Democratic Spirits in Dayaman Shumsher’s Life and Writings

Abstract

What is the effect of a writer’s lifestyle on his/her writings? This article tries to show how they are integrated with an analytical example of Nepali freedom fighter and historical novelist Dayaman Shumsher Rana’s life and writings. Based on his beliefs on society, individual and democracy and the lifestyle, he followed, and their portrayal in his novel Pratibaddha [Committed] (Rana, 1981), this analysis is made. Rana lived an exemplary committed life of a democrat and always worked for the establishment and promotion of democracy and its spirit and culture. In his novel Pratibaddha, the same commitment is given a fictional touch through the portrayal of the life of its protagonist and other components of the text. The study is based on the exploratory readings on Rana’s life and the basic principles of democratic spirit, and application of its major findings in the study of the novel in question. Finally, it is found that a writer’s lifestyle has a great role in the creation, and Rana’s Pratibaddha is its good example. The research has found that Dayaman was born in the aristocratic Rana family; but he grew as a revolutionary in his youth. So he fought against his own family reign and the then despotic rulers of Nepal. Once democracy was introduced in the nation, he worked as a model democrat. The main character of the novel under this study also exhibits the similar qualities of a democrat.