Tulasi Acharya observes a tree in his opening poem. That tree is a symbol of political, mythological, spiritual awakening and even barbaric events related to war. Buddha attains enlightenment under that tree, Newton discovers about gravitational force, Anne Frank sees her family being dragged to the tree and killed, Adam and Eve are forced to descend to the earth for eating the forbidden fruit of a tree in Eden, Lord Ramchandra devised a trick behind the tree when he killed King Bali. This observation is a microscopic view of looking at a object so familiar to us and connecting it with grand events in history, be it mythological or modern.

A tree is also where martyrs were hanged by the dictators. Tulasi Acharya has connected east and west, in a language that is precise. He almost does that with brevity in thought, and not just in words. Tulasi Acharya has redefined what aesthetics is in post-modern poetry. For him, his unforgotten nation stands tall with its cultural beauty. Being a diasporic poet, he describes the topi of his father, the festivals of his childhood- it all comes alive in his poetry. This certainly is a stronger aspect of his work. Beauty in art does not mean decorative language. At least to me, it is the subjective clarity of words and a creative way of looking at the world. Artistic beauty has been mistaken for abstract ideas, oxymoron and metaphors in a literary world. However, Acharya chooses blending memoir with poetry and many other divisions like concrete poetry and story-like poetry writing . Beauty lies in terms of fusion of ideas and not just aesthetically pleasing diction. Ideas should please, not just be highly decorative, and this collection stands as a historical testament to that.

Memory is also one of the themes in Acharya’s poetry. It comes alive in remembrances of festivals. Nepali literary fraternity should feel proud of Acharya who is a diasporic writer writing about Nepal from America. Being a post-graduate in creative writing, it is natural for Acharya to blend different genres and follow the global literary trends in writing. Acharya also holds a PhD and is currently working as an Associate Professor of English at South Georgia State College. We are lucky that the subject matter is Nepali, and the form takes shape of modern trends in writing. I would not have preferred the opposite.

In the title poem Dinbhari Pani Parirahancha (The Rain Falls Throughout the Day; my translation). The poet feels that rainfall is without suspense. It is unlike the plot of his stories, which he reads in the silence of the falling rain. He sees his childhood in the rain, he hears the music of rain during childhood days, remembers how he planted paddy in the field, back then. Acharya is also nostalgic about Dashain. Nostalgia can be one more tribute to Nepal, which lingers forever in the diaspora. It might be celebrated with great fanfare in the diaspora community of U.S. but the poet lets us dwell in the Nepali courtyard. I truly hope to see this poetry collection translated in English, for the western audiences. It deserves that honor.

Time is another theme in Acharya’s poetry. Time is a thief, it steals the golden years: a reflection of this idea can be seen in Acharya’s poetry.

Tulasi Acharya expresses his concern through his poetry, that if he come to work full-time in Nepal and live here there might be political issues. A person who spent his upbringing and adult life in Nepal will always have Nepal in his heart. Some might take this coming back to Nepal in a negative way. He surely does not have any commercial purpose and there is no foreign agendas which he wishes to establish. He has expressed this idea in this collection.  The voice of Diaspora should be heard, and I thank Dr. Tulasi Acharya for representing Nepal in the global platform. Literature has no borders. Diaspora has helped to broaden the proximity of Nepali literature. Getting published in the U.S. through traditional routes is itself an adventure of fulfillment. Recently,  Acharya’s memoir in English was published in the USA. Getting visible is the sign of longevity of our literary tradition. Acharya has written equally in Nepali and English, his literary prowess has already proven that. I wish Dr. Acharya for many more literary creations.