By Narayan Prasad Mishra
In memory of the fifth anniversary of her sad demise
Shanti Mishra, a legendary figure, was celebrated as one of our country’s most highly educated women. She was the first female professor of Tribhuvan University, the pioneering Chief Librarian of Tribhuvan University Central Library, and the first Nepali woman with an M.A. in Library Science. She authored English-language books and was pivotal in establishing modern libraries adhering to international standards. Her novel, “A Widow’s Gift,” originally published in English by Pilgrims Publishing, Varanasi in 2008, has garnered significant readership both nationally and internationally. Featured in Rakshya Khadka’s article “What is Kathmandu reading?” in My Republica on July 13, 2018, it is recognized as one of the most popular books of its time. Addressing poignant themes of child marriage and early widowhood, the novel has been the subject of two dissertations for the Master’s Degree in English Literature at Tribhuvan University. One dissertation was authored by Bhim Giri in 2013, while the other was penned by K. K. Bastola in 2019. She received international recognition, including the prestigious International Library Movement Award in India and a UNESCO appointment as a library expert to serve Bhutan. Shanti was also the founder and president of International P.E.N. Nepal, actively serving the country with honesty and dignity.
However, she seemed to be the most misunderstood woman in our country. She dedicated her life to the cause of the library, propagated its importance in education, and fought for it with so many – high university officials and other dignitaries in the country, her colleagues and staff, students, and professors. Despite all the hurdles, difficulties, and obstacles, her efforts and perseverance led to the unparalleled development of the Tribhuvan University Central Library with international standards. Still, she had to leave her job at the library nine years before her retirement age. She was misunderstood by her compatriots. Instead of being appreciated, she had to endure punishment for her admirable service. It is difficult to imagine something more unfortunate for her than this.
Shanti was the first Nepali to have an audience with Princess Aishwarya immediately after she was bestowed the title of Princess by King Mahendra following the announcement of her wedding to Crown Prince Birendra. At that time, Aishwarya resided under royal security with her parents in Kendra Niwas, Lazimpat. As a renowned academician in the country proficient in writing articles in English and Nepali, she was tasked with interviewing Princess Aishwarya for The Rising Nepal and Gorkhapatra by the Press Secretariat of His Majesty King Mahendra. Following the royal assignment, Shanti conducted the interview and penned articles in both English and Nepali, which were published in The Rising Nepal and Gorkhapatra. Subsequently, the H.M.G. Department of Culture also commissioned her to write an article on Crown Princess Aishwarya for a special issue of its magazine – Hamro Sanskriti (Our Culture), published on Feb. 27, 1970, entitled “Crown Princess: A Gracious Lady” in English and श्री ५ युवराज्ञी सरकारको प्रकृति परिचय in Nepali. Her article appeared on page 40 in the English issue and page 54 in the Nepali issue. This assignment marked Shanti as the first Nepali to meet and interview the Princess.
She was nominated and appointed to serve as the member-secretary of the International Women’s Year Committee, Nepal, in 1975 by King Birendra and worked for the cause of Nepalese women with Queen Aishwarya, the patron of that committee and achieved a lot for the welfare of Nepalese women. Her service demanded her to work as an independent, strong woman between the two rival groups of women leaders in Panchayat politics – Angur Baba Joshi and Kamal Rana though she was not a member of their women’s organization. She had to serve it with the royal command and served the institution with honesty and complete dedication. The committee worked tirelessly and achieved significant milestones for women’s welfare, including advocating for legal reforms to secure women’s property rights. The historic achievements are detailed in her report.
She was regarded as a close confidant of the Royal family because of her close association with the Queen during her working period on the committee. However, that was not so. She had no contact with the Queen after the work was done and was not rewarded with any personal benefit from the palace – power, positions, land, house, cash, jewelry, etc, which the people with Royal connections would usually be blessed in Nepal. I remember she did not even have an opportunity to have a royal audience with the King or Queen, then Princes Princep or Prince Gyanendra, when she petitioned them when she was given unbearable pain and trouble without any reason regarding the corruption case of the library that she had discovered. She started her job at the university and retired from the university long before her retirement age. Despite this, the group of people that were a part of the Royal Hater group considered her their enemy, branding her as a Royal henchman and spreading false defamatory anecdotes without any reason, causing trouble for her and the library she headed during the 1990s movement. She was misunderstood and was punished without any fault.
Closely collaborating with Greta Rana, she established International P.E.N. Nepal, the Nepalese Writers Association, to work mainly for the cause of Nepalese writers and became its first founder president. Except for serving the writers, she did not aspire to have any advantage from it and did not take advantage of the invitations to visit foreign countries. Instead, she gave other writers an opportunity to travel. This is well recorded in its history. Still, some writers who became the president later tried to undervalue her contribution, labeling her period as the ad hoc committee, which is untrue. I have written about it in detail in my article” P.E.N. International Nepal, Shanti Mishra, and Me,” published in People’s Review on May 31, 2021.
Shanti was an iron lady who would not go against her ideals and beliefs. I remember once she was requested to be one among several patrons of a women’s literary association. She happily accepted it and felt that this was an honor. After some time, the organization asked her to contribute Rs 10,000 to make her a patron. She could not accept it and thought it would be like buying the patronage. She told the concerned people that honoring and asking for money should not be related. If her patronage were connected with contributing the money, that would be against her conscience, though she could give that much money without any problem. When she learned that patronage and money were inseparable, she did not contribute the money and left the patronage. Her name from the patronage list was removed later. Shanti’s refusal to associate patronage with financial contributions showcased her integrity, even if it led to misunderstandings.
As Shanti was well-known in the country for her service, contribution, and dynamism, a magazine titled “Jyotish Darshan” in Nepali (Philosophy of Astrology), under the editorship of Sridev Sapkota, with an advisory board comprising several of our country’s well-reputed astrologers, including Prof. Mangal Raj Joshi, requested her palm and wrote an article on it in its issues of Bhadau, Asoj, and Kartik of the year 2032. According to their analysis, she possessed the following traits: I find the analysis accurate and correct.
– Strong personality
– No one can make her bow down
– Intolerance towards injustice and breaking laws
– Honest character
– Aptitude for accurate analysis
– Always active and possessing a powerful intellect
– Well- balanced mental power
– Capable of earning respect and positions
A picture of Shanti Mishra’s palm and the astrological analysis of it printed in Jyotish Darshan.
When I met her upon joining Tribhuvan University Central Library, she was the Chief and still unmarried. She was known as Shanti Shrestha and hailed from the well-reputed Shrestha family of Jhochhe Tole, Kathmandu. Her parents tried their best to arrange a marriage for her within their own caste and community, as per tradition. Undoubtedly, she had many suitors. I myself knew a candidate from the well-known Shrestha family of Bhaktapur who approached her family to propose marriage; they even came to me to inquire about her life and conduct. I provided them with accurate information about her, though I was confident she would not marry anyone except me, as we were working together and in love.
Shanti Mishra (right) with her spouse Narayan Prasad Mishra
When I shared this with her, she laughed and joked that I had become like a character in a movie. She also knew that some female students at the university were attracted to me and pretended to seek library help just to develop a connection with me. Some of these girls, who later pursued careers, confessed to her how their friends were attracted to me, unaware that I was her boyfriend after we married. According to her, she did not want to marry anyone unless her conscience accepted someone as a lifelong friend and husband. Instead, she chose to remain unmarried. We loved each other deeply, but as we were from different castes—Brahmin and Newar—she faced challenges convincing her family, who initially misunderstood her decision as disrupting centuries-old traditions and social norms, which were quite common in our society. I fully understood her situation.
I knew how good and noble she was: honest, hardworking, kindhearted, and loving. I always felt she was like a coconut—tough on the outside but soft and sweet on the inside. I rarely encountered anyone as dedicated to their job and office in Nepal. We loved each other for our shared nature and qualities, so we chose to marry. I find solace in the following quotation when I am disturbed, remembering the pain and trouble she endured due to countless misunderstandings and misjudgments by people everywhere.
I always pray that one day, the time will come in Nepal when people will correctly evaluate individuals, whether they are deceased or alive, and will do justice to them. I pray that my Shanti will receive the recognition she deserves from people who understand her noble contributions to the nation. Her nobility, honesty, hard work, and kindness made her exceptional. I remember her as a dedicated professional and the most loving partner, who considered me her breath and soul, just as I considered her mine.
Feeling overwhelmingly saddened by her departure from my life, I often find solace in the thought that she is now at peace, far from the struggles, misunderstandings, troubles, and pain she endured as described above. In this context, a poem titled ‘मेरी प्यारी शान्तिलाई’ (To my beloved Shanti) originated in my mind in Nepali to honor her journey. Below, both the Nepali and English poems are provided.
Poem in Nepali:
मेरी प्रिय शान्तिलाई
बधाई छ तिमीलाई
तिम्रो सफलतामा
मृत्युको परीक्षा
उतीर्ण भएकीमा
छाडी गयौ तिमीले
यो जिन्दगानी
संघर्ष र पीडाको
जीवन कहानी
जीवनको झण्झट
विसायौ वल्ल भारी
दुःखको महासागर
तरी पुग्यौ पारी
पूरा भयो तिम्रो
संघर्षको कहानी
दुखै दुःखको
अनौथो जिन्दगानी
दुःखै दुःखको
जीवन कहानी
To My Beloved Shanti
Congratulations to you,
For your journey’s end,
You’ve passed the test,
Of death, my cherished friend.
Leaving behind this world,
Its sorrows, pains, and strife,
You’ve shed the burdens,
Of this earthly life.
You’ve crossed the ocean,
Of sorrow and despair,
Completing the narrative,
Of struggles you did bear.
Your tale now recounted
Of trials and woes,
Congratulations to you,
For finding tranquil repose.
(The poem was written in English based on the above Nepali poem but not translated word for word)
She is no longer with me, and I miss her every moment. Since she left me alone, grief and pain have become my constant companions. I cannot escape from them. She passed away on May 15, 2019. On the fifth anniversary of her sad demise, I offer her the flower of my inseparable love and pray for her peace and happiness.
narayanshanti70@gmail.com
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
Login to add a comment