Suman Pokhrel - The Himalayan Initiatives

Suman Pokhrel (सुमन पोखरेल)

Born: Biratnagar, Nepal

Occupation: Poet, lyricist, translator, artist

Nationality: Nepali

Notable works: 1) Jeevanko Chheubaata

2) Hazaar Aankhaa Yee

3) Aankhaamaa

Life and Education:

Suman Pokhrel was born on September 21, 1967, in Mills Area, Biratnagar, to Mukunda Prasad Pokhrel. Suman was grown up in the countryside and was brought up with paternal grandfather, Bidhyanath Pokhrel, who was a poet and a politician. He was introduced to literature early through the influence of his grandfather’s library, filled with Nepali, Hindi and classical Sanskrit literature. At the age of twelve, he moved back to Biratnagar to live with his parents. Pokhrel was mentored by his father, who was an engineer by profession and a bibliophile with a keen interest in art and literature. For his formal education, Suman Pokhrel earned his BSc, MBA and BL from the Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Career & Interest:

Suman Pokhrel joined the Nepali civil service in Nepal Government as a Section Officer in February 1995. He left the job and joined Plan International in December 1998 as a development activist and went to the remote hilly region of the country. The job demanded visits to the more remote areas of the region.

A Multilingual poet, Suman Pokhrel has written in Nepali, English, Hindi and Urdu languages. Whereas, his works have been translated into several other languages, and are published in magazines and journals from across the countries. Many of his works have been translated into other languages by various translators including himself.

Suman’s Art Work

His work in English has appeared in notable journals and anthologies worldwide. Some of them include Snow Jewel. Life & Legends; The Songs We Share; Sweet and Sour Dreams; Global Poetry, Learning & Creativity; Grey Sparrow; Prachya Review; California Quarterly; Asian Signature; and in different volumes of Beyond Borders, South Asia; and Art of Being Human, Canada.

Pokhrel has read his poems for both national and international audiences. He has read his poems in SAARC Festivals of Literature in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015. He read his poem in SAARC Charter Day Celebrations on December 8, 2013, in New Delhi, India as an especial invitee. He recited his poems in Nepali during a monthly two-poet poetry recital program in Kathmandu in March 2015. He read his poems at All India Poets’ Meet in Orissa, India in February 2016 as an especial invitee poet from the foreign country.

Achievement & Scholarly Work:

A multilingual poet, Pokhrel has written in English, Hindi and Urdu besides in his mother tongue Nepali; and have them published across the countries. Many of his works have been translated into other languages by various translators including himself.

He is receiving SAARC Literary Award

Besides English, Suman Pokhrel’s poems are translated into Arabic, Bengali, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Maithili, Odia, Persian, Sanskrit and Spanish; and are published online well as in print journals from different locations. Abhi Subedi has rendered most of the English translations of his poems. Himself and other translators translate some. As a translator, Pokhrel has translated works of several poets and writers from around the world into the Nepali language. His Nepali translations of poems have been considered as among a few best translations of poetry into Nepali.

Awards & Recognition:

International

SAARC Literary Award 2015 – conferred by Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature
SAARC Literary Award 2013 – conferred by Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature
Parikalpna Award-2013

National