By Dilli Ammai, ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM:-  “If you renounce the body and rest in the mind, you will become happy, peaceful, and free from bondage.” -Ashtavakra Gita (1:4)

In today’s post-modern world, people are running in a blind race of self-praise, personal ‘branding’ and ego. Where everyone is in a hurry to tell their own story, there are rare seekers who dedicate their lives to immortalizing the existence, struggle and life stories of others on canvas, keeping their own identity in the background. In the sky of Nepali media and diaspora literature, the name of one such selfless, determined and fiery determination is – Maniraj Gautam.

Gautam, who recently arrived in the heart of Europe as the coordinator of the European chapter of the Film Journalists Association of Nepal, is himself a living news, poetry, stories and a whole philosophy of life. Like the ‘Thaha Abhiyan’ of Hetauda’s native philosopher Rupchandra Bista, he is the hope of society and a modern ‘Ashtavakra’ who has reached the peak of popularity in a short time.

Many people dream of reaching the developed countries of Europe, such as Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Portugal, which was Gautam’s strong desire since childhood. When he boarded a ship to Belgium in 2019 with the help of Sahadev Gautam, a resident of Belgium, he found an atmosphere to gain new experiences. However, after about 5 years, when he reached Europe for the fourth time, his thoughts and dreams had changed. He not only traveled, but also began to record the joys and sorrows of the Nepalis here. The starting point of this great campaign was a meeting in Hetauda, ​​when he received a suggestion from journalist Dilli Ammai to collect stories in Europe.

2080 Ashadha, (June, 2023): A book that became history, a deed that became immortal:

Positions in the Nepali media world are fleeting, but the real test of leadership is what is left for history while in office. While serving as the president of the Makawanpur branch of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Maniraj Gautam set a historical record in Ashadh 2080 BS. In institutional collaboration with the Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City and in collaboration with the editorial team of Dhruv Adhikari, he published the book “Feature Collection”. Rising above the hasty and fleeting noise of daily news and documenting the deeper layers of society, human sensibilities and grassroots voices in the form of a book was a visionary and inspiring act in itself. His official “President’s Statement” printed on the pages of the book makes it clear that he wanted to promote research-based journalism in journalists, with its style, accuracy and in-depth study of the subject matter. This step he took as the chairman confirmed that he is not just a leader who occupies a position, but rather a skilled visionary who writes history and institutionalizes actions. That book has now become history and his timeless work has been immortalized in the media history of Makawanpur.

Another creation Pravaashkaa Fulharu “Flowers of Migration”:

The most sincere and highly philosophical aspect of Maniraj Gautam’s personality is his feeling and action that he should not let history erase itself – “He doesn’t care about himself, he cares about others, and Pravaashkaa Fulharu “Flowers of Migration” is a work that he created with a lot of effort and investment to make others aware.”  The author himself has clearly and honestly admitted in the introduction to the book that his trip to Europe was not just for sightseeing. While he was wandering around European lands, he had one great goal in mind: to write a book of a different kind. Collecting and publishing the stories of Nepalis struggling in a foreign land is an important act in itself. He realized this and wrote it, but whether the characters he was writing about realized this or not remains to be seen.

This grand campaign, which began with the story of the struggle of Madan Dawadi, the outgoing general secretary of the Belgian Business Association, covered the joys and sorrows of about a dozen Nepali businessmen and 40 Nepalis from Berlin (Germany), Luxembourg, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, and France. This invaluable work was born after a year of tireless struggle between the 40 days of difficult fieldwork and the rigorous organizational work he had to do as the president of the federation after returning to Nepal. As mentioned earlier, there is a lot of pain in this, but he does not want to say or show it.

In this section, he has included the thoughts and struggles of dozens of expatriate Nepali characters, such as Ram Pratap Thapa, Dilli Ammai, Dinesh Kumar Giri, Govinda Bhatta, Binod Baniya, Chiran Kumar Khawas, Dil Gurung, Sita Sapkota, Sumi Ghimire, Rahim Dim Miyan, Dhruv Ghimire, Gopal Dahal, Kashi Danai, Lok Dahal, Mahendra Mahat, Narayan Gurung, Rijan Chaulagain, Subash Joshi, and Surendra Adhikari, Hari Bahadur Khatri, Prakash Raj Giri, Yam Niraula, Tej Nepali, Raju Ghimire, Balram Pun, Rajesh Karki, Anushka Kapri, Balchandra Bhattarai, Chandra Bahadur Thapa, Hari Bhattarai, Jeet Bahadur Thapa, Kisan KC, Kumar Shahi, Madan Dawadi, Narayan Acharya, Surendra Kapri, Sagar Neupane, Nirmal Aryal, and Naresh Sapkota, as printed in the index and interview sequence on pages 13 and 14 of the book.

Gautam could have written his autobiography or personal significance in this book, but he dedicated the pages of his book to the stories of living Nepalis who shed blood and sweat in a foreign land, struggled and searched for their identity. He has also promised to include in the upcoming edition, without any ego or complaint, even those who did not believe in the beginning or could not give time. By immortalizing their stories and interviews, he has shed another light on diaspora literature. Madan Puraskar winner Dr. Nawaraj Lamsal has given this book a profound literary metaphor, calling it “writing is a blooming branch on the tree of journalism.”

Does the sun block the borders of the state? That is what Mani, the General Secretary of International Nepali Literary Society, (INLS) Portugal, is like! What a beautiful and unprecedented geo-cultural coincidence! Yesterday, a “feature collection” was published on the soil of Hetauda! Maniraj Gautam, the same journalist who brings someone to justice, shatters the dreams of a thief, and immortalizes the stories of others through thousands of articles, articles, stories of injustice, cultural news, and breaking news, has today published the story of ‘Soft Power’ standing in the sky of Europe. On the other hand, he is giving weight to cultural diplomacy on the international stage by becoming a spokesperson for INLS.

Just as geographical or political maps cannot stop the sunlight at borders, similarly, geography cannot confine the creative and cultural promotion energy of Maniraj Gautam. He is like the sun; sometimes shining brightly in the mountains of Nepal and sometimes in the blue aura of the endless sea of ​​Europe. Wherever he goes, he illuminates the path, opening the doors of creation. It is known from his association; he is as beloved as Ram in society and as cool as the Peepal tree’s (Ficus religiosa) courtyard. Gautam, who loves and respects those who return respect from the corner of his heart, does not walk around with ego. However, where truth and integrity end, he does not scoff, but rather ‘slowly’ sets out on his holy path. He has not earned material wealth in life, but the love, affection, trust, knowledge and service of the Nepalis – which cannot be contained in any bank in the world. His journey of work, which began yesterday in Hetauda, ​​is today spreading on the international stage as a living philosophy and the pride of the diaspora. It seems that the light within him will continue to shine like this!