Skip to main content

THE CLOCK TOWER

Bhupi Sherchan (1936-1989)

Translated by Padma Devkota

Bhupi Sherchan was the first free style poet in Nepali literature. He has analysed humans and human life in different ways but his biggest contribution to Nepalese society is that he has tried to show the way to the new generation through his numerous poems. He was a fierce nationalist and loved his country and countrymen above all else. His down to earth rationalism can be seen in his classic poem "Hami" where he claimed that we Nepalese are brave but foolish and because we are brave we are foolish. His intense love for the nation and the goodwill of the nation can be seen in his odes to the martyrs of Nepal. Bhupi Sherchan was awarded the Sajha Puraskar in 2026 B.S.

Famous works: Ghumne Mech Mathi Andho Manche (A blind man on the revolving chair), Sahid Ko Samjhana (In the memory of martyr), Main Batti Ko Sikha (Flame of a candle), Ghantaghar (Clock-tower), Hami (Us),  etc.

The Clock Tower captures the image of pensioned veteran who passes his days without worry and anxiety. The poet is very much successful in providing the realistic image. The poet looks sympathetic towards the clock tower and the senior vet (a person who has served in the armed forces). Both are the victim of time. They are degrading due to ageing. It is paradoxical that though the clock tower tells the time, it is victim of the very time. 

The veteran is not happy with his present life. Rather he is passing his long, sad days of his old age, having cast bait (माछा मार्न वा शिकार गर्न बल्छीको टुप्पोमा राखिएको चारा) into Ranipokhari standing forever on its bank. He has spent his entire youth in the service of his cantonment  (camp). Now it is time for him to rest. But he does not seem to be happy with his present life. He has grown old. He is passing his long, sad days of old age.The clock tower, on the other hand, is a witness of the vet's passing life. Time has cast bait into the vet's life. The old man has no old souvenirs (स्मृतिका चिन्हहरु)  as all the old military attires (Clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion) have been gone, some are torn, some eaten by rats and others are distributed among kith and kin (relatives/आफन्तहरु) one by one. 

The time is invincible (unbeatable/Incapable of being overcome or subdued). It is the time that eats everything. Time is very powerful. No one can defeat time. No one can escape from the clutch (grip) of time. The old vet is silently waiting for his death. It is time that has robbed his youths and all his energy. No one can feel the passage of time, it slowly comes and takes away our life. Both the clock tower and senior vet are the victim of time. They both are degrading due to ageing. It is paradoxical that though clock tower tells the time, it is the victim of the very time.

Bibliography

Serchan, B. (2013). The Clock Tower. In M. Nissani, & S. Lohani, Flax-Golden Tales: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Learning English (p. 211). Kathmandu, Nepal: Ekta Books.

Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ranipokhari_clock_tower_1930s.jpg

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

BBS First Year English Question Paper with Possible Answers (TU 2021)

Summary and Analysis of My Mother Never Worked

MY MOTHER NEVER WORKED Bonnie Smith - Yackel SYNOPSIS   In the essay “ My Mother Never Worked ,” Bonnie Smith-Yackel recollects the time when she called Social Security to claim her mother’s death benefits. Social Security places Smith-Yackel on hold so they can check their records on her mother, Martha Jerabek Smith . While waiting, she remembers the many things her mother did, and the compassion her mother felt towards her husband and children. When Social Security returns to the phone, they tell Smith-Yackel that she could not receive her mother’s death benefits because her mother never had a wage-earning job. A tremendous amount of irony is used in this essay. The title, in itself, is full of irony; it makes readers curious about the essay’s point and how the author feels about the situation. Smith-Yackel uses the essay to convey her opinion of work. Her thesis is not directly stated; however, she uses detail upon detail to prove her mother did work, just not in the eyes of ...

Summary and Analysis of Only Daughter by Sandra Cisneros

ONLY DAUGHTER -Sandra Cisneros Born into a working-class family in 1954, Sandra Cisneros was the daughter of a Mexican-American mother and a Mexican father.  Only Daughter originally appeared in Glamour magazine in 1990. Cisneros through this essay describes the difficulties of growing up as the only daughter in a Mexican-American family of six sons.   Historically, sons have been valued over daughters in most cultures, as reflected in the following proverbs: “A house full of daughters is like a cellar full of sour beer” (Dutch); “Daughters pay nae [no] debts” (Scottish); “A stupid son is better than a crafty daughter” (Chinese); and “A virtuous son is the sun of his family” (Sanskrit).  Contemporary research suggests that while the preference for male children has diminished considerably in industrialised nations, a distinct preference for sons continues among many cultures in Asia and the Middle East, raising concerns among medical ethicists worldwide. And, even within ...