Bhupendra Man Sherchan, popularly known as Bhupi Sherchan (1937-1989) was a
Nepali poet and academician. He is one of the most beloved and widely read Nepali poets. He was awarded the
Sajha Puraskar
Sajha Puraskar () is a literary award given by Sajha Publications. It is presented annually to the best book published by Sajha Publication.
History
It was established in 1967 and the first award was given to Bhupi Sherchan for his book ' ...
for his 1969 poetry collection ''
Ghumne Mech Mathi Andho Manche'', which remains his most popular work.
Early life and education
Sherchan was born on 27 December 1937 (12 Poush 1992
BS) in
Tukuche
Tukuche, sometimes spelt Tukche, is a village development committee in Mustang District in the Dhawalagiri Zone of northern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 652 people living in 166 individual households.
The v ...
,
Mustang district in an affluent
Thakali family to father Subba Hit Man Sherchan and mother Padma Kumari Sherchan. He was their fifth child. Since he was born on the day of Pushe Aunsi (New moon day of the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
month
Poush
Poush ( bn, পৌষ; ne, पौष) is the 9th month of both the Bengali calendar and the Nepali calendar. It overlaps December and January of the Gregorian calendar. It is the first month of the winter season. This month marks the start of Wi ...
), his father considered the new-born inauspicious and refused to see his face until six months later, after consulting an astrologer.
His mother died when he was five years old. At the age of around ten or twelve, he moved to
Banaras with his elder brother, Yogendra Man and niece, Urmila.
Student life
While in college, he started being involved in politics. The main political parties in Banaras then were the Congress and Communists. Sherchan became associated with the Communists. He published his first work, a play titled ''Pariwartan'', in 1951, while in college. The play was published under his real name Bhupendra Man Sherchan, when he 16 years old. It was inspired by the
anti-Rana protest in Nepal. He also started writing ''Sarbahara'' (Proletariat) after his name.
Since his brother was a member of the
Nepali Congress
The Nepali Congress ( ne, नेपाली कांग्रेस ; abbr. NC) is the largest social democratic political party in Nepal. As per the results of recent local election, ''Nepali Congress'' stands as the single largest party of ...
and he was Communist, there was an ideological rift between the brothers which led to Sherchan moving out of his brother's residence. He started writing poems under a pseudonym. Simultaneously, protests against the Rana regime had begun in Nepal. He took part in the protests which led to his imprisonment.
He received a BA degree from
Banaras College.
Literary life
Sherchan's family traditionally worked as traders and merchants, but he did not pursue either profession. Instead, he decided to immerse himself in the Nepali literary world. His first poetry collection ''Nayam Jhyaure'' was published by Janayug Prakashan, Benaras, in 1953. The poetry collection was published under his pseudonym ''Sarbahara'' (Proletariat) and was influenced by communist ideology. In , he became the district secretary of the
Communist Party of Nepal
The Communist Party of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी), abbreviated CPN, was a communist party in Nepal from 1949 to 1962. It was founded on 15 September 1949 to struggle against the autocratic Rana ...
.
''Nirjhar'', Sherchan's second poetry collection was published in 1958 by Narendra Yantralaya in Kathmandu. The poems in this collection follow the Nepalese metric style (''Chhanda''). He started writing under the name Bhupi Sherchan after publishing ''Nirjhar''. In 1969,
Sajha Prakashan
Sajha Publications ( ne, साझा प्रकाशन, lit=Common Publication, translit=Sajha Prakashan) is the oldest publishing house of Nepal. It was established in 1913 and is funded by the Government of Nepal. Headquartered in Lalitpur ...
published an anthology of his poems in a book ''Ghumne Mechmathi Andho Manche''. The poems in this collection were originally published in literary periodicals such as
R''uprekha'' and ''Madhuparka''. The book won him the first ever
Sajha Puraskar
Sajha Puraskar () is a literary award given by Sajha Publications. It is presented annually to the best book published by Sajha Publication.
History
It was established in 1967 and the first award was given to Bhupi Sherchan for his book ' ...
in late 2025
BS (1969).
''Bhupi Sherchan Ka Kavita'', a poetry collection edited by Shiva Regmi was published in 2008. The collection contains poems published in various literary magazines but not included in ''Ghumne Mech Mathi Andho Manchhe''.
He is considered the most successful Nepalese poet to have employed
free verse
Free verse is an open form of poetry, which in its modern form arose through the French '' vers libre'' form. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech.
Defi ...
. His poems reflected his analysis of humans and human life from different perspectives, and his biggest contribution to Nepalese society is regarded to be his attempts to guide his generation through poetry. His Himalayan nationalism can be seen in his poem ''Hami'' (Us), where he claimed that Nepalese are brave, but foolish (because they are brave).
Sherchan produced several odes to the martyrs of Nepal, including ''Sahid Ko Samjhana'', ''Main Batti Ko Sikha'', and ''Ghantaghar''. ''Ghumne Mech Mathi Andho Manche'' (Blind Man on a Revolving Chair) is his most popular poetry collection.
Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature
' (Voices from Asia), edited and translated by Michael J. Hutt, University of California Press, 1991. p. 5.
He was also appointed 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 ...
for two terms from 1979 to 1989.
Notable Works
Play
*''Pariwartan'' (, 1951)
Poetry collections
* ''Nayam Jhyaure'' (, 1956)
* ''Nirjhar'' (, 1958)
* ''Ghumne Mech Mathi Andho Manche'' (, 1969)
* ''Bhupi Sherchan Ka Kavita'' (, edited by Shiva Regmi, 2008)
Personal life and death
Sherchan married twice. His first marriage was to Om Kumari Tulachan and in 1969, he married Kanti Rana. He had six children (five daughters and a son) with Om Kumari Tulachan and two (a daughter and a son) with Kanti Rana. Since his college days, he had developed the habit of smoking that led to lung-related complications later. He was also interested in music and cricket.
He died on 14 May 1989 (1 Jestha 2046 BS) in Kathmandu.
Legacy
Sherchan is considered the pioneer of free verse poetry in Nepali literature. Prof.
Michael J. Hutt published Sherchan's biography, ''The life of Bhupi Sherchan: Poetry and Politics in Post-Rana Nepal'' in 2010. The biography also contains Sherchan's poems translated by Hutt into English.
The title of the 2022 Nepali movie ''
Chiso Ashtray'' is based on Sherchan's poem from the collection ''Ghumne Mechmathi Andho Manche'', of the same name.
See also
*
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 k ...
*
Shankar Lamichhane
Shankar Lamichhane ( ne, शङ्कर लामिछाने; 1928 – 1976) was a Nepalese essayist and short–story writer. He is best known for his Madan Puraskar–winning essay collection '' Abstract Chintan Pyaj''.
Early life
He wa ...
*
Parijat
''Nyctanthes arbor-tristis'', also known as the Night-flowering jasmine or Parijat (Parvati chi phula), is a species of ''Nyctanthes'' native to South Asia and Southeast Asia.Flora of Pakistan''Nyctanthes arbor-tristis''/ref>AgroForestry Tre ...
*
Banira Giri
References
Further reading
* M.J. Hutt, ''The life of Bhupi Sherchan: Poetry and Politics in Post-Rana Nepal'' Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2010,
External links
Some poems of Bhupi Sherchan in English translationBhupi SherchanOfficial websiteInterview Part 1Interview Part 2
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherchan, Bhupi
1937 births
1990 deaths
Nepalese male poets
Nepali-language poets
People from Mustang District
20th-century poets
20th-century Nepalese poets
Nepali-language writers from Nepal
Sajha Puraskar winners
Thakali people
Banaras Hindu University alumni