Suman Pokhrel

Suman Pokhrel Poems

Suman Pokhrel Biography

Suman Pokhrel is a Nepali poet, lyricist, playwright, and translator. Primarily writing in the Nepali language, he also produces literary work in English, Hindi, and several other South Asian languages. His poetry and translations have been published in numerous journals and anthologies across countries, and his works have been translated into a wide range of languages including Arabic, Italian, Odia, Urdu, Kannada, German, Georgian, Telugu, Persian, French, Bengali, Vietnamese, Maithili, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, and Hindi. Pokhrel has published multiple literary collections. His poetry collections include Shoonya Mutuko Dhadkanbhitra (1999) and Jeevamko Chheubaata (2009) . His song collections comprise Hazaar Aankhaa Yee Aankhaamaa (2002) and Malai Zandagi Nai Dukhdachha (2016) , and his ghazal collection is Soundaryako Sangeet (2016) . He has also contributed to Nepali literature through translation, including Manpareka Kehi Kavita (2018) , a selection of world poems; Bharat Shashwat Aawaz (2018) , translations of Kannada poems; and Aandhibehari (2018) , a Nepali translation of William Shakespeare's The Tempest. Additional works of his have been featured in various collaborative books. His play Yajnaseni premiered at the Irvin Art Theater in Texas, USA, and has since been performed in various locations in the USA, Nepal, and India. Pokhrel has translated approximately 500 poems by over 100 foreign poets into Nepali, and he has translated many Nepali poems into English, Hindi, and Urdu. His poetry has gained traction among readers and has been included in academic curricula. Taj Mahal and My Love is part of the undergraduate syllabus at Purbanchal University, and its English translation is featured in the B.A. curriculum at Cauvery College for Women in India. The English translation of Standing in the Market is included in the B.Ed. syllabus at Tribhuvan University. Similarly, 'You are as You Are' is part of the M.A. English syllabus at Kerala University and G.D. Goenka University. Online readers frequently quote Pokhrel's verses on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Some individuals have chosen to tattoo excerpts from his poems, such as Andrea Fernandez from France. International writers and publications have also cited his poetry. Dr. Srividya Shivakumar, Meenakshi Mohan, Atula Gupta, Mona Mehta, and Emily T. Troscianko have quoted his poems in their articles and reviews. His poem Every Morning is particularly referenced in contexts involving peace and conflict, such as in a scholarly article by Karen B. Orellana and Dr. Emerson on the Salvadoran Civil War and a thesis by Tomas Kebede addressing terrorism in Kenya. His words have also been featured in cultural and literary contexts, including Imani Magazine's descriptions of Indian archaeological sites and British author Roy Marshall's book After Montel. Pokhrel has been actively engaged in literary events regionally and internationally. He participated in the SAARC Festivals of Literature from 2009 to 2015, and represented Nepal at the SAARC Sufi Festival in Jaipur (2014) and SAARC Charter Day Celebrations in New Delhi (2013) . He was a guest poet at the All India Poets' Meet in Konark in 2016 and took part in the South Asian Literature Festival in New Delhi in 2017. He also participated in the 'We: Poet and Poetry' event at Sarwanam Theatre in 2017. In 2019, he represented Nepal at the First Forum of Asian Countries' Writers in Kazakhstan and attended the Vishwa Rang literary event in India. In 2022, he performed a solo recital in the poetry series Kavyaarohan and later gave another recital in Biratnagar during the 114th birth anniversary of Mahakavi. In 2023, he took part in the Kokrajhar Literature Festival, the Shaluk International Literature Festival in Dhaka, and the BIMSTEC Literature Festival in New Delhi. In 2024, he joined the International Literary Forum in Moscow and participated in a session on 21st-century poetry. On December 7,2024, he was featured at the Russian State Library as part of the Foreign Writers and Translators Series. He has received numerous accolades for his contributions to literature. In 2023, he was awarded the 'Asia's Inspiring Poet Award' by Asia Award and the 'Shaluk International Literature Award' by Shaluk Literary Magazine. He was also named 'Author of The Month' by Spillwords Press in New York. He previously received the SAARC Literary Award in both 2013 and 2015. Parallel to his literary career, Pokhrel has held various professional roles. He began as a Section Officer at Koshi Zonal Hospital. He then joined Plan International Nepal as a Development Coordinator, where he managed programs in health, nutrition, education, and microfinance. He later served as an Institutional Learning and Documentation Officer, supporting child-centered community development and contributing to gender integration and social inclusion through analytical reporting and training. In 2007, he joined the Center for Social Mobilization (CENSOM) as Program Coordinator, overseeing community development initiatives in eastern Nepal. As Managing Director of Institution Promotion and Resource Center from 2008, he led training programs across sectors. Since 2010, he has worked independently as a freelance consultant, offering services in training, research, translation, and facilitation across diverse areas including legal, educational, and creative content. He has led baseline surveys and situation assessments in Sunsari, Jumla, and Dhanusha districts and facilitated various training programs in Ilam, Dhankuta, and elsewhere. His ongoing engagements from 2023 through early 2025 include training services with Tapasaya Business Management Pvt. Ltd., focusing on accounting, taxation, and business planning. Through his work in literature, translation, education, and development, Suman Pokhrel aspires to contribute meaningfully to literary, cultural, and social domains. This is an ongoing desire for creative expression and intercultural understanding, aimed at serving the world for the betterment of those who inhabit it.)

The Best Poem Of Suman Pokhrel

The Taj Mahal & My Love

Through years of my prime
I walked with a heart
crazy about love.

I wanted my heart to bloom
and shelter a shadow of love.
when the heart was soaked in passion
and was wet,
I wanted to wrench it dry
on love itself.
I wanted to paint a picture,
in indelible print, across
the canvass of my heart.

I stand today
in front of the Taj Mahal.
I watch the marble smiling
as the sunlight gives it a touch.
I feel gusts of wind
gone mad
as they come across
the heights of love here.
I listen to the music, waking in
the dream-eyed visitors' quiet hearts.

I am tipsy after my
own feelings
themselves have become wine.
I forget myself, world and all.

I don't know
whether I'm thinking of Shah Jahan,
Mumtaj or myself.
I'm quite disillusioned, stupefied,
enveloped under an expanding heart.

Shah Jahan who proved
an emperor to be shorter than a lover,
who turned a grave into a temple
who gave his beloved a place of God
and converted love into a prayer.

there exists one difference between
us two.
he was all in all, and if
I'd ever grown prosperous like he was,
I'd not have waited for my beloved's death
before I erected a Taj Mahal.


(Translated from Nepali by Manu Manjil)

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