Bhupin Khadka, Junu Rana jointly win Bimal Gurung Literary Award

The Poet Bimal Gurung Memorial Library Management Committee has announced that the Bimal Gurung Literary Award-2082 will be jointly awarded to Bhupin Khadka's "Madhyako Ujyalo" and Junu Rana's "Lahureni Saundarya." According to the committee, both award-winning works are essay collections. The award carries cash of Rs 200,000 and a copper plate.

This year, 52 Nepali-language works by writers and poets at home and abroad competed for the award. The committee had first prepared a shortlist of 10 best works, from which these two were selected in the final round.

Khadka, who teaches at an educational institution in Chitwan, has previously published four poetry collections, one work of fiction and one essay collection. Rana, from Baglung, is currently active in literary writing while living in Hong Kong, and her poetry collection "Rato Nadi" has been published previously.

According to library chairman Purna Bahadur Gurung, the award will be presented to both writers at the library building in Sunsari on Kartik 19.