90-Year-Old Jayaballabh Bhatta Launches Memoir in Verse ‘Purkhaka Paila’

Baitadi: ‘Purkhaka Paila’ (Footsteps of Ancestors), a memoir in verse by 90-year-old Jayaballabh Bhatta of Patan Municipality-7, Baitadi, has been launched.

Former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal unveiled the book at a program held in Kathmandu. During the launch, Khanal noted that the book encapsulates elements of Eastern culture and traditions. He remarked that the work poetically portrays the civilization of the Kimtoli region of Baitadi and stands as an inspiring publication.

In the book, senior citizen Bhatta has incorporated historical details about the local Bhatta clan alongside his five decades of teaching experience. Commenting on the book, former Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand stated, “Some history is recorded in royal court documents, and some on the battlefield, but the history of a village is written in people’s memories—memories that Bhatta has gathered, listened to, recalled, and penned down in this book.”

Experts have observed that the work, written in a poetic style, brings to light historical facts based on local oral traditions and will prove valuable for the new generation as well.

“ The historical details mentioned in the book align with the history of the Far-West and Kumaon regions,” said creator and Assistant Professor Bhuwan Nistej while reviewing the work, adding, “Documenting the stories passed down by ancestors in this book is a positive step.”

According to Nistej, the book includes accounts of the resistance battles waged jointly by King Hari Shahi of medieval Doti and Kalyan Chand against the invasions of the Mughal rulers of that era.