‘Ghumne Mechmathi Andho Manchhe’ (2025 B.S.) by Bhupi Sherchan is a milestone in the history of Nepali literature. Even after more than five decades, it has not lost its shine or warmth.
If you flip through today’s newspaper or scroll the news feeds on Twitter (X) and Facebook, and then open this 56-year-old book by Bhupi, you will be jolted. It feels as if, sitting in the year 2025 B.S., Bhupi Sherchan was predicting Nepal’s present.
The characters have changed, the stage of power has changed, and the system of governance has changed (from Panchayat to multiparty democracy and now to a republic). Yet the irony remains: the trend (Trend) and our fate have not changed.
Let us analyze deeply why and how Bhupi’s poems are relevant in the current context (Current Context). This article will try to introduce Bhupi not only as a poet but also as a sociologist and a visionary.
‘The Country of Rumors’ and Today’s Era of Fake News
One of Bhupi’s most talked-about poems says:
“This is a country of rumors.”
“Here are people who run after a crow without even covering their ears…”
At that time, Bhupi was satirizing baseless gossip in tea shops and on village platforms. But today this poem has become even more relevant. In the digital age (Social Media Era), we are doing exactly the same thing.
Today’s relevance: Misleading thumbnails on YouTube, fake news spreading on Facebook, and the tendency to make things viral without understanding the facts. As soon as someone says something, we get agitated, start abusing others, and share it.
Bhupi had already said that we are a society that lives more in rumor than in fact (Fact). Technology has only increased the speed of those rumors; our mentality remains the same.
‘Rotating Chair and the Blind Man’ and Our Leadership
The title poem of this collection, “Rotating Chair and the Blind Man,” lays bare the character of power and authority.
“On a rotating chair, a blind man…
who walks not with his feet but by leaning on a crutch…”
Image (Metaphor): The “rotating chair” is the post or seat of power. The “blind man” is the ruler who sits on that chair and cannot see the suffering, pain, and reality of the outside world.
Today’s relevance: Look at Nepali politics. Governments change again and again (like a game of musical chairs). Ministers change, but the problems of ordinary citizens remain the same. As soon as they sit on the chair, yesterday’s revolutionary leader becomes “blind” in the eyes of the people. Bhupi has captured this power psychology (Power Psychology) in a striking way. They circle around their own interests; the country remains where it was.
The Poem ‘We’ and the Double Character (Dual Identity) of Nepalis
Bhupi’s poem “We” delivers the strongest attack on the hollow nationalism and contradictory character of Nepalis.
“We are foolish, and so we are brave,
we could never have become brave without being foolish…”
Reading these lines can make many people angry, but if we think calmly, is it not true?
The trade in bravery: We were proud to call ourselves brave Gurkhas, but for whom was that bravery used? Sometimes for Britain, sometimes for India. With our blood we drew the maps of other countries, yet the map of our own country remained blurred.
Today’s relevance: Even today, millions of young Nepalis are sweating in the 50-degree heat of the Gulf desert or doing labor work in Europe and America. We consider going abroad the greatest success.
Bhupi had already asked: “When will we use our bravery to build our own country?” Today, that question can be read on every face standing in line at the passport department (Passport Department).
Middle-Class Silence
Bhupi compared himself and his generation to “pieces on a carrom board” and to “the flame of a candle.”
“I am a flame of a candle… that flickers even without any wind…”
Today’s relevance: This is an exact picture of today’s middle-class Nepali society (Middle Class). We give big speeches in tea shops about how the country is deteriorating, but we are afraid to take to the streets against injustice. We want to remain safe. We suffer from the illness of saying “what does it have to do with me” (Apathy). As Bhupi says, we are not shaken by the wind outside (the situation), but by our own inner fear.
Insult to Martyrs
Another moving poem of his is “In Memory of the Martyrs.”
“Dawn does not break unless the morning star has fallen,
a country is not formed unless a few sons have died…”
In this song-like poem, he searches for the value of the martyrs’ blood.
Today’s relevance: Every year Martyrs’ Day arrives. Leaders go to the martyr’s gate and place garlands. But have the martyrs’ dreams been fulfilled? Today the word “martyr” has been politicized. There is a competition to declare anyone who dies in a clash a martyr. Bhupi’s poem questions us even today: “Have we been able to do justice to the sacrifices of the martyrs?”
Why Bhupi Is Different from Today’s Other Poets
Today there are many poets and many poems are written. But why do we still look for Bhupi’s poems written fifty years ago?
Simplicity of language: Bhupi took poetry out of the grip of “pandits” and brought it into the language of ordinary people. He did not use heavy Sanskrit words. His language can be understood even by the current generation (Gen Z) without opening a dictionary.
Conscious satire (Satire): His satire strikes directly at the heart. He makes us think while making us laugh.
Continuity: His poems are “timeless” (Timeless). As long as poverty, instability, and hypocrisy exist in Nepal, Bhupi will remain relevant.
Conclusion
In the end,
reading Bhupi Sherchan’s ‘Rotating Chair and the Blind Man’ is not only reading poetry; it is looking at ourselves in a mirror.
This book shows us the dust on our own face.
It says, “You are brave, but use your wisdom.”
It says, “Do not run after rumors, seek the truth.”
It says, “Those who sit on the chair become blind; stay alert.”
If Bhupi Sherchan were alive today, perhaps he would not need to write a new poem. It would be enough to publish a new edition of ‘Rotating Chair.’ The words would be the same, the feelings the same, only the characters would be new.
Therefore, if you want to understand the politics, society, and psychology of today’s Nepal, you do not need to read voluminous political documents. Go to the market and buy this thin book by Bhupi. On every page you will find “today’s Nepal.”
Bhupi was right in the past; he is even more right today.
Must Read Books