Nepali translators honored in Russian poetry translation competition

Kathmandu, September 28, 2026 — The Russian House in Kathmandu hosted a ceremony Monday to honor the winners and prize-holders of the “Above the Peaks of Time” poetry translation competition, which brought together literary works from Nepal and Russia.

Milan Raj Tuladhar, former Nepali ambassador to Russia, presented diplomas to the winners and congratulated the laureates, while praising the quality of the translations submitted for the competition.

Taranath Parajuli won first place for his translation of M. Yu. Lermontov’s poem “The Caucasus,” while Suman Shrestha secured second place for her translation of Lermontov’s “Mountain Peaks.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Tuladhar highlighted the long history of Russian literature in Nepal and the development of its translation into Nepali. He recalled that Russian literary works were initially often translated into Hindi in India before being translated into Nepali. He cited Maxim Gorky’s “Mother” as an example, saying he had read the work in a Hindi translation as a child.

Tuladhar said a major development came with translations made directly from Russian, particularly through the work of Rajendra Shrestha and Krishna Prakash Shrestha, who worked at Progress Publishing House in Moscow. He described Krishna Prakash Shrestha as a landmark figure in the direct translation of Russian literature into Nepali.

Anastasia Khokhlova, head of the Russian House in Kathmandu, also attended the ceremony and congratulated the winners and participants.