My way of handling teaching and journalism

Om Shanker Shrestha

As an English teacher by profession, I have been into this role for the last thirty-eight years. All along I also have been involved in journalism. I was associated with a national broadsheet daily for 27 years, two years with an online, and about one and a half years with a television. I worked as the news editor of the national daily "Nepal Samachar Patra" for 27 years, two and a half years on Tokha Online as a guest editor, more than a year for "Baahrakhari" undertaking accountability of the international page and around one and a half years with ACE Channel TV where I conducted a weekly talk show, "Talk with Om."

I started my teaching career from Nepal Aadarsh Secondary School, Ganabahal, Kathmandu, and currently, I am serving as a vice-principal in one of the best and most popular community-based model public schools in Nepal, Viswa Niketan Secondary School, Tripureshwor, Kathmandu.

I am not as busy as I used to be. For around three decades, I was affiliated with the journalism sector, and the schedules were tight while handling the accountability of filling one whole broad sheet page daily. Sometimes, I even had to write the main news for the first page if any major international event took place by chance, for example, the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in the United States. I was the desk chief of the international affairs section of the Nepal Samacharpatra for many years, and I worked for a long time as the desk chief of the sports page as well. Besides, I contributed to the weekly supplement and the magazines of Kamana Publication, the cine-magazine "Kamana," and the family digest "Sadhana" regularly. However, I never understood why the management of the publication always treated me as a part-timer.

My grown-up son and daughter also insisted that I should not be workaholic, so I gave up my evening shift job few months ago, but I still have more than enough translation work. I translate materials both from Nepali to English and vice versa. I am also a ghost writer and have written about a dozen books for others. Nowadays, I am busy writing a novel for someone else, just for money.

I enjoy listening to music and watching movies, particularly Korean, Chinese, and Iranian. I am a professional lyricist as well. I have sold many songs to the well-established and famous bands and individual singers. I can write in Nepali, Nepal Bhasa (my mother tongue), English, and Hindi too. I get the most satisfaction from writing poems. In the last two years, I have released a story collection entitled "Yathartha" and a social novel "Sambandha."

I am bringing out another novel, "Natalia," for which I was offered five lakh rupees to remain as a ghost writer by a gentleman. But I did not accept his offer. I am publishing it on my own entire investment. My dear friend based in the USA, Mr. Kumar Mainali, has provided me with adequate encouragement and inspiration in this regard. My other college friend, Mr. Bipin Tuladhar, and my student, a teacher at Kathmandu University, Mr. Anil Shahi, have become helping hands.

I have been writing since I was fifteen. I still remember reciting my poem at a program held on the occasion of Martyr’s Day at the Rotary Club, Thapathali, Kathmandu. The glorious thing is that the program was chaired by the great late poet Siddhicharan Shrestha. I was just sixteen and the youngest participant. My first poem was published in Madhupatrika in 2046, Chaitra. In 2056 or 2057, one of my stories was published in "Garima." I later learned that the editor, Mr. Gopal Parajuli, had commented that I might be from outside the valley because a Newar from the valley could not write in such splendid Nepali. Anyway, I continued my journey, and so far, around one hundred and fifty songs have been recorded by different established singers. I became a professional lyricist when I wrote the title song for a Nepali feature film, "Timi Bina Ko Jeevan," sung by Rajesh Payal Rai and Rima Gurung Hoda. The director of this movie, Mr. Raj Shakya, made me a professional by paying me for that song.

Along with many well-known singers, bands like "Mukti and Revival," "Anuprastha," and "Amedhyan" have also sung many of my songs. So far, around twenty music videos have been made on my songs, and two were shot in the USA, and one was made in Australia. Likewise, Nepal’s leading publication house, "Ratna Pustak Bhandar," has published my translated worldwide popular story collection entitled "Biswa Bikhyat Katha Sangrah," volumes 1 to 6, plus six volumes of the philosopher Swed Martin's works.  I got my translated biography of the great comedian Charlie Chaplin and dozens of children's books published from Dikura Publications. I have translated many books on Buddhism from Nepali into English.

 I have already mentioned about my upcoming new novel, “Natalia”. The beginning of it is based on a true story—I really met a French lady named “Natalia” in my teenage years. The rest is fiction. I have also acted in some movies. I played a pivotal role in the feature film “Goma,” directed by the popular director Mr. Raj Shakya. I also played a central character in his short movie “Dimag Kharab.” Additionally, I have acted in other movies like “Jamana Gubhaju,” based on a life story of great tantric, “Hijo Ajako Kura, the film,” produced by the great artist and comedian of our nation, Mr. Santosh Panta, and the Nepal Bhasa movie “Tiba, The Support.” The story of 'Tiba, The Support' was written by me. I have contributed for English subtitles, script and the title song in it as well.

Definitely not, I have seen many writers, musicians, singers and artists are being badly exploited by money minded producers or businessmen. Though remuneration or payment is very negligible I am still doing this job for self -respect plus satisfaction and name only. If one can be a shameless they definitely earn lots of money and become rich overnight by publishing books. They make the writers spend on the front cover and back page designing and the whole proof reading. Then they get published from a press on credit for the paper, printing and binding. Finally they send them through the distributors and collect cash without paying the stakeholders for a long telling the same ready- made story.' Nowadays, there are no readers!' They even let the writers know exact numbers of the books they have printed. And if insisted for that ten percent damn royalty for per one thousand copies they filled the writer's bag with the books without a regular discount that is being provided for their permanent distributors. They must be categorized with corrupt politicians. Intellectual exploitation and cheating must be checked from the government level agency and there must be capital punishment for such culprits. So called many big and popular publications are involved in such scams. That's why I am publishing my next novel on my own.

I have not much interest in politics though I have a master degree in the political science. Age bar and certain basic academic qualifications should be formulated for the politicians. Every professional gets retirement so why not the politicians! Brain drain plus the fashion of sending children to the foreign lands must be stopped. Opportunities for the good employment should be created within the country by utilizing untold natural resources. Corruption is everywhere including the educational sector; this is the cancer of the nation so a permanent remedy is a must. Bureaucrats are grooming and nurturing the corruption which has directly or indirectly leaving very negative impact on all the sectors. For a simple example of my own, I have been teaching consecutively for the last thirty eight years, I have B.A. and B.ed in English master degree in Political Science plus I. Sc. as well, my teaching outcomes is excellent, a large number of the students have been passing in 4 GPA in my subject but still I am deprived of a single promotion and my many juniors have already got promotion many years ago.

After around three and a half year I will get retired but I won't hang on in teaching profession with laddus i.e. sweets on both hands [Nepali proverb] by taking pension and occupying another youth's employment. I have seen many such corrupt minded and greedy people who are taking illegal advantages in this way with an under-table illegal agreement. One more thing, I never migrate to any foreign countries though some of my family members are foreign citizen card holders for quite a long time. I am prouder and luckier in this regard because my son and daughter also have decided not to go anywhere for permanently. I most like in the world, is the taste of Nepali water which I am sure cannot be found in any other parts of the world. I have written many patriotic songs as well just like, Hami Pheri Uthanechaun' sung by late Robin Tamang, Mukti Shakya and Niran Shahi and produced by Project One. It was nominated for Tuberg Image Award – 2075, ' Udas Udas Cha Sahar ' sung by Gautm Das Manandhar and composed by Janak Sharestha and , ' Nepal Sworga Bhanda Pyaro Cha ' by the ANUPRASTHA band. Of course I could not earn a lot of money being a teacher but I don't feel I am less than a billionaire when my ex – students, PHD holders, high ranked government officials and internationally recognized experts from various sector come to see me and show their respect and gratitude. But honestly I would like to say that to earn such a due respect one should be a perfect but not a tainted jhole [more political activist] teacher.   Yes I declare my motherland more lovable than the heaven and I promise I will try to make NEPAL prouder till the end through my works.