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“Every morning, I wake up with the news of bloodshed. I feel my body desperate to know whether I’m still alive.”

- Suman Pokhrel

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Suman Pokhrel is a poet, lyricist, translator, playwright, and development professional.

He began his professional career in the Nepal Civil Service, joining as a Section Officer on February 15, 1995. Later, on December 28, 1998, he transitioned into the development sector by joining Plan International Nepal as a rural development practitioner.

 

In 1999, Pokhrel marked his entry into the literary scene with the release of his first song Aaja Yo Andhyarole, composed and written by himself, and sung by Bednidhi Poudel. That same year, he published his debut poetry collection Shoonya Mutuko Dhadkanbhitra, followed in 2002 by another collection, Hazaar Aankhaa Yee Aankhaamaa.

 

Pokhrel married Goma Dhungel on May 12, 2001. The couple has two children: Ojaswee, born on October 8, 2003, and Ajesh (also known as Mansoon), born on January 16, 2007.

Over the years, Pokhrel has been an active participant in various literary events across South Asia. Notable appearances include the SAARC Festivals of Literature, International Literary Meets, and Flash Fiction Festivals held in cities such as Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Agra, and New Delhi. In 2008 alone, he participated in three different international literary events in India.

 

His literary achievements include several published works. In 2009, he released the poetry collection Jeevanko Chheubaata. In 2014, he rendered B.P. Koirala’s poem into lyrical form, titled Ananta ra Kshanka Beech, which was presented during the Birat Bishweshwar Bimarsha event. His anthology Manpareka Kehi Kavita (2018) contains translations of 63 poems by 15 world poets. In the same year, he published a Nepali translation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, titled Aandhibehari, through Nepal Academy.

His poems have also been recognized in academic spheres. His poem You are as You are was included in the postgraduate English syllabus at the University of Kerala in 2014, and later at GD Goenka University in 2016. In 2018, Tribhuvan University included his poem Standing in a Market in its B.Ed. curriculum.

 

Pokhrel has also made significant contributions to music and theater. His music albums Bhitra Kahaan Kahaan (2017) and Yo Ke Bhayo (2019) feature his lyrics, with compositions and performances by various artists. His theatrical adaptation Yajnaseni premiered in Dallas, Texas, in 2016.

 

He has received multiple honors and awards, including the SAARC Literary Award twice, the Sasiddhi National Talent Award in 2019, and the Babarsingh Thapa Memorial Award in 2022. In 2023, he was honored with the Asia's Inspiring Poet Award at a ceremony in Tiruchirappalli, India.

 

His more recent activities include participation in international forums and festivals. In December 2024, he represented South and Southeast Asia at the International Literary Forum in Moscow and was featured in the Foreign Writers and Translators Series by the Center for Oriental Literature at the Russian State Library.

Suman Pokhrel has an academic background that spans multiple disciplines. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics from Mahendra Morang Adarsha Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, in 1992. From 1993 to 1994, he pursued a Master of Arts in Economics at the Post Graduate Campus in Biratnagar. In 1996, he completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Shankar Dev Campus, with Accounting, Personnel Management, Statistics, Organizational Behavior, and Taxation as core subjects. That same year, he also obtained a Bachelor of Law (BL) from Tribhuvan University as a private student, with a focus on International Law, Criminology, and Constitutional Law

Alongside his literary career, Suman Pokhrel has held diverse professional roles—as a government employee, team member in international and national non-governmental organizations, contributor to the theatre sector, and founder of his own business firm. He has also worked extensively as a freelance consultant, contributing to a wide range of fields including community development, capacity building, and advocacy.

He began his professional journey as a Section Officer at Koshi Zonal Hospital, where he played a key role in maintaining an organized and hygienic healthcare environment. His transition into the development sector began with Plan International Nepal, where he served as a Development Coordinator. In this role, he managed integrated programs focusing on health, nutrition, education, and microfinance in Bhojpur district, later expanding his work to include assignments in Banke, Bara, Rautahat, and Morang districts, taking on varied responsibilities across multiple program areas.

 

While at Plan International Nepal, he also served as an Institutional Learning and Documentation Officer, where he supported child-centered community development initiatives. He contributed to gender integration and social inclusion efforts by preparing analytical reports and case documentation to inform program strategies and enhance organizational learning. During this period, he conducted a wide range of capacity-building sessions and trainings on topics such as report writing, proposal development, project management, case study and case story writing, child rights and child protection policy, environmental sanitation, leadership development, time management, and creative writing.

 

Suman later joined the Center for Social Mobilization (CENSOM) in 2007 as a Program Coordinator, where he oversaw the planning, implementation, and monitoring of community development initiatives across eastern Nepal. He also worked extensively with government agencies and non-governmental stakeholders to strengthen coordination and promote collaborative development efforts. He served as Managing Director of Institution Promotion and Resource Center from 2008 where he conducted training and workshops related to community development sector.

 

Since 2010, he has worked independently as a Freelance Consultant, offering expertise in training, research, translation, and facilitation. He has completed translation works across diverse fields, including legal documents, educational content, and technical reports in addition to creative translation. His consulting engagements have also included training programs related to accounting, taxation, business planning, agricultural business formalization, project implementation, and child rights and protection.

 

He has led several baseline surveys and situation assessments across Nepal. His major assignments include assessing development conditions in various Village Development Committees in Sunsari district in 2013, conducting situation assessments in rural municipalities of Jumla in 2017 and 2018, and evaluating municipalities and rural municipalities in Dhanusha in 2021 and 2022. In April 2018, he facilitated a creative writing training program for young writers in Ilam, encouraging youth engagement in storytelling and expressive writing.

 

In 2022 and 2023, he led Training of Trainers (ToT) programs on accounting, taxation, and business planning in Dhankuta and Ilam, respectively. He has also been delivering ongoing training services from 2023 through early 2025 for Tapasaya Business Management Pvt. Ltd., an audit firm based in Kathmandu, contributing to the capacity development of professionals in financial and enterprise sectors.

 

This site contains a few of his literary works. Enter to have a look.

© Suman Pokhrel 2025

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