Originally published: 1964 Author: Parijat Pages: 65 Genre: Novel Language: Nepali Original title: शिरीषको फूल
Also Known as Blue Mimosa in English Version.
Shirish Ko Phool is a novel written by prominent Nepali writer Parijat and also published in the English language as The Blue Mimosa.The novel is highly acclaimed in Nepali literature and has also been adapted in the literature curriculum of some colleges in some English speaking countries.
Shirish Ko Phool is a welcome break from Nepal’s generally politically focused literature. The story, written by Bishnu Kumari Waiba, better known by her pen name Parijat, has no political underpinnings and is not affected by politics in any manner. Despite the fact that the book is only sixty pages long, it has the potential to have a significant impact on the readers.
The story sings with suffering, and the book’s harsh irony will linger with readers for a long time. Its main strengths are the characters with whom people can identify and the fact that it is a book with a heart. What sets the book unique from others is its bitter and sorrowful tale, as well as its exploration into the deepest thoughts of the main character, who has a global character.
Shirish ko Phool is set in the background of the narrator, Suyog Bir Singh, who is also a former World War soldier, going through a mid-life crisis. He has no one to call his family or friends because he lives an uninteresting and uncelebrated existence in a vacuum (sunya), which is why he puts all of his bitterness into alcohol. He frequently visits a bar for a drink, where he meets Shivaraj, a younger drinking companion who invites Suyog to his home, where he meets Sakambari, a sixteen-year-younger woman with whom he develops feelings.
Sakambari is depicted in the book as the Shirish (from which the book’s title is derived), a flower that blooms and brings warmth to the chilly planet. Suyog is overcome with self-hatred as a result of his passion for Sakambari. His sense of love and the fact that life is painful shakes him to his core. Sakambari, like a flower, withers away and falls to the ground.
The book is not about triumph, but about a life that is empty and pointless, as well as a toxic love for a woman. Sakambari is portrayed as a powerful, independent, and spiteful lady with atheistic views who despises appearing weak in front of her male counterparts, whereas Suyog is a poor mortal who believes Sakambari is stronger than him. The book’s language is understandable, despite the fact that it is incredibly poetic. Shirish ko Phool by Parijat is one of the best novels in Nepali language and a must-read. It’s also known as The Blue Mimosa in English, and it’s taught in various university courses.
Published Date: 01-01-2014 Book Award: Madan Puraskar [मदन पुरस्कार] ISBN: 9789937322980 Publisher: Sajha Prakashan Book Genre: Novel
Pagal Basti is a classic Nepalese book. It’s a sad love story that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Family and society play an important role in most love stories, but this one is different because there is no third party involved in the lovers’ lives.
When we think of love, we can describe it in a variety of ways, see it in a variety of ways, and experience it in a variety of ways. Before falling in love, one must understand the true essence of love. While I say this, it may sound like it’s an adolescent love story about two people who fell in love but don’t understand what love is. But, in reality, this is a narrative about two adult individuals who understand what love is and how valuable it is. They were intelligent, considerate, and even successful in life. However, because the two of them experienced love at different times and in distinct ways, their love was incompatible. They ended up nowhere but vanity as a result of the fight between two types of love. I never imagined that time could play such a significant part in one’s life. Time may be both a healer and an adversary.
Aside from love, the author has done an excellent job of addressing many aspects of our society. The author has thrown light on the hypocrisy of leaders, their useless ideas, and meaningless activities to which blind followers commit their valuable lives through a fictitious place called Pagal Basti. The author has made the reader aware that any civilization might devolve into a Pagal Basti if its individuals are not responsible for their actions and have no conscience. In the story, Pagal Basti isn’t a location where insane people are locked up; rather, it’s a place where ordinary people act insanely.
Pagal Basti is one of the best novels in decades due to the author’s thoughtfulness and a high degree of intellect, his unique method of expression, and sophisticated language employed in the plot. It gives readers the opportunity to consider how love differs from ego. It’s well worth your time to read.
Do you love Nepali romantic suspense stories? If so, then you’ll want to read “The Hidden Truth.” This is the story of Ravi, a successful businessman who falls in love with Sita, a woman who works in his company. Everything seems perfect, until Sita is accused of stealing from the company. Ravi knows she’s innocent, but no one will believe him.
Determined to clear Sita’s name, Ravi investigates the matter himself. He finds that the case is more complicated than he thought, with everyone hiding something. As he gets closer to the truth, Ravi realizes that there’s more at stake than just Sita’s reputation.
Throughout the investigation, Ravi and Sita grow closer and support each other. They eventually discover that the true thief is someone unexpected. Ravi confronts them and forces them to confess, clearing Sita’s name.
In the end, Ravi and Sita’s love triumphs over lies and deceit. They emerge stronger and more in love than ever before. This story is an excellent example of the power of love and how it can overcome anything.
If you’re a fan of Nepali romantic suspense stories, be sure to read “The Hidden Truth.” It’s a story that will captivate and inspire you, showing that love can conquer all.
Horror Story
When we were child we always heard about witches and witchcraft. In my childhood, I heard a story about a witch who takes the youth and beauty of other people. So today I am going to share a story. On a dark rainy night, a truck driver was driving the truck to the hills to load some logs of woods. Suddenly when he was traveling to the hills, the weather got worst, wind storms and thunders began to strike near the hills. It was being very difficult for him to drive so he was looking for shelter. Then he saw a small light on another top of the hills, then he decided to travel there with his truck.
After some time he reached there and found that it was an old tree-house, where there were many birds on that tree. He came near to the house and peek from a window there was a burning candle on the wooden table. He didn’t saw any person from the window then he opened the wooden cracked door and entered the house and gave a voice “Is anybody in there?”. Then someone came from the dark, it was a woman with a white sari dress. She looked so beautiful with a smile on her face and silky straight hair. The truck driver asked for help in a polite voice, then she told him to sit on the chair, and will bring him a cup of soup and a blanket. After a while, she came with a cup of soup and a blanket. The soup tastes awesome but he felt dizzy and fell asleep. Then the woman carried and throw him into the basement where there was a chunk of dead bodies.
Informative Story
A story about ZEN – Empty your mind
Once upon a time, A professor went to a zen master. He asked him the meaning of zen. The Master quietly poured a cup of tea. The cup was full but he continues to pour. The professor could not stand any longer, so he questioned the master impatiently: Why do you keep pouring when the cup is full. I want to point to you, The master said you are similarly attempting to understand zen while your mind is full. First, empty your mind of preconceptions before you attempt to understand zen. If your mind is empty. It is always ready for anything: it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind, there are few. You see in life, in your life, we all are full of preconceptions all the time. We are constantly judging and trying to relate things, actions, disasters to one another but this is wrong, our mind must be empty, we should not have any preconceptions, and we should take every event, every word, every feeling as what it is. Keep an empty mind, and your heart will be always full.
Zen is a type of Buddhism that focuses on awareness through the practice of meditation. … The definition of zen is slang for feeling peaceful and relaxed. An example of zen as an adjective is to have a zen experience, how you feel during a day at the spa.
Zen Means Felling peaceful and relaxed
Short Story
Doctor in a resque
Episode-1
1. A poor man was laying at the corner of the street. He got cut in his left arm.
2. Doctor walking by the road from the hospital. Suddenly saw that man in pain. The doctor tries to help and requests him to visit the hospital but the poor man denies it, he told: “I don’t need your help”. Then the doctor goes from there. After some time he came back with some first aid kits.
3. Doctor tries to cure the poor man’s wound but he still denies it. Then the doctor says “Let me help, if that wound is not cured properly then you can even lose your arm. I won’t charge any money for you.”
4. Then the poor man let the doctor cure his wound. After the treatment, the poor man says, “Thank you” in a polite voice. And the doctor smiles and tries to return back to his duty, but again the poor man calls a doctor and said, “Hy Doctor, I have my little girl in my house who is very sick. Can you help please?”
To be continue…
Episode-2
1. Then the doctor smiles again and said,” ya sure, but I can’t go far from here. I have a duty in the hospital and lots of patients are waiting for me.”
2. The poor man replied, “No it’s not far from here”
3. Then the doctor follows the poor man and goes to his old, dark and dirty house. The doctor tries to check the girl but she doesn’t let the doctor check, then the poor man convinces her by saying he is a good man and can help her.
4. After that the girl let the doctor check her. The doctor put his hand to her head, she was caught by a high fever, and then the doctor asks, “What else you feel in your body?”
5. The girl replied, “I got a continuous cough, headache, and my whole body pains with difficulty to breath.”
6. Doctor suggests to them, “We need to take her to the hospital it’s very serious”. After that, she denies it and didn’t want to go to the hospital at any cost. And tell the doctor to go from here. The doctor feels sad and returns back from there.
To be continue…
Episode-3
After some days while the doctor was working in the hospital, suddenly some people came there, searching and shouting with a loud voice for the doctor. Then the doctor saw that and run to help them. That girl was in a very serious condition and unconscious. Then the doctor admits her to ICU and starts the treatment. After huge care treatment from all the hospital’s staff, she had recovered in some days. The family of that girl felt happy and the doctor felt proud.
The story begins with Rameshwor’s marriage. His marriage occurs unexpectedly. After his breakup with his girlfriend, his family hunts for a female and he marries within a week. He did, however, fall in love with a female prior to marriage. He proposes to her after chatting on Facebook, but her family objects, so he gets married to show her.
Sundar and Shuban, his two best buddies, begin to peek at the girls in his marriage. Meanwhile, Shuban notices a modest girl wearing a basic sari with no jewelry in the food line. She has the appearance of a teacher.
During the wedding, he is solely focused on that girl and follows her, but he later fails to notice her. He wishes to speak with her but is unable to do so. He hopes they will meet the next day at the celebration. Fortunately, she appears to the party the next day. He sees her on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, Shuban’s friend Sundar was also fixated by her, something he didn’t appreciate. She approaches him after a few minutes and asks,
“Where are you from?”
“Kathmandu.”
“I didn’t ask the place. I said from which side are you from: bride or bridegroom?”
“From bridegroom side.”
“Do you know me?”
“Yes?” He felt nervous.
“Do you know me?”
“No.”
They began a new chat once this one ended. He didn’t tell her name when he asked for it. Despite the fact that she didn’t know her name, he introduced himself and departed the scene. On the way, he felt bad about not knowing her name. He felt he could have done a virtual search.
She had made him a Facebook friend request on the same day. Monsoon was her name, and he accepted her buddy request. They began speaking after that. He’d begun to fall in love with her. Her issue, though, was that she was cranky. She used to converse when she wanted to, and she used to ignore when she didn’t. Furthermore, he was frequently enraged when she did not answer the phone.
CONCLUSION
The story is straightforward, and the language is straightforward as well. Furthermore, the tale is similar to viewing a movie. Not only that, but Rameshwor, Sundar, and Shuban have a natural friendship. Their disagreements, egos, and fights could be pertinent to today’s friendships. Falling in love with the same girl, receiving rejection from the same girl, and having the ego prevent you from speaking to your best friends is all very natural and well-presented.
The plot is a straightforward love story. It piques the readers’ interest in what will happen next. Why was Monsoon acting so strangely? Why does she despise Shuban while also adoring him? This piques my interest. More importantly, will Shuban still love her despite her behavior?
Rameshwor and Sundar are two of my favorite characters. They’re funny and make the audience chuckle. Shuban’s character exemplifies the crazy of today’s youth. With Monsoon, he can’t stay angry for long. He adores her and wishes to spend as much time with her as possible. At the same time, he is sometimes tested by her behavior. Monsoon, on the other hand, is somber. She is a character that is both perplexed and frustrated. She can be both cheerful and sad at the same moment. A reader may despise her for her actions: why was she acting so strangely? Why didn’t she accept Shuban’s love, who was always there for her? Finally, due of the tale, language, and characters, the book should be read.
Priya Sufi by Subin Bhattarai follows two sisters, Sada and Sufi, and how jealousy, lost love and a life-changing crisis reshape their bond. Framed as a story told to strangers on a highway, the novel pushes back against suicide as an answer to heartbreak, urging readers to fight the problem rather than end a life. Fans of Summer Love will recognise Bhattarai's voice, though this book is more introspective than romantic.
Overview & Premise
Before you read: this novel touches on suicide and emotional crisis as part of its plot. If you or someone you know is struggling, Nepal's 24/7 mental health helpline 1166 (toll-free) is there to talk.
Subin Bhattarai's novel Priya Sufi centers on two sisters and is, at its core, a motivational story. Given the rise in suicide rates in recent years, the author directly engages with suicide-related concerns, using the novel to help young readers reflect on the fundamental meaning of life rather than give up on it.
Where to Find Priya Sufi
Priya Sufi is published by Fine Prints and is sold through Nepali bookstores and online booksellers that stock Nepali-language fiction. Check your local bookshop or a Nepali book marketplace for current availability and pricing. If you prefer buying used copies, our guide to second hand books in Nepal covers where to look.
Plot Summary
The story opens with a group of travelers leaving Birgunj. Their Sumo vehicle breaks down on a jungle highway, and when the driver says the bonnet won't open, one of the female passengers is invited into a nearby Scorpio with a family. Unable to sit through the journey in silence, she begins talking with them — and learns that the family's son had attempted suicide after a heartbreak. That revelation becomes her cue to tell her own side of a strikingly similar story.
That passenger is Sada, a Master's student in microbiology from Budhanilkantha. She lives with her parents and her younger sister, Sufi, who is adored by everyone around her for being both beautiful and intelligent. Sada's envy of her sister colours much of her inner life, even as the two travel the same roads and keep a quiet distance from one another — Sufi sensing, without being told, that her sister prefers not to talk.
The story rewinds further, to Sada's freshman year of college, where she falls for a classmate named Sardak — a love she can't bring herself to voice, though she confides in her friends Barosa, Aditi, and Niyati. One day, riding her scooter, she notices someone following her and turns to find it's Sardak. From that encounter, the two begin meeting, and their relationship grows.
Both of their lives are transformed by a single event. What exactly happened — and what happens next — is something the novel makes you read to the very end to find out.
Themes & Writing Style
The novel holds the reader's attention right through to the final page. Bhattarai tries something a little different here, using the story as a gentle attempt to motivate rather than simply entertain — a novel he has himself described as both loving and inspiring. The pacing kept pulling me forward, curious about what would happen next, and I found myself fully immersed in it the way I suspect most readers will.
Bhattarai followed up his breakout hit Summer Love with a run of moderately successful books, and Priya Sufi doesn't try to repeat that formula. Instead of a single campus romance, it weaves together sisters, parents, and lovers, built around one central idea: when life gets hard, the answer is to fight the problem, not end the life.
Character Analysis
Sada
An introvert fully absorbed in her own surroundings and in the act of writing. Jealousy of her sister keeps her at a distance from her family, and she struggles to forgive and forget those who've wronged her — often choosing to live in the past rather than the present.
Sufi
The outgoing counterpart to Sada. Cheerful and consistently positive, she's the kind of person who forgives easily and stays present in the moment — which is exactly why everyone around her is drawn to her.
Sardak
Easygoing and similarly present-focused, uninterested in dwelling on past or future. That same instinct to avoid looking backward or forward is ultimately what leads him to end things with Sada.
Final Verdict & Rating
I enjoyed Priya Sufi and it left a real impression on me. Its characters are written well enough that you end up loving and resenting them in the same breath — constantly asking why they do the things they do. Bhattarai delivers a strong novel here, and I'd happily recommend it to readers who want fiction with something to say.
4.0/5
★★★★☆
A moving, character-driven story about sisterhood and choosing to fight rather than give up — recommended for readers who enjoyed Bhattarai's earlier work.
Looking for your next read? Browse our Nepali books review hub for more summaries and ratings of Nepali fiction.
About Subin Bhattarai
Subin Bhattarai is a Nepali novelist best known for Summer Love, which became one of the best-selling Nepali novels of its era. Priya Sufi is one of several books he has published since, continuing his focus on contemporary relationships and young-adult themes. You can also read our review of Saya, another of his novels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Priya Sufi?
Priya Sufi was written by Nepali author Subin Bhattarai and published by Fine Prints in 2075 B.S.
What is Priya Sufi about?
It follows two sisters, Sada and Sufi, and uses their story — along with Sada's lost love, Sardak — to explore jealousy, family distance, and why choosing to fight through hardship matters more than giving up.
Is Priya Sufi related to Summer Love?
Both are by Subin Bhattarai, but Priya Sufi is a standalone story with a different tone — more introspective and family-focused than the campus romance of Summer Love.
Does Priya Sufi deal with sensitive themes?
Yes. The novel engages directly with suicide and emotional crisis as part of its plot, using the story to encourage readers to confront problems rather than see suicide as a way out.
How many pages is Priya Sufi and how long does it take to read?
It is a full-length Nepali novel published by Fine Prints. Most readers finish it within a few sittings — the frame-narrative structure and short chapters keep the pace moving quickly.
Karnali Blues Book Review & Summary: Buddhisagar’s Novel About a Father and Son
Karnali Blues (कर्नाली ब्लुज) by Buddhisagar is the Nepali novel that sends readers straight back to their own fathers. In this review I cover the story, a spoiler-free summary, the main characters, the author, the English translation and my honest verdict, with a short review in Nepali as well.
Karnali Blues by Buddhisagar, first published in Nepali in 2010 and in English in 2021.
4.5out of 5
★★★★★★★★★★
Quick verdict
A slow, tender coming-of-age novel that turns an ordinary village father into one of the most loved characters in Nepali literature. It will make you laugh, cry and think about your own father.
Read it if you love family stories, nostalgia and rural Nepal. Skip it if you want a fast plot full of twists.
Karnali Blues book details
Nepali title
कर्नाली ब्लुज
Author
Buddhisagar (Buddhi Ram Chapain)
First published
Autumn 2010 (2067 BS)
Publisher
FinePrint, Kathmandu
Genre
Fiction, coming-of-age novel (bildungsroman)
Language
Nepali, with dialogue in Tharu and the Jumli dialect
Matera, Katase Bazaar, Kalikot and Kohalpur in western Nepal
Narrator
Brisha Bahadur, the son
What is Karnali Blues about?
Karnali Blues is the story of a father, told by his son. The narrator, Brisha Bahadur, sits beside his father, Harsha Bahadur, in a crowded hospital in Kohalpur after a brain haemorrhage leaves the old man paralysed. For eleven days he feeds him, cleans him and watches over him. And while he waits, he remembers everything.
Those memories become the novel. When Brisha is a little boy, his father is nothing short of a superhero: the man the whole village calls when someone falls sick, the man who forgives every prank. As Brisha grows into a stubborn teenager, the superhero slowly becomes an ordinary man who is losing his business, his health and his place in the world, yet still puts his son’s wishes before his own.
That is the heart of the book: the way a son’s picture of his father changes over a lifetime, and the late, painful moment when he finally understands what that father gave up. Nepali literature has plenty of stories and poems about a mother’s love and sacrifice. Far fewer are written about the quiet, sometimes stern love of fathers. Karnali Blues fills that gap, which is why so many readers simply call it a father’s book.
Karnali Blues summary (spoiler-free)
The novel runs on two timelines that take turns. The present crawls forward one hospital day at a time. The past rushes along, place by place, as the family keeps moving in search of a better life. Here is that journey, without the ending.
1
Matera
Childhood in a village by the Amauri Khola
Brisha is born in Matera, a sleepy village beside the Amauri Khola, a tributary of the Karnali. On the day he is born, his father notices a mole on the sole of his foot and predicts the boy will walk a lot in life but will never leave his parents. Harsha Bahadur runs a small medicine shop and is the village “doctor”. Brisha’s days are full of river swims, lessons he tries hard to avoid and mischief with his friend Chandre. He adores his father so much that he draws a moustache on a picture of the goddess Santoshi Maa and renames her “Santoshi Baa”.
2
Katase Bazaar
A bazaar town that rises, then fades
The family moves to the growing bazaar of Katase, where business is better and life feels settled for a while. Brisha’s world gets bigger, with new friends and bigger troubles. But Nepal is changing around them. A new bridge over the Karnali at Chisapani shifts the flow of travellers and trade, and the bazaar that fed the family slowly starts to empty.
3
Kalikot
Up the Karnali into the hills
With the shop failing, Harsha Bahadur has to choose a new home. Surkhet is the safer option, and Brisha’s mother knows it, but he picks remote Kalikot. The long journey up along the Karnali is one of the most beautiful parts of the book. Life in the hills is harder, money is tighter, and teenage Brisha’s mischief turns into real worry for his parents.
4
Kohalpur
The hospital bed, eleven days in the present
Back in the present, the man who once carried the whole family lies silent in a hospital bed in Kohalpur. Day by day, the roles flip: the son who was always looked after now has to look after his father. Every memory in the book passes through these eleven days, which is why even the funniest childhood scenes carry a little sadness.
Show the ending (spoiler)
Harsha Bahadur does not recover. As his father fades, Brisha finally sees his life clearly: every move, every loss and every sacrifice was made for the family, and the person who lost the most in all those years was his father, not him. The book closes on a grown-up Brisha and his mother facing a life without the man who held everything together.
It is not a shocking ending. You can feel it coming from the first chapter. It hits hard because by then you know Harsha Bahadur as well as your own family.
Main characters in Karnali Blues
Buddhisagar fills the book with ordinary people who feel completely real. These are the ones you will remember.
Brisha BahadurThe narrator and son
Funny, lazy, curious and often a headache for his parents. We watch him grow from a spoilt little boy who wants an expensive bicycle into a young man carrying both guilt and love for his father. He writes poems too.
Harsha BahadurThe father, “Baa”
The soul of the novel. Kind, idealistic, sometimes stubborn, fond of his blue waistcoat, and almost never able to say no to his son. He helps the whole village while quietly struggling to keep his own family afloat.
Brisha’s mother“Aama”, never named
She has no name in the book, yet she is one of its strongest characters. Practical, often frustrated and always forgiving, she is usually right when her husband refuses to listen.
ParvatiBrisha’s elder sister
A steady, caring presence in the family home during Brisha’s childhood.
MamataParvati’s friend, “Mamata didi”
One of the memorable people of Brisha’s early years, with a story of her own.
ChandreChildhood friend
Brisha’s best friend and partner in mischief during the Matera years.
Village charactersBhagiram, Saddam, Mandire and more
Each has a small story of their own, and together they paint a full picture of life in the bazaars and villages of western Nepal.
Themes of Karnali Blues
A father’s quiet love
Harsha Bahadur never gives speeches about love. He shows it by forgiving, by paying for things he cannot afford and by standing between his son and the world. The novel makes you notice the same quiet gestures in your own father.
Growing up
Karnali Blues is a coming-of-age novel that follows Brisha from birth to adulthood. His growth is not neat or heroic. It is messy, lazy and full of mistakes, which is exactly why it feels believable.
Migration and a changing Nepal
Villages empty, bazaars rise and fall, and a single bridge changes a whole town’s fortune. Through one family’s moves, the book shows how roads, markets and migration reshaped western Nepal.
The beauty and hardship of the Karnali
Rivers, seasons, fields and hills are described so vividly that nature feels like a character. Beside that beauty sits the hard side of rural life: poverty, poor healthcare, superstition and small-town politics.
Regret and understanding
Most of us understand our parents late. Brisha’s slow realisation beside a hospital bed is what turns a nostalgic childhood story into a novel that stays with you for years.
Karnali Blues author: who is Buddhisagar?
Buddhisagar is the pen name of Buddhi Ram Chapain, born on 2 June 1981 in Kailali district in western Nepal. Like his narrator, he grew up between Matera, Katase Bazaar and Kalikot. He later moved to Kathmandu, studied journalism at RR Campus and worked as a journalist before becoming a full-time writer. He began as a poet, and his poems were broadcast on the radio when he was still very young. That poetic touch shows on almost every page of Karnali Blues.
Is Karnali Blues his own story? Partly. In a 2022 interview with Nepali Times, Buddhisagar said his own father was also treated in Kohalpur and later died of a brain haemorrhage, and that some parts of the beginning of the novel are real. He also made clear that Brisha is not simply him; only pieces of himself and his parents live inside the character.
Karnali Blues was his first novel. His other books include:
2016 Phirphire, his second novel, nominated for the Madan Puraskar
2019 Prerana and Lal Peela, a children’s book
2022 Eklo, a novel about loneliness set in Kathmandu
2023 Usle Diyeko Umer
My Karnali Blues book review (in English)
Karnali Blues is one of my all-time favourite books, and it is the first Nepali novel I suggest when someone asks me what to read. Every time I open it, I feel nostalgic. It takes me back to my own childhood and makes me love and respect my father even more.
What makes it special is how ordinary it is. There are no villains, no big twists and no dramatic love story. There is just a family, a few towns, a river and a father who keeps saying yes. Buddhisagar writes like the poet he is, with simple words and sharp pictures, so you can almost feel the heat of a Terai afternoon and hear the river in the background.
The book also makes you laugh out loud. Young Brisha’s pranks are genuinely funny, and the dialogue in Tharu and Jumli-flavoured Nepali makes the villagers feel like people you have met in real life.
What I loved
Harsha Bahadur, a father who feels like someone you actually know
Vivid, poetic descriptions of rivers, seasons and small towns
Honest humour in Brisha’s childhood chapters
The hospital-and-memory structure, which makes the ending land hard
A real picture of life in rural western Nepal
What could be better
At around 400 pages, the middle section moves slowly
Teenage Brisha is often hard to like
Some side characters leave the story too suddenly
The early chapters lean heavily on similes
To be fair, the book is not for everyone. It takes its time, and some readers find the middle slow. Teenage Brisha ignores his studies, wastes money and hurts the people who love him most. But I think that is the point. He is the son many of us once were, and the book asks us to look at our younger selves honestly.
Who should read it: anyone who loves family stories, anyone who grew up outside the big cities or misses village life, students of Nepali literature, and anyone who needs a book that will make them call their father.
Who might not enjoy it: readers looking for a fast plot, mystery or constant action.
Nepali original or English translation?
Karnali Blues is now available in two versions. Here is how they compare.
Nepali original
English translation
Published
2010, FinePrint
2021, Penguin Random House India
Translator
Not applicable
Michael Hutt, professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies at SOAS, London
Best for
Nepali readers who want the full flavour of the humour and local dialects
Non-Nepali readers, Nepali readers abroad and gifting
Keep in mind
Some dialect-heavy dialogue can be tricky for readers from other regions
Many Nepali expressions are kept close to the original, so some lines read unusually in English
My advice: if you can read Nepali, read the original. Words like “Baa”, the village jokes and the dialects simply hit differently in Nepali. If you cannot, Hutt’s translation is a faithful way in, and it keeps the Nepali feeling of the book instead of smoothing it away.
कर्नाली ब्लुज पुस्तक समीक्षा (नेपालीमा)
कर्नाली ब्लुज लेखक बुद्धिसागरको पहिलो र सबैभन्दा चर्चित उपन्यास हो। यो वि.सं. २०६७ (सन् २०१०) मा फाइनप्रिन्टबाट प्रकाशित भएको थियो। उपन्यासले एउटा छोराको आँखाबाट उसको बुबाको कथा भन्छ।
कथा कोहलपुरको एउटा अस्पतालबाट सुरु हुन्छ, जहाँ ब्रेन हेमरेजपछि बुबा हर्षबहादुर थला पर्नुभएको छ। एघार दिनसम्म बुबाको सिरानमा बस्दा छोरा बृषबहादुर आफ्नो बाल्यकाल सम्झन्छ: अमौरी खोलाको किनारको मटेरा गाउँ, कटासे बजार र अन्त्यमा कालिकोटसम्मको यात्रा।
सानो छँदा बृषका लागि बुबा कुनै नायकभन्दा कम हुनुहुन्न। ऊ जति नै बदमास भए पनि बुबा सधैं उसको साथमा उभिनुहुन्छ। तर उमेर बढ्दै जाँदा ऊ बुझ्छ, उसका बुबा त आफ्ना इच्छा त्यागेर परिवारका सबै आवश्यकता पूरा गर्ने एक साधारण मान्छे हुनुहुँदो रहेछ।
उपन्यासमा कर्णालीको सुन्दर प्रकृति मात्र छैन; गरिबी, कमजोर स्वास्थ्य सेवा, बसाइँसराइ र बदलिँदो गाउँको पीडा पनि छ। थारु भाषा र जुम्ली लवजको प्रयोगले पात्रहरूलाई अझ जीवन्त बनाएको छ।
आमाको माया र त्यागबारे धेरै लेखिएको छ, तर कडा देखिने बुबाको मौन मायाबारे लेखिएका कृति थोरै छन्। त्यसैले कर्नाली ब्लुज साँच्चै “बुबाको किताब” हो। यो पढ्दा तपाईं हाँस्नुहुन्छ, रुनुहुन्छ, र अन्तिम पाना पल्टाएपछि आफ्नै बुबालाई सम्झिनुहुन्छ।
मेरो मूल्याङ्कन: ४.५/५। हरेक नेपाली पाठकले एकपटक अवश्य पढ्नैपर्ने उपन्यास।
कर्नाली ब्लुजका लेखक को हुन्? बुद्धिसागर, जसको वास्तविक नाम बुद्धिराम चपाईं हो। उनको जन्म वि.सं. २०३८ मा कैलालीमा भएको हो।
कर्नाली ब्लुज अंग्रेजीमा पाइन्छ? पाइन्छ। माइकल हटले अनुवाद गरेको अंग्रेजी संस्करण सन् २०२१ मा पेंगुइन इन्डियाले प्रकाशित गरेको हो।
Karnali Blues FAQs
Who is the author of Karnali Blues?
Karnali Blues was written by Buddhisagar, the pen name of Buddhi Ram Chapain, a Nepali novelist and poet born in Kailali district in 1981. It was his debut novel. He later wrote Phirphire, Eklo and Usle Diyeko Umer.
When was Karnali Blues published?
The Nepali original was published by FinePrint in the autumn of 2010 (2067 BS). The English translation by Michael Hutt was published by Penguin Random House India in 2021.
What is the story of Karnali Blues?
A young man, Brisha Bahadur, looks after his paralysed father, Harsha Bahadur, in a hospital in Kohalpur for eleven days. As he sits by the bed, he remembers growing up in Matera, Katase Bazaar and Kalikot, and slowly understands how much his father sacrificed for the family.
Is Karnali Blues a true story?
It is semi-autobiographical. Buddhisagar grew up in the same places as his narrator, and his own father was treated in Kohalpur before dying of a brain haemorrhage. The author says parts of the opening are real, but the novel as a whole is fiction and Brisha is not an exact copy of him.
Where is Karnali Blues set?
In western Nepal: the village of Matera beside the Amauri Khola, the bazaar town of Katase, the hill district of Kalikot, and a hospital in Kohalpur, where the present-day story takes place.
Is there an English version of Karnali Blues?
Yes. Michael Hutt, a professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies at SOAS in London, translated it into English under the same title. Penguin Random House India published it in 2021, and it is sold in Nepal, India and online.
How many pages does Karnali Blues have?
Around 400 pages in both the Nepali original and the English translation.
Why is the book called Karnali Blues?
The Karnali river and region shape every stage of the family’s life, from Matera by a Karnali tributary to the hills of Kalikot. “Blues”, as in the music, suggests a deep sadness that runs beneath the story. In my reading, the title captures both: a place and a feeling of loss.
Is Karnali Blues a sad book? (mild spoiler)
Yes, the ending is emotional and the father does not survive. But the book is also full of humour, especially in Brisha’s childhood chapters, so it feels more bittersweet than depressing.
Final verdict: should you read Karnali Blues?
Yes. Karnali Blues is not a book you race through. It is a book you live in for a while. If you are Nepali, it will feel like home. If you are not, it is one of the best windows into ordinary life in western Nepal you will find in English. My rating is 4.5 out of 5.
After the last page, do what almost every reader of this book does: call your father. And if he is no longer with you, sit with a memory of him for a while.
If you liked Karnali Blues, read these next:
Phirphire by Buddhisagar, a story of friendship between two village boys, Pawan and Basanta
Seto Dharti by Amar Neupane, the moving life story of a woman widowed as a child
Palpasa Café by Narayan Wagle, an artist’s story set during Nepal’s conflict years
Looking for your next Nepali book?I review and summarise popular Nepali novels in simple English.
Facts in this review are checked against the publisher’s page from Penguin Random House India and Buddhisagar’s interview with Nepali Times. The opinions are my own.
Written by Wilson Shrestha. I am a web developer based in Kathmandu and a lifelong reader of Nepali novels. On this blog I share honest, easy-to-read reviews of the books I love.
