A childhood shaped by shadows

‘Chhail’, which translates to ‘shadow’ in the Doteli language, portrays social issues prevalent in Nepal’s far-western society through the lens of a young boy. As the title suggests, it explores overlooked yet crucial realities of our society. Written by Lokraj Bhatta, who hails from Doti himself, his debut book ‘Chhail’ captures the mundanity of village life. It starts with the main character, Jituraj Sharma, telling a story about his family. His father was a dedicated mason and an idol-like figure. He was always busy constructing houses for people in the village. Jituraj thinks to himself, “Our home is the kind where the roofs leak while it is raining; it has become too small to fit the guests and is only enough for us to hide our heads. Why did dad never think of making it bigger?” questioning his father. This single question embodies a concept the book repeatedly portrays: poverty. Often, poverty is just added as an element to evoke sympathy, but here it becomes a lived reality that shapes Jituraj’s thoughts, questions, and understanding of his family. Its effects are clearly shown to hinder the characters’ lives. In a broader sense, the setting in Doti lacks proper roads for transportation, and some homes do not even have electricity. In one instance, when Jituraj’s father travels to the city to buy a radio, he and his sister are thrilled for their family to have any device of that sort for the first time. But their joy turns to dismay as their father returns home,