Rupamati

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Rupamati is a Nepali novel written in 1934 by Rudra Raj Pande. It is considered the first widely read Nepali novel and was Pande’s debut. Although he wrote six more novels, Rupamati remains his best-known work. Prominent writers such as Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Lekhnath Paudyal, Balkrishna Sama, and Baburam Acharya praised its contribution to Nepali literature.

The story follows Rupamati, the daughter of Mohan Prasad Luitel, who is married to Habilal, the son of Pandit Chhabilal. At the time, Rupamati is six and Habilal is nine. Habilal is kind, but Rupamati’s mother-in-law, Ugra Chand Chotha, is cruel and temperamental and tortures her. Drawing strength from her mother, Rupamati endures the mistreatment with quiet tears. The novel portrays an ideal Nepali woman.

Rupamati has been translated into several languages. An English translation by Shanti Mishra appeared in 1999, and an Urdu translation was prepared by Prof. Dr. Tahira Nighat Nayyar.