are his popular epics. He wrote an essay ''Nepal Lalit Kala'' on Nepalese art, as well as the biography ''Hamra Rastriya Bhibhutiharu'' and the two-part autobiography ''Mero Kabita Ko Aradhana''. His best-known short story, ''Kaikai'', was published in 1938. His short story collection book, ''Taltal'', was published

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

in 1990.

Later work

He worked as a

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

teaching

Nepali language Nepali (; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Himalayas region of South Asia. It is the official, and most widely spoken, language of Nepal, where it also serves as a '' lingua franca''. Nepali has official status in the Indian st ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

Tri Chandra College Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, more colloquially known as Tri-Chandra College, is a constituent campus of Tribhuvan University located in Ghantaghar, Kathmandu. Found in 1918 by Chandra Shumsher, it is the oldest institute of higher learning in Ne ...

. In 1955, he became director of Nepal Radio and chief editor of the newspaper ''

Gorkhapatra ''Gorkhapatra'' () is the oldest Nepali language state-owned national daily newspaper of Nepal. It was started as a weekly newspaper in May 1901 and became a daily newspaper in 1961. It is managed by the Gorkhapatra Sansthan. ''The Rising Nepal' ...

''. In 1967, he became a member of the

Royal Nepal Academy The Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), formerly known as Royal Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल राजकीय प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), is an autonomo ...

when it was established, and later as the

vice chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

. Following his retirement in 1971, Sama continued writing, publishing many of his poems in nationally reputed

magazines A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...

like ''Madhuparka'' and ''Ramjham''. In fact, many of his works remain unpublished or incomplete, many of which he read out during literary programmes. His unpublished dramas include ''Gangalal'', ''Aja'', ''Milinad'', ''Prem'', ''Chinta'', and ''Prandaan''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sama, Balkrishna Nepalese dramatists and playwrights Artist authors 1903 births 1981 deaths State funerals in Nepal Durbar High School alumni Tri-Chandra College alumni Sajha Puraskar winners 20th-century Nepalese writers 20th-century Nepalese male writers 20th-century Nepalese poets People from Kathmandu