By Rahul Thapa
Human beings live layered lives, a balancing act between navigating personal and professional lives. In Shillong, one such person is Bikram Bir Thapa.
In his 70s now, his contribution to Meghalaya is immense.
Hailing from the Nepali community in Shillong, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award (New Delhi) in 1999 for his collection of short stories, Bishaun Shatabdi Ki Monalisa (Monalisa of the 20th century), which focuses on the inter-community love story of a Marathi woman, Sugandha and a Nepal-based artist, Bhuvan. These star-crossed lovers go to great lengths to express their quiet longing for each other, with her becoming his muse, and culminating in a tragedy.
On the choice of the title, the septuagenarian said, “There is a purpose for this particular name. Sugandha is the Monalisa for her lover, Bhuvan. He captures her in his painting that mesmerises scholars when it is sold to a foreigner, named Richard. She has a beautiful smile, despite her sad lips, which they feel displays a range of emotions. Decades later, Richard’s descendants sell the painting at an auction, making her (Sugandha) the Monalisa of the 20th century.”
Welcoming us into his home and life, the 72-year-old multifaceted personality spoke about how distinct each identity is for him.
A Tough Childhood
Born in Shillong (then-capital of undivided Assam) in 1950, his father passed away when he was just four. His mother raised him on her own.
She ensured he never felt or understood the life of hardships; it was not until he grew older that he realised the sacrifices she made to shape his life.
The writer dived deep into his childhood in his 1999 book, Kargil Yuddha (Kargil Warrior).
Discovering first love
It is in painting that Bikram Bir found refuge. We spoke about which came first – painting or writing – chuckling, he shared an anecdote from his childhood.
“It was always painting. I studied in a cantonment school, where one of the teachers asked us to make a ship. Back in the day, students wrote in slates. This task was given to the senior students as well,” Bikram Bir said.
“Until I made it, I didn’t know that I would be praised,” he added, sharing how both senior students and teachers felt he outclassed them all. They were shocked to see his talent, on the first day of school.
Transformations!
For him, painting had always been special. That said, he had to find another alternative to expressing himself. He discovered the joy of writing… one that sowed the seeds of the scribe within, marking a transition in his life.
He shared, “I never considered writing until I realised that the supplies needed to create a painting – paints, colours, brushes and canvas – were too expensive. I didn’t come from wealth, hence, could not always afford this costly art. So, I had to set aside my love for painting to find something else. I chose to write because all one requires is a pen and paper, which was reasonably available. I also realised that I could allow my thoughts to go in any direction, free of cost.”
At this point, a life of service called out to him. Bikram Bir joined the 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) of the Indian Army to serve the nation. Painting would, however, return once again.
In his own words, “After entering the army, I started saving money so that I could dedicate time to painting.”
During this time, he produced some extremely expensive paintings, celebrated internationally. In 2022, he was awarded the “Kanchenjunga Rashtriya Puraskar” for painting at Sikkim. He mentioned, introspectively, that this was the first time he received an award for his first love.
He is most known for his depiction of the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. The historic temple is depicted in all its glory, cradled among the high Himalayan hills. Interestingly, we see a white woman, walking close to the temple gates. Among the elements of the temple, the discerning eye observes her inability to enter the vast temple.
The artist said, “She, along with others like her, would not be excluded had the priests been able to overthrow the inherent orthodoxy, opening the doors of the temple for all, instead.”
He also painted a map of India, where he attempted to depict a forest with roots – the idea rooted in “unity in diversity”. It became the cover image of his book, Kargil Yuddha.
A Life of Penmanship
Recalling his initial journey, he said, “In late 1961, an incident happened. My friend Pran Nath Pradhan was two classes senior to me, and challenged me to a contest, which was producing a novel. I was then in class seven, while he was in the ninth standard.”
Stating how he failed to write, he added, “I was unable to produce the novel, but he wrote it… 33 pages long. That sparked my passion to create worlds, that’s how I became a writer.”
He wrote songs, usually folk tunes. He shared how he moved from Barapathar to Nongmensong to live with his close relatives when his elder brother had relocated to Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh, for work. Here, he composed his first traditional folk song, or the Bhailo Geet, on the occasion of Diwali (Tihar, in Nepali).
There was no looking back since then – he wrote three novels, short stories, a biography, and the autobiography titled, Mera Akhijhyalbata (Translation: From My Point of View)
Bikram Bir also touched on the subject of identity crisis. “Nepali speaking Indian Gorkha community has served the nation, particularly in the defence sector, yet are termed foreigners from Nepal, despite living in India for four or five generations in pre-independent India.”
This, too, finds space in his novel, Teesta Sutluj.
Serving the Nation
While he served in the Kargil War, he is a celebrated war hero for his courage in the Indo-Bangladesh War (1971) – something he takes great pride in – one that has been highlighted in his novel, Bigat Ko Parivesh, published in 1972.
He said, “I want to be known more as a war veteran than a writer. Serving my country is the highest form of service.”
A two-hour long conversation with Bikram Bir opened up a world of possibilities, one where the paintbrush, gun, and the pen, co-exists.
We asked, “Is the pen mightier than the sword, for you?”
Smiling, he responded, “Pen… because it has the power to begin and end conflict. Be it planning wars or signing peace accords… both call for a pen!”