It could almost be a trick question: what do soldiers and poets have in common? "Their sensitivities are equally strong," says Brig Gen Rajendra Thapa, the newly-appointed spokesperson of the Royal Nepali Army. His unique experience in both fields gives him firsthand experience. "I am a strong soldier, therefore I am a strong poet, and vice versa."

The 'sensitivities' Rajendra talks about include the way he fell in love with nature when he was 10. It also includes the sight of soldiers willing to sacrifice their lives for their country. That, he says, is how the poet in him adjusted to the rigours of military life. The son of a policeman, he feels he knows his fellow Nepalis because he grew up living wherever his father's job took him. "All Nepalis have the same way of living, it is just the styles that are different and that is what I use in my work," he says.

Rajendra's most famous lines are the lyrics put to music by Aruna Lama: 'Pohor sala maya phatyo'. As a self-made soldier he climbed his way up the hierarchy with hard work. As a poet, Rajendra knew better than to ignore his inner voice. A prolific writer, he is choosy about sharing his work or allowing it to be put to music. His lyrics 'Mero khukuri ko naulo katha' is already a musical hit and is quite timely considering that Nepalis aren't using their khukuris against outside enemies anymore, but against each other. 'We already have Nepali blood and a Nepali mind, what we need now is Nepali sight,' go the words of the song.

Rajendra's new job doesn't allow him much time to write. But sometimes the goddess of knowledge inspires him, "When Saraswati comes to me, I become most creative no matter how occupied I am with other work." He has written several gazals in Hindi that even singer Ghulam Ali has complimented. Rajendra is waiting for the right channel to distribute them to the Indian market. So, what inspires this man in combat fatigue to wax lyrical? It is the simple things: words of wisdom from an old woman working her land in a remote part of Nepal, or the dove cooing from a tree branch on a clear morning. "Philosophy is not what you get from books," he says. "It is what the average person says and thinks."

Rajendra thought dealing with the media would be messy and a potential minefield. Then the poet stepped in. He quips with feigned surprise: "I began to discover that press people too are like other human beings." (Navin Singh Khadka)