Milson D Chamling is a poet and playwright. He debuted as a lyricist in Abinash Bikram Shah’s ‘Elephants in the Fog’. He is the author of many plays, such as ‘Umlio Kharani ra Lemlemma’ (2025) and ‘The Taste of Selroti’ (2026).

The latter, currently being shown at Kausi Theatre, Teku, with Katha Ghera, is his first foray into directing.

The Post’s Rivash Rijal sat with Chamling to speak of his passions and motivations, poetry and plays, and other things.

How did you get into writing?

I started with poetry. I still write poetry sometimes. When I was at school, my Nepali was not good. It is not my first language. My mother is Tamang, my father is Rai, and I grew up in Tarai with Tharu friends. So my language, especially my accent, was a mix of everything. I would barely manage to pass Nepali exams. But Kumar Dhungana sir, my Nepali teacher, pushed me to write poetry, and that is how it began.

As for playwriting, my friend Yogendra took me to watch a play. Shilpi Katha Samuha was showing ‘Sano Macha, Thulo Macha’ in Itahari, where I was at the time. I had my bus ticket to Kathmandu, but Yogendra asked if I had seen a play before. I hadn’t, so I got another bus ticket and went to watch the play instead.

I think when people first watch plays, they wonder, ‘Why am I not on stage?’ but I asked myself, ‘Why am I not writing?’ That’s how it started.

Your stories have featured Eastern stories, language and culture. Why is this important?

We have a shruti tradition—our Mundhum. There is a narrative that Mundhum is the Kirati ‘Veda’. That is not true. It is an oral tradition. These are sacred words to us, often said during rituals. Whatever we know of our tradition comes from outside, from Newa writings from the Malla and Licchavi eras.

We have a celebration, Mangshire, where the whole village participates. Everyone sits and eats together. Afterwards, the eldest member of the host family sits by the chulo and shares stories. Everyone is huddled around in a circle, listening. Usually, you hear the children giggling, but if you look at the elderly, they will be wiping tears as they listen to what is being said.

I worry about losing language. Languages are being lost throughout the world. Bhupal Rai, ex-chancellor of Pragya Prathistan, has a saying: if we lose our stories, we will lose ourselves. So I am trying to preserve our stories so we don’t lose ourselves.

What is your writing process?

I don’t write something as soon as it comes to me. I will make a note of the idea, but I won’t develop it on the spot. I like to let my ideas ferment. A lot of our food is fermented as well. It is an acquired taste.

The fermentation is emblematic of that suffering for me. Our communities let our foods ferment because they were about survival, not taste. Many of our stories are also about suffering. I think about those stories of suffering when I write.

With ‘The Taste of Selroti’, for example, I have had the idea for around a year now. But I let it sit; I did not jump to write. When I started writing, it took me about three days to finish.

How many languages do you speak?

I can speak four languages very well—Nepali, English, Hindi and Bantawa. I understand some Tamang and Tharu but cannot communicate in them. People say the language you speak affects your personality; I find that to be true, depending on what I speak.

Jacques Lacan, the French psychoanalyst, says that the mind’s subconscious is shaped by language. I have a deep love for language that drives me in what I do.

What is next for ‘The Milson Project’?

I would like to direct a film. There are people in my life who have been pushing me in that direction. I have some stories that need to happen on the stage. It is the best medium for those stories. Some stories tell you what medium they are best suited for.

But once I am done with that, I would like to direct movies.

Milson D Chamling’s five film recommendations

The Taste of Cherry

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Year: 1997

Chunking Express

Director: Wong Kar-wai

Year: 1994

Stalker

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Year: 1979

Pather Pachali

Director: Satyajit Ray

Year: 1955

Numafung

Director: Nabin Subba

Year: 2001

Milson D Chamling’s five book recommendations

The Children of a Lesser God

Author: Mark Medoff

Publisher: Amber Lane Publishing

Year: 1982

Medoff taught me things a playwright should be aware of. I want to adapt this story to the stage someday.

Every Brilliant Thing

Author: Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Year: 2013

A son makes his mother a list of things that make life worth living. It made me reflect on my own life.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Author: Edward Albee

Publisher: Atheneum Books

Year: 1962

This kept me up all night. At first glance, all the dialogues are very simple, but it is filled with subtext.

Hamlet

Author: William Shakespeare

Publisher: Valentine Simmes

Year: 1603

Claudius and Hamlet’s relationship is interesting. So is the fact that all the women in the play used to be played by men.

Bise Nagarchiko Bayan

Author: Shrawan Mukarung

Publisher: Sangri-La Books

Year: 2005

Mukarung’s book, in every sense, is the epitome of Nepali poetry. It is a must read for everyone.