Children Literature in Nepal

                                   

Introduction

            According to Townsend (1990, p. 60), literature like all works of imagination is transmitted primarily by means of the written word or spoken narrative. It includes the genres like novels, stories and poetry “with the addition of those works of non-fiction which by their quality of style or insight may be said to offer experience of a literary nature” (p.60). In explaining what literature offers, Townsend says that literature is above all enjoyment.

         This is a general definition of literature. If so about general literature, what then is children’s literature? The definition of children literature is vague since children’s literature arises from the fact that, some books meant for adult literature are read by children and vice visa (Oberstein, 1996, p. 17).

            Thus, children literature, by definition, captures the reading and learning materials for the children. In Nepali context, it refers the literature came into the access of Nepalese children throughout its history. Like most of the societies, Nepalese societies too had the preliminary phase of folk narration and storytelling by senior members of the family as the oldest form of children literature. Later Nepalese societies too came in contact with printed forms of children literature. 

                   

    However, Nepal has not very long history of printed children literature rather it is still dominated by oral storytelling or folklore narration by grandparents to the children in most of the remote areas. In this sense, there is very short history of reading habits since the most of the former generations were untouched with sufficient children literature.

     Even now, only the urban societies of Nepal have come to contact with sufficient children literature. In such scenario, there are both the problems and possibilities for the proper growth of children literature in Nepal due to the lack of proper reading habit among the Nepalese children.

Brief History of NepaleseChildren Literature

            Very short history of printed literature is associated with the major obstacle of children literature. Let’s begin with the general outline of the history of Nepalese children literature. Towards the beginning of the first half of the 20th century, books written in Nepali language were almost non-existent. Those that existed in the country were in Sanskrit.

               Very few Nepali had access to reading English books at home. It marks that there is very short history of printed Nepalese literature. The Sanskrit books including the epic like Mahabharata, Ramayana and other holly and books necessary in cultural rituals like Garuna Mahapuran and Swasthani Katha were only forms of printed children literature throughout the history since these books were already in the access of Nepalese people.

             Both adults and children used to enjoy the stories included in these books. However we cannot expect the proper quality of children literature in these books. Furthermore, these books do not belong to Nepalese literature.

            According to the Pradhan’s Nepali Bal Sahitya ko Itihas, the first book ever written in Nepali was Byakta Chandrika, a math book by Mr. Gopal Dutta Pandey in 1883.  Then the another published book within Nepal and Nepali language was Gorkha First Book by Mr. Gangadhar Dravid, also known as Gangadhar Shastri.

        It was written with a view to teach children some alphabets and numerals in 1892. The information on the publication of other rich languages such as Nepal Bhasa which is also called Newari and spoken mostly in the Kathmandu valley by the Newar communities people and Maithili which is spoken mostly in the middle Terai regions have not yet been explored fully during that time.

            Former children books appeared inNepal as Jung Bahadur Rana, the first Rana Prime-minister established a first formal English school in 1853. But this school was confined within the elite family members and very few elite’s group children got a chance to study there. Later, Prime-minister Dev Shumsher Rana opened the first public school in Nepal in 1901 with a view to educate the general public children. Similarly, following this, the need for Nepali textbooks published in the country was seriously felt and Mr. Jaya Prithvi Bahadur Singh, a social worker, wrote a series of beginner’s books named Bal Bodh, Achhyaranka Sikshya and others in the same year in 1901. (Pradhan, 2004)

      The major intention of these preliminary Nepalese text books was to teach alphabets and numerals to children. These books taught children to write some small sentences and acquainted them with numbers. It included the counting methods, small number sums like addition, subtraction and multiplication. In addition to this, these small books attempted to enrich children’s knowledge of keeping house expenses record. Jaya Prithvi Bahadur Singh’s books became more popular and effective than any other in the history of Nepalese children’s books because these books gave general basic knowledge needed for everyday life.  

            It is only after 1913, Gorkha Bhasa Prakashini Samiti, a government organization, began publishing children’s books. Thirty-two titles were published from this organization. In 1933, this organization changed its name and became Nepal Bhasa Prakashini Samiti, and again in 1964, the name of organization is changed as Sajha Prakashan. It is established as a co-operative organization under the Government’s Co-operative Act.  (Pradhan, 2004)

            Besides Sajha Prakashan, Janak Education Materials Center, a semi–government organization, plays a major role in printing children’s textbooks for the public schools of Nepal. It has also contributed some children’s literature books as supplementary to the texts. Similarly, fully government owned Curriculum Development Centre also has been publishing such supplementary children’s books since a very long time ago. Then, there was the Royal Nepal Academy, which has now been renamed as Nepal Academy publishes both literary and non-literary books for adults and children on behalf of the government. All these were the effort from government to flourish Nepalese children literature though the effort was centered on the course books designed for former education. These books are in access of all Nepalese children to go schools for formal education.

            With the changing dynamics of societies, the meaning and definition of children literature and reading culture have been to changing. A reading culture now is a culture where reading is valued highly as a habit among its members. Thus, reading or writing plays a significant role in the everyday life of the culture’s members’. According to, Elisam Magara’s and Charles Batambuze’s (2005), reading and writing are not merely part of one aspect of life such as school and work, but are practised both at home and during leisure time. When people only use reading and writing at school we perceive this as being part of a school culture and not a reading culture.

            Now, children literature is not limited within the course books designed for former education rather all kinds of extra books designed for children are included as children literature. This paper aims to highlights the problems and possibilities of these children literature out from the course books since reading extra materials than the course books has become integral part of learning and child development which most of the Nepalese societies have been accepting during these last two decades.

            Nepal too is not untouched with the global impact of children literature. In 1965, UNICEF had made the first effort on organizing a workshop/seminar on children’s literature development in Nepal. It triggered off the publication of children’s literature books. Similarly, International Book Year of 1972 and the International Children’s Year of 1979 too became fruitful for the flourish of children literature in Nepalese scenario. Those events made the public aware of the significance of children’s literature.  The promotion of the growth of children literature became possible after the restoration of democracy in Nepal in 1990 with a new impetus to the entrepreneurs of the book industry along with children’s literature.

Sufficient Books but Lack of Reading Habit

            Now the Nepalese children has reached into the another phase with the writing and publication of immense books for children. Since institutions set up by the government for the purpose of publishing books are unable to afford the publication of the much needed children’s literature in the country, various private organizations and institution have become indispensable. As a result, big publishers such as Bhakta Book Publishers, Ratna Pustak Bhandar, Sahayogi Prakashan, Educational Book House, Bivek Srijanshil Prakashan and Saraswoti Book Depot started publishing a great deal of children’s books in the early period of the growing of children’s literature. Moving one step further, the institutions like Room to Read and really have been contributing the Nepalese children by publishing qualitative children books in international quality. All these mark the positive future of Nepalese children literature.

            The effort of emerging children authors and publishers seems sufficient in contemporary Nepalese scenario. It has reached on peak though most of the rural Nepalese societies do not have proper access to children books. The access of children books in rural societies too could not be regarded as the major obstacles since the social organizations like Room to Read have been penetrating high hills and circulating the children literature. Now, the major hindrance of the children literature is its short history in Nepal and changed global scenario not the lack of materials. There are sufficient children books in market though the access is limited within the urban areas but without proper reading habits among children and other grown up people in society, the access with books only cannot be the solution. The lack of sufficient children books and reading habit among the former generations is the major hindrance for proper development of reading culture in contemporary children. Even the parents are unaware about the importance of extra course books. The unawareness of the importance of extra course books for children among parents is even in our society. Binaya Kasaju writes, “Very few Nepali parents are conscious about the importance of ‘out of text’ books for their kids” (p. 4).

            Kasaju further clarifies that there is proper qualitative children books in current urban market like Kathmandu. It is possible because there are many national and international organizations working for the development of children none of them have distinct policy, plan and program for the promotion of children literature. Only the role of buying and distributing books is not sufficient since Kasaju writes, “Their role is limited to buying children books in bulk and distributing them.” (p. 6). The writing, publishing and distributing of children literature only cannot promote the children literature unless there is proper development of reading habit and proper awareness of the importance of children literature among parents.

            Children literature is directlyassociated with reading culture or habit. A reading culture refers that reading is part of a specific culture and a habit. Reading as culture or habit should be shared and valued highly by the society in order to enrich the literature. Valued in the sense that reading is considered important in order to gain the information you need in your everyday life. Reading must play a significant role in people’s day to day life and become a habit in order to constitute a reading culture. Magara and Batambuze write, “For a reading culture to be possible reading must be part of all aspects of life and not only certain parts such as school or work (Magara & Batambuze 2005, p. 35). As told by Magara and Batambuze, Nepalese society too lacks the proper reading habit or culture. The lack of reading culture among parent is one of the hindrances to encourage children for reading. It is one of the obstacles of development of Nepalese children literature.

Conclusion

            Former Nepalese generations were untouched with proper children literature so they are unaware about the importance of children literature. Even the Nepalese teaching is based on traditional method of teaching in Nepalese society. In order to promote reading habit and children literature, instead of the traditional method of reading, the pupils should come in contact with many different kinds of books that are relevant to them (Elley 2001, p. 240). Now Nepalese market is dominated by sufficient quality children literature. However, the quality children books only cannot drag the attention of most of the children who are the first generation of their family to have access in such books. 

Like folk narration and retelling stories is a part of culture inherited from history, reading too is a part of culture of society and people with whom we have very short (almost no history). Thus, even now vocational reading has not become our one of the cultures and reading habits due to the rootlessness in Nepalese society has been marred by other means of modern form of entertainments. In this sense, Nepalese society need to promote the reading culture within the writing and publishing qualitative children books for the proper enrichment of children literature and promotion of reading culture. 

           

References

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