Why does Amar Neupane write?

These days, writer Amar Neupane can often be found at the Nepal Academy. Having earned a large readership through his literature, Amar is now serving as an academician and is working to connect writers and literature from villages across the country with the literary center.

Known for presenting sweetness even in simplicity, Amar is the author of much‑loved works such as Paniko Gham (The Sunshine of Water), Seto Dharati (White Earth), Karodau Kasturi (Millions of Musk Deer), and Gulabi Umer (The Pink Age). He recently shared his thoughts on the Deshsanchar Chautari platform.

Paniko Gham won the Padmashree Award in 2066 BS (2010 AD) and Seto Dharati won the prestigious Madan Puraskar in 2068 BS (2012 AD). Amar is a soft‑spoken writer who enjoys weaving philosophy into discussions about life and the universe.

What would Amar have been if he had not become a writer? We might imagine him as a painter or a teacher. But he says he still hasn’t truly “become” anything:

“I still feel as though I haven’t become anything yet. Even now, it feels like I am just gathering scattered pieces and trying to put them together.”

Once a fine arts artist and teacher, Amar eventually established himself as an independent writer. Though life is profoundly meaningful to him, he sees it as fleeting:

“Life is transient. People don’t remain, but their stories must. That is why I write,” he says.
“If Valmiki had not written the story of Ram and Sita, we would not know it today. We may disappear, but our stories must remain. That is why I started writing.”

A passionate traveler, Amar often journeys for the sake of his writing: sometimes walking under the blazing sun of Nepalgunj, sometimes trekking to remote settlements in the high hills and valleys of Sudurpaschim and Karnali. He broke away from the culture of writing confined to a room or office, instead gathering original stories directly from the field. While writing Seto Dharati, Amar spent months living in Devghat, Chitwan. There, he documented the stories of widowed mothers who, from the banks of the flowing river, would ask: “Is this all there is to life?”

“While writing Seto Dharati, I stayed in Devghat wearing saffron robes. That, too, was a kind of life,” he says.

Amar, who won the hearts of countless readers through his writing, even bought a ropani of land in Matatirtha with the royalties from Seto Dharati and Karodau Kasturi.

“When Seto Dharati was published, the reading culture was strong. Authors could become celebrities. When I saw the long line of people waiting for my signature, I realized that there was indeed a market for books in Nepal,” he recalls.

Now, however, the book market has declined. Many readers have turned their attention to social media.

“In developed countries, people enjoyed reading books and now they also enjoy the internet. But for us, just as the culture of reading was beginning to take root, the internet disrupted it,” Amar says.
“Still, the internet has made reading easier and more accessible. The world is now within everyone’s reach. For those who truly want to read, there are now even more avenues available.”

The writer is also concerned about Nepal’s education system. He observes that children are gradually beginning to forget the Nepali language:

“Children today are focused only on English. But English is not everything. If children forget their mother tongue, they also forget society, values, and culture,” he says.

Some critics accuse Amar of being a writer who “sells tears” in Nepali literature. He rejects this accusation:

“I write about compassion. Isn’t there compassion in people’s lives? Of course there is. Compassion is what teaches people how to live,” he responds.

Amar says that he experiences the greatest joy from “water” and “sky”:

“The farther an object appears blue, the deeper it feels,” he reflects.

There were rumors in the market that Amar was the author of China Haraeko Manche (The Man Who Lost His Homeland), the best‑selling memoir in Nepali literature. But Amar dismisses the gossip:

“I examined the language of the book, but I didn’t write it,” he clarifies.

Having explored teenage psychology in novels like Gulabi Umer, Amar argues that more literature should be written for adolescents as well.

According to Amar, Nepali literature is currently being written in large volume, but there has been a lack of serious critique:

“How theoretically grounded has our literature really become?” he asks.

Amar is also dissatisfied with Nepal’s politics:

“Everything could be good, but politics doesn’t allow it. Politics stands above all other sectors and controls them. If the rulers are sick, then the people and the country become sick as well,” he says.