 Cover page | |
| Author | Shradha Ghale |
|---|---|
| Country | Nepal, India |
| Language | Nepali |
| Genre | Contemporary fiction |
| Set in | Kathmandu |
| Published | 2018 |
| Publisher | Speaking Tiger Books |
| Media type | Print (Paperback), E-book |
| ISBN | 978-93-88070-58-4 |
The Wayward Daughter: A Kathmandu Story is a 2018 novel by Shradha Ghale. [1] It was published on 1 December 2018, by Speaking Tiger Books. [2] It is the debut novel of the author. It is a coming of age story of a girl in 1990s Kathmandu during the Nepalese civil war.
Sumnima Tamule is a student in Rhododendron High School. Most of her peers are from rich families and are planning to go abroad for their higher education. She is from a middle-class family and got second division in her studies, she has to settle for an obscure college in the city. After Sunmina's poor performance in the exam, her parents expectation falls upon her younger sister, Numa. Subsequently, her cousins from Lungla, a village in remote Nepal comes to Sumnina's place fleeing the civil war troubles. Her life is caught in a frenzy amidst all new changes in her household. The book also depicts the class and caste differences in cosmopolitan Kathmandu. [3]
The book depicts the various class and caste division within Nepali society. The major character belongs to an indigenous community from Nepal. Although, the community that Sumnima belongs to is fictional, Ghale took inspiration from many other indigenous community of Nepal to create the customs of Tamule family. The book also discrimination of women in a patriarchal Nepalese society. The women in the book are bounded by various gender roles set by the society. The book also shows the impact of the Maoist unrest in the lives of common people in Nepal and how they had to leave their villages and hometown to cities for their safety. [4]
The book was received positively by critics and readers in Nepal. [5] Uday Adhikari of The Gorkha Times praised the book as " vibrant piece of social reality". [6] Nandita Bose praised Ghale's writing as "simple, profound, witty and effective" in her review for The Deccan Herald. [7] Richa Bhattarai in her review for The Wire recommended the book for "an exploration of Nepal over the past few decades through the eyes of a perceptive and skillful writer". [8]
Music of Nepal refers to the various musical genres played and listened to in Nepal. With more than fifty ethnic groups in Nepal, the country's music is highly diverse. Genres like Tamang Selo, Chyabrung, Dohori, Adhunik Geet, Bhajan, Filmi music, Ghazal, Classical music, songs and Ratna music are widely played and popular, but many other less common genres are yet to be cataloged. Western musical genres like Rock, Metal, Hip-Hop, Rap, R&B also regularly feature on the Nepalese music charts. Most of the country's musical bands are based in the Kathmandu valley. Musical genres from Tibet and India have greatly influenced Nepalese music.
Baburam Bhattarai, also known by his nom de guerre Laaldhwoj, is a Nepalese politician and former Prime Minister, who presently serves as leader of the Nepal Socialist Party.
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Upendra Devkota was a Nepali neurosurgeon and founder of the first neurological trauma unit in Nepal, located at Bir Hospital. He held the post of Minister for Health, Science and Technology, Government of Nepal. Devkota was the founder of the National Institute of Neurological and Allied Sciences, the first institute dedicated to Neurosciences in the country, and known as the father of modern Neurosurgery in Nepal.
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Shradha Ghale's debut novel The Wayward Daughter has been critically acclaimed by reviewers in Nepal for treading fresh ground.
By producing such vibrant piece of social reality, Shradha Ghale has joined the main-stream of Nepali English Writing.
Where Ghale excels is in the deft rendering of her observations and in how she carves each character out realistically. Her prose is at once simple, profound, witty and effective.
The Wayward Daughter is recommended for an exploration of Nepal over the past few decades through the eyes of a perceptive and skillful writer.