Kathmandu, Jan. 18 -- Smaran Gurung, a young man who has come to Nepal to spend some time in Pokhara, walks into an art gallery, sees paintings hanging upside down, and is jolted out of his comfort zone. But what he sees are not the works of Georg Baselitz, the famous German painter known for his upside-down art, but of struggling artist Nadin. Now, with his interest piqued, the visitor starts questioning the whereabouts of the artist-only to come up with one shocking revelation after another.

Set in a fictional village of Andheri Gaau, Bhupeen's debut novel, Maidaro, is a story of an artist who's been victimised by caste-based discrimination to such an extent that he is forced to choose the sweet embrace of death rather than the harsh r...