A Poem by Pratap Bal Tamang

Aasyaang – think for yourself!

- by Pratap Bal Tamang

(Translated by Manjushree Thapa¹, originally in Tamang language)

Those soles of yours which steer rickshaws

must now steer the country and the universe

Your tireless hands which shove load carts

must raise your own culture and people

Deceived sometimes by religion

and sometimes by your facial features –

seek now the sky of your own sunrise

Seek out feet which will take you to high peaks

You too are a person like others

You too are a citizen – like the others of this country

Give up your foolish sincerity now

alongside your auctioned identity

The country is yours as well

The universe is yours as well

Your rights exist here too

And so

search for your missing self

recall your forgotten history

and ....

and Aasyang –

your son Theba birthed by your young lass:

what should his future be like?

Think – think about this for yourself

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1      This poem is extracted from the book ‘The Country is Yours – Contemporary Nepali Literature’ – translated and introduced by Manjushree Thapa.

2  Aasyang literally means ‘mama’ [mother’s brother(s)] in Tamang language. But it is used to widely to address one w/ respect where there is a ‘kutumba’ (possibility of marriage between families) relation. Aasyang is used similarly to ‘solti.’