Karnali Blues

The novel depicts the father-son relationship in a family from the Mid-western region of Nepal. The family had descended from Surkhet to the plains around present Bardiya National Park when the forest lands had opened up to agriculture, and then moved to Kalikot.

Brisha Bagadur, the narrator of the novel, is born into a Pahari family. They are one of the hill people families, who have been moving down to the plains in growing numbers over the past fifty years to open up newly cleared forest lands for agriculture. Brisha Bahadur's family belongs to this community, which dominates local commerce, trade and politics and forms a majority in the small bazaar towns of the district.

The story of Brisha's childhood is intertwined with a parallel story that begins with Brisha's father's admission into a hospital when Brisha is a teenager. Brisha Bahadur narrates his father's struggles. The novel is divided into eleven days. Brisha Bahadur is taking care of his father who is sick in those eleven days and he reminisces his past with his parents.

The novel is loosely modelled after Buddhi's own childhood, which passed in the same municipalities, although with different circumstances.

• Brisha Bahadur — Narartor and main protagonist of the book
• Harsha Bahadur — Brisha Bahadur's father
• Brisha Bahadur's mother
• Chandre — Brisha Bahadur's childhood friend
• Parvati — Brisha Bahadur's sister
• Mamata — Parvati's friend

This book was translated into English by Michael Hutt, a Professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies at the School of Oriental And African Studies as Karnali Blues. The book was published by Penguin India on December 27, 2021 in Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives.[3]

• Seto Dharti
• Faatsung
• Loo