Srijana Aryal depicts woman's defiance in 'Murdaghar'

Kathmandu, Apr. 5: Young author Srijana Aryal’s writing predominantly portrays the profound emotions, resilience, and rebellion of Nepali women with remarkable precision. What she writes often reflects the heart-breaking stories of most Nepali women, a narrative in which she could be a character.

A promising young poet and playwright from Dhading, her play Murdaghar (House Of The Dead), published this year by Printohub Trade Link, raises these concerns in a highly convincing manner. In households where wives endure constant violence and oppression from their husbands, where family members remain silent instead of standing against such cruelty, and where, instead of supporting the victim, they blame her—can such a house truly be called a home? No, not at all. In her play, Srijana calls such a house a 'Murdaghar'.

Winner of many awards in poetry, Srijana is also a poet with an exceptional command over various classical Nepali rhymes and metres. Her first poetry collection Sunko Pinjada  (The Golden Cage), published in 2019, primarily explores themes of patriotism, dignity, maternal love, compassion, romance, and human emotions. The title poem 'Sunko Pinjada' aligns conceptually with Pinjarako Suga (The Caged Parrot) by the legendary poet Lekhnath Paudyal. No matter how affectionately a bird is cared for, a cage is never dear to it. At its core, the poem advocates for human freedom, as Paudyal did.

Her second poetry collection, Bodh Antarabodh', published in 2023, also covers a diverse range of subjects, with a special focus on women’s emotions. The poems centering on these themes appear particularly powerful. In her poem. Ghau (The Wound), she highlights women’s suffering as an eternal struggle.

Notably, Srijana has never written free verse poetry. She skillfully expresses her emotions in classical metres such as Shardulvikridit, Mandakranta, Bhujangaprayat, Shikharini, Shalini, Malini, and Upajati, among others. She also encourages others to compose in these structured forms and provides training on classical poetic metres to younger generations.

A prolific lyricist, Srijana has recorded dozens of songs. Her own life stands as an example of rebellion against societal norms.

Her play 'Murdaghar' features six principal roles. The central character of the play is Savitri Sharma. Savitri’s husband, Kapil Sharma, lacks human sensitivity. He is an alcoholic and extremely violent. To him, his wife is nothing more than a bed partner. He inflicts countless forms of abuse upon her. Despite this, his mother, Goma, blames Sabitri instead of holding her son accountable. Eventually, unable to endure the torment any longer, Sabitri decides to leave the house with her two sons, Shailesh and Roshan. She resolves to take legal action against the abuse she has suffered.

At a time when there is a drought in playwriting, and particularly a near absence of female playwrights, Srijana’s entry into drama is undoubtedly a welcome event. “Srijana’s dramatic journey is promising because her writing exhibits a strong sense of stagecraft and artistic finesse,” remarks Puru Lamsal, a theatre director and academician of the Nepal Academy of Music and Drama. His statement indeed holds much more meaning.