KATHMANDU: The nationwide lockdown imposed by government to curb the spread of coronavirus infection has also had its effects in the launch of books in Nepali market. Publication Nepalaya, in a press statement, has announced that the release of two of its remaining books on ‘Nepalaya Women Series 2020’ has been affected due to the lockdown. They were due for release this March. Speaking about the delayed releases, Saijan Maskey, CEO of Nepalaya Publications said, “Covid-19 has changed the world and this has affected publication industry as well. While the world has embraced e-books for a rather long time now, we at Nepal have been relying mostly on hard copies. Till date, we are still struggling to publish Nepali books in Devnagari script in e-book format on a consistent and reliable medium. However, in the post-Covid-19 world, publishing virtually is not a secondary option anymore and we are working towards making our Nepali e-books available online at its earliest.” The two books slated for release are part of ‘Nepalaya Women Series 2020’, which aims to celebrate stylistic and narrative diversity of women writers in Nepal. The first book in the league 'Kumari Prashnaharu' by Durga Karki released in February. Second to be released, 'Parityakta' by Bhuwan Dhungana, is a work of fiction. Written in the first person’s stream-of-consciousness narrative, the story unravels the internal landscape of a woman, who branching out into many roles of a daughter, beloved, wife, and mother, nevertheless constantly stumbles upon the well of loneliness from which the sense of abandonment springs perennially. This is the first novel by Dhungana, who debuted as a writer in 1970 with a story in Madhuparka, one of the leading literary magazines. Dhungana, who is also graduate in classical dance from Bishwa Bharati University, Shanti Niketan, besides completing her MA in English Literature from Tribhuvan University, has already published her short story collection – Dharma Bimba and Yuddha ko Ghoshana Aghi. Dhungana is the recipient of many awards including BP Koirala Sahitya Samman. The third book in the series – Singha Durbar ko Ghumne Mech by Dr Sudha Sharma -- chronicles her adventure and challenges as one of the few women secretaries in the government formed post 2006 uprising that had derived its mandate from proportional representation of women, among other issues, but was still ill prepared to accept the leadership of a strong woman. Dr Sharma, who is an Obstetrician and Gynecologist by qualification, served as the Secretary at Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) from October 2008 to December 2011. During this time, she envisioned and implemented crucial policies in health care sector including Nepal Health Sector Programme Implementation Plan (NHSP-II), 2010-2015. Speaking about the upcoming releases, Bhushita Vasistha, the publishing editor said, “Both of these stories will add a meaningful dimension to the discourse of identity and gender in Nepal. Dhungana’s book is a meditation on the existence of an individual beyond the assigned roles of gender. While on the other hand, Dr Sharma’s book is a story of a woman, who navigates through the disabling structure of patriarchy to become one of the few who manage to hit the glass ceiling.” Both the books will be released as soon as the lockdown ends.