Kathmandu: The 112th birth anniversary of the great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota is being celebrated today by organizing various programs at home and abroad.
The great poet Devkota was born in 1966 BS in Dilli Bazaar, Kathmandu on the day of Kartik Krishna Aunsi which is also known as a day of Lakshmi Puja.
Devkota, who started writing poetry at the age of ten, has published many epics, short stories, essays, stories, plays, novels, songs, critiques and miscellaneous poems.
Devkota, who started writing modern epics in Nepali literature, ‘Munamadan’ is the best-selling book published in Nepali language so far. Devkota, the pioneer of the Romantic-Progressive trend in Nepali literature, reflects humanism, love of nature and revolution. His creations combine Eastern and Western philosophy.
Natya Samrat Bal Krishna Sam had said that Devkota was born three times with the epics ‘Munamadan’, ‘Shakuntala’ and ‘Pagal’.
He also made important contributions to the worldwide promotion of Nepali literature by translating Nepali works into foreign languages and by representing Nepal in various conferences held abroad. The great poet Devkota had selected the essays of 15 prose writers of English literature such as Francis Bacon and Charles Lass and published ‘Famous Essays’ in 1997 BS.
In 2016, when he was the Minister of Education and Autonomous Government, Nepali language was introduced as a compulsory subject all over Nepal. He also actively contributed to the establishment of the present Nepal Pragya-Pratishthan.
Devkota, who wrote the epic ‘Shakuntala’ in three months, the epic ‘Sulochana’ in ten days and the ‘Kunjini’ epic in one day, had the ability to write poetry immediately. Devkota’s poetic talent, qualitative value of poetry and numerical contribution is unique even today.
His literary specialty is to provide high quality literature to Nepal and Nepalis even in the midst of extreme economic hardship and family separation and political activism.
The great poet Devkota himself translated the poem ‘Pagal’ into English. He has translated many ballads into Nepali from Western Greek sources. Examples of this are the epic poems like ‘Mayavini’, ‘Sundari Projarpina’ published in 2024 BS and the epic ‘Prometheus’.