The short stories in this anthology share a unique distinction: all navigate the different aspects of the Maoist insurgency in Nepal when the Himalayan country of Mount Everest was thrown chaotically into ‘People’s War.’

Originally written in Nepali by police officers, Maoist fighters, and established authors, the stories show different aspects of the war time era of Nepal during the decade starting 1996.

Manu Brajaki’s Now, Your Turn, My Dear! offers an intimate look at the crippling fear and tragedy that befall a couple. Bhaupanthi’s The Senseless Killing of a Man focuses on the gratuitous killing of a government officer. Maya Thakuri’s The Descending Mountain explores the grim reality of rural life during the conflict, and Padmavati Singh’s The Silence of Violence centers on the plight of a displaced village woman.

Bhagirathi Shrestha’s Execution mingles the disturbed mental state and execution of its main character with the questionable war-time values of society. Sharmila Khadka’s Sukanya, Alias Nilima presents an injured officer’s stream of consciousness during his hazy awakening after an attack, and Roshan Thapa’s Unbearable follows a man’s emotional return to his razed village.

In Khagendra Sangraula’s Hareram’s Mother, we suffer through an old woman’s lamentation over the death of her son. Similarly, we endure the plight of a poor farmer in Ghanashyam Dhakal’s Remorse. In both Homshankar Bastola’s The Shadow of a Gun and Saral Sahayatri’s We, Two Soldiers we are presented with both sides of the war and its destructive ability to divide close friends. Mahesh Bikram Shah’s ‘Buddha in the Slaughterhouse’ presents an eerie scene of death and depravity, reminiscent of Hitler’s concentration camps.

A young soldier observes a pregnant woman’s murder in Nirmal Acharya’s A Civil Servant’s Diary, while Rajkumar Dikpal’s Liwang, 2006 tells the harrowing tale of an old woman. Finally, we accompany a captive soldier on his march to death in Nawa Silwal’s The Prisoner.

Fear is the central theme of all stories. A valuable reference material for the researchers of conflict and war.
–Dr. Govinda Raj Bhattarai, Professor of English

Showcases the work of literary writers who have engaged with Nepal’s Maoist insurgency. A wide range of writers is included in this collection.
–Manjushree Thapa, Bestselling Author

Rebel is a rebellious voice against inequality, impunity,corruption, and all injustices against the poor people . . . throws light on the country’s grave social, economic, and political situation during the time of conflict.
–Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Former Prime-Minister of Nepal

1. Now, Your Turn, My Dear! –By Manu Brajaki
2. The Senseless Killing of a Man –By Bhaupanthi
3. The Silence of Violence –By Padmavati Singh
4. Execution –By Bhagirathi Shrestha
5. Sukanya, Alias Nilima –By Sharmila Khadka
6. Unbearable –By Roshan Thapa
7. Hareram’s Mother –By Khagendra Sangraula
8. Remorse –By Ghanashyam Dhakal
9. The Shadow of a Gun –By Homshankar Bastola
10. We, Two Soldiers –By Saral Sahayatri
11. Buddha in the Slaughterhouse –By Mahesh Bikram Shah
12. A Civil Servant’s Diary –By Nirmal Acharya
13. Liwang, 2006 –By Rajkumar Dikpal
14. The Prisoner –By Nawa Silwal

Sukanya, Alias Nilima by Sharmila Khadka

Sukankya Urf Nilima (Sukanya, Alias Nilima), written by SHARMILA KHADKA and translated by RAM KHATRI, tells the story of a high-ranking government officer and a female fighter set in the Maoist war period in Nepal. The author presents the officer’s point of view and his stream of thought in the story. The officer is psychologically attached to the young girl who helps take care of him after he is maimed in an attack on the headquarters.

I feel the warmth of an exhale of breath next to me and I wake up. With difficulty my eyes open for a moment but, quickly, they close again. All my senses feel dull. I find myself so weak that I can hardly muster the energy to do anything. I, again, try to get a grip of my senses and open my eyes. Slowly,I try to take in my surroundings. I see a woman lying next to me. I lift my right hand, feeling its heaviness, and bring it to the woman’s mouth.

She is sleeping to my right, her plump chest against my own. I feel a ring on her nose. My body is numbed with pain. It feels like I am in somebody else’s.

I try to speak but my throat feels constricted. No words come. The connection between my heart and my mind is gone. My mind feels completely empty. My strength is gone. I am unable to think.

After a while, my mind jolts and quick images flash. The memories that come to me feel like deja vu- like something I have seen before in a film.

Where am I? Who am I sleeping next to? Did I ruin this woman’s future in a moment of weakness from the intoxication of a heavy drink? I have never ogled at any woman. But who is this mysterious woman sleeping with me?

A fuzzy picture of a small house nestled in a jungle comes to my mind. Birds chirp outside, signaling daybreak. My memory begins to come back. I have been posted as a district officer from Kathmandu to this remote district of Western Nepal.

I search my memory. Where was I yesterday? What was I doing? I stretch my memory as far as I can. All these images that came so quickly are fading just as fast. But, the memory is still there in my conscious state. It feels like thousands of sounds start to rattle in my head.

📖 Download FREE sample or consider purchasing to continue reading! 📖