Entrepreneur Shrestha comes up with two books

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu,Dec.1: Tourism entrepreneur Shyam Mohan Shrestha has come out with two books, 'Ek Firanteko Chatyange Jivan' and 'An Overland Odyssey' simultaneously.

Former vice-chancellor of Tribhuvan University, Kedar Bhakta Mathema, along with Karna Shakya, film director Prakash Sayami, litterateur Bhagirathi Shrestha, Prof. Kashiraj Pandey, banker Sushil Ram Mathema, Gate College founder, Khem Lakai, and the author Shrestha himself jointly unveiled the books amid an event held in the capital on Saturday.

Former vice-chancellor Mathema remarked that both books narrate the life of a man who keeps moving forward and never gives up. 

"Both books are inspiring for young people struggling to find their place in society," he said. 

He also praised the writer for presenting the events and experiences of his life without concealing anything.

Tourism entrepreneur Shakya said both books are rich in 'sense of humour.' "We are a little stylish, a little reckless, a little hippy, a little eccentric, and a little scruffy," Shakya said. "From time to time, we scold each other with the slang of Asan." He added that Shyam Mohan’s rollercoaster life is written with the ink of the heart.

Director Sayami said Shrestha’s books are not merely autobiographies but thrilling documents of travel, love, romance, emotion, and self-discovery. "These remarkable works by Shyam Mohan, a distinguished figure in Nepali society, are gripping from beginning to end," he said. "They also contain the intricate narrative of Nepal–France friendship." 

Litterateur Bhagirathi Shrestha said Shyam Mohan’s ambitious yet honest life is vividly portrayed in the works.

Prof. Pandey compared Shrestha’s seven-month overland bus-and-train journey from Kathmandu to Paris in 1970 at the age of twenty-two to the story of Paulo Coelho’s novel 'The Alchemist.' Banker Mathema observed that both books read like captivating novels. 

Lakai remarked that Shyam Mohan has presented his life as an open book, writing freely without confining himself to the moral boundaries of right and wrong defined by society. 

Writer Shrestha said he wrote in both Nepali and English to help future generations understand the rises and falls of his life.

Writer Shrestha, founding president of the Nepal–France Chamber of Commerce and Industry, worked for Air France for 30 years and also contributed significantly to the tourism sector by opening the Mirabel Hotel in Dhulikhel. 

In recognition of his special role in Nepal–France relations, he received France’s highest civilian honour, 'Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur,' in 2019.

Published by Indigo Ink, the Nepali book is priced at Rs. 799, and the English Rs. 599.