Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Laxmi Prasad Devkota (Nepali: लक्ष्मी प्रसाद देवकोटा November 12, 1909 – September 14, 1959), was a Nepali poet. Devkota is considered to be one of the best writers in Nepal. He is best known for the poem "Muna Madan". There are several tributes to the poem Muna Madan. This is a poem which shows the obligation of people to go far from home to earn money and the realization, in comparison with family and love money is nothing.

Early Life

Devkota was the third son of Pandit Til Madhav and Amar Rajya Laxmi Devi. He was born in Thatunati (now Dhobidhara), Kathmandu on the day of Dipawali, the Festival of Lights, which is a celebration of Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth. His parents considered his birth as a gift [प्रसाद] from the goddess and named him as Laxmi Prasad [लक्ष्मी प्रसाद]. He is well considered as one of the famous icons in the field of Nepalese literature.He was a very kind and generous person. He always respected his parents. He was of a poor family. He used to give the money to the poorer if had a little amount of money. He always get connected with the poems before his. He is known as "Maha Kavi". He contributed a lot in the poetry of Nepal.

Family life

After he received his bachelor's in law, he wrote to a friend while he was in a hospital Santa Bhawan Hospital, "Death stands before me. I search for constellations in the sky but can find none. I cannot give peace to myself. If I could rise, I would kill myself and my future prospects."

Laxmi Prasad Devkota was primarily a humanist who occasionally wrote from an atheistic point of view too. Given this reality, some critics have tried to line him up with Marxism or other similar politically leftist ideologies. Apparently in on of his last poems to a friend, he said "Aakhir Shree Krishna rahecha eka" (" in the end, Lord Krishna happens to be the only truth"). However, there has been much intellectual skepticism about this last statement simply for two reasons. First, Nepal is historically conservative and it would come as no surprise if these claims were simply fabricated. There is no substantial proof. Secondly, historical trends suggest that atheistic individuals always "find" God on their death beds when we know of many cases that have been fabricated. In all likelihood, Devkota was probably an atheist because of the underlying theme to most of his poems.

Career

Devkota has contributed to Nepali literature by bringing the Sanskrit tradition to its apex and by starting modern romantic movement in the country. Devkota was the first to begin writing epics in Nepali literature and his magnum opus "Muna-Madan" remains a best seller even fifty years after his death. He is recognized as one of the greatest Nepali writers and his work is in the same level of standard as any of the greats of literature in any language. He also served as Nepal's Education Minister, and was a professor at Tri-Chandra College.

Devkota had the ability to write poems very quickly—he wrote the Shakuntal in three months, the Sulochana epic in ten days and Kunjini in a single night. Nepali poetry soared to new heights with Devkota's groundbreaking poetry. "Muna-Madan," a long narrative poem in popular folk metre, begins the end of the Sanskrit tradition in Nepali literature. "पागल" (translated in English as "The Lunatic") is another of his ground-breaking works written in free verse.

Devkota's youngest son, Dr Deepak Devkota, lives in Australia while his oldest son and four daughters still live in Kathmandu, Nepal.

From : www.wikipedia.org