Shree Shyamdas Vaishnab was born into the Mahanta family in 1924, residing inside Narayanhiti’s royal palace. His upbringing was prosperous, being the first grandson of an affluent family. Some nights, when bedtime approached, his mother had to search for him, opening doors of doting family members.
As a child, he used to collect coins offered by the royal family, perched atop Narayansthan’s Garud statue, dutifully handing everything to the priest. When children at the palace demanded fur-lined clothing, he would respond, ‘You already have one; why ask for more?’ That kind of virtuous childhood habit is reflected in his austere and sincere adult lifestyle.
At the age of six or so, Shyam-ji was compelled to move from Lazimpat’s rustic, idyllic environs to Bange Muda’s urban hustle due to family issues related to inter-caste marriage. That was where he contracted chicken pox, he said, And that was how his beautiful face got spoiled. From Bange Muda, Shyam-ji’s family again moved to Dilli Bazaar. He began accompanying his father, Krisnadas Vaishnab, to the office and began writing, and that’s how his education also began. His father was interested in singing and dancing. As a result, Shyam-ji also became interested in music and the rhythms of writing. He passed the fifth grade in 1936, scoring the highest marks. After his father passed away in 1938, he became responsible for managing the household. And because he had nice handwriting, he passed his days by copying Devkota’s plays in the afternoon and working at Dilli Bazaar’s theatre at night. Later, in 1944, aided by Devkota, he was employed by the Nepal Bhasanubad Parishad at a salary of fifteen rupees per month. While working at the same office as a transcriber, he never missed an opportunity to listen to scholarly discussions by the likes of Devkota, Pushkar Shumsher, Bal Krishna Sama, and Gopal Prasad Rimal. They may not have paid much attention to Shyam-ji, but a certain spark had already been lit within him, and he began analysing the conversations he had been privy to. He was deeply impacted by Devkota’s narrative talent and Rimal’s original instructions filled with nationalism, lessons he keeps refining.
Inspired by Lekhnath’s rhythms, when he asked Devkota how one writes poems, the advice he received was ‘There’s no formula; write daily, you can do it.’ So, he began writing and as a result, his first creation, the poem ‘Surya’, was published in Sharada in 1946. That same year, he was introduced to Sharada’s Malla brothers by Devkota. When the Nepal Bhasanubad Parishad closed, he worked at the Land Revenue Office for a year, but the work wasn’t suitable. When the Bhasanupad Parishad reopened, he began working on the dictionary there, a project adopted later by the current Academy. He moved to Radio Nepal after the 1950/1951 revolution, simultaneously working as a co-editor of the first Nepali daily, Aawaz, later becoming the sole editor. That same year, ‘Raatko Aansu’ was published, in which he had portrayed the conditions of the revolution. Poetry anthologies that followed, such as Upahar, Patakar, and Antardhwani also described the period and related circumstances and the fifteen or so plays he has written also contain similar sentiments.
When I reached his small house in Maitidevi covered by sponge gourd creepers, a student was waiting to borrow one of his plays. Shyam-ji had stepped out to eat. When he entered the room, which contained a bed and a wall brightened by electricity, he bid farewell to the student. Referring to the previous day’s discussion, I said, ‘Shyam dai, why do your opinions clash with those of the contemporary poets?’
‘First, because I care about them and I wish they’d write better. Second, I don’t like their goalless poems; someone attempting to construct a new house shouldn’t write poems advocating for the demolition of old structures without a vigorous philosophy. Simply expressing dissatisfaction is a sign of irresponsibility, which they demonstrate.’
‘And, what have you been writing?’
‘My financial situation is not sound. I wanted to offer literature to the world while living a somewhat dignified life, even if it’s filled with needs. But it’s been difficult to even manage two meals; what to write. Even then, I’m considering working on two novels. One poetry anthology, Naya Lahar, is ready but I haven’t managed to publish it. I’m also considering preparing an anthology of plays to submit to Madan Puraskar.’
‘Out of your published works, which one do you like?’
‘It’s not possible to express every aspect of my entire Self. That might happen in the future, but I especially like Upahar. It’s also published in English, translated by Devkota with the title The Present.’
His wife entered the room then, with omelettes and tea, an attempt at welcoming a guest. We ate as we conversed, ‘Can you share who your favourite writers are?’
‘When it comes to satire, Chekov and I’m in solidarity with Sharad Chandra. I like Gobinda ‘Gothale’ because I envy the way he portrays our fast pace, even though he hasn’t received much visibility. I like Siddhi Charan’s poems. And do we even have to mention Devkota? Also, I appreciate sporadic works by some writers, more than I appreciate their personalities. And Shankar Lamichhane is the only writer whose works I search for, once I find out they’ve been published.’
Shyam-ji has played a huge role when it comes to making Nepali poems accessible to the public. He has also garnered fame for being the writer and director of various Nepali musical theatre and songs. He is remembered as an important contributor by Radio Nepal, even though the respect he has received might not match his contributions. He had tried to leave Radio Nepal once but changed his mind later.
The late Devkota had once proclaimed, ‘For him, poetry is the act of critiquing life within the bounds dictated by beauty inherent in social realities.’ And this is what the Academician Siddhi Charan said about Shyam-ji’s poems, ‘Shree Shyam-ji’s poems are pleasant, tender, and have internal magic. One can hear the music of humanity’s boundless strength. His words are similar to his handwriting, beautiful.’
Shyam-ji says, ‘When I sense my restlessness and suffocation getting cooked as a result of pressures coming from all four directions, I can write in any hour. I have been serving literature, proceeding from a state of ignorance to awareness. I have been working hard, hoping to present something to the world, to contribute to national pride, using the medium of prints and presentation. But then, I get constantly disrupted by circumstances and bodily needs. Still, I’m trying to believe in myself and become practical as much as I can. Let’s see what the future holds.
‘That’s right. Let’s see what the future holds.’
—September 14, 1963
Shyamdas Vaishnab (1924–2021) is known for his works such as ‘Raatko Ansu’, Antardhwani, Patakar, and various poems. He also directed plays by Govinda Bahadur ‘Gothale’ and Bijaya Malla, and acted in tele-serials like Doko and Ijjat ki Beijjat. He was inspired to pursue a literary career after getting acquainted with Laxmi Prasad Devkota.
