Memory and Longing for Home (Tibet) in the Nepali Short Story “Bihan Huna Na Sakeko Raat” by Sanu Lama.

Abstract

In my paper, I will closely study the Nepali short story titled “Bihan Huna Na Sakeko Raat” (A Night With No Dawn) by Sanu Lama. The story revolves around a father-daughter duo, where the father, as a Tibetan escaping persecution, found refuge in Sikkim many years ago. The forced displacement that carries with it the burden of trauma, memories, pain and unresolved questions is poignantly described through the character of the father. The author vividly captures the father’s longing for his homeland and transports the readers to Tibet through his memories . He is haunted by the images of that fateful night when he suddenly had to leave his home and his parents. While the loss still lives on, yet all the memories are not entirely painful. The landscape, for instance, is still unblemished and beautiful in his mind. In my paper, I will be looking at the role of memory as a tool that sustains this longing for home not just for the father but for the daughter as well, who has only heard about it in her father’s stories.