Parasmani Pradhan, an Indian-Nepali language author, poet, translator, teacher, and publisher, also wrote and published books. He contributed significantly to the development of current Nepali grammar by writing numerous textbooks in the language. He was a key figure in the Bhasha Andolan, which led to the inclusion of Nepali on the list of official languages of India under the eighth schedule of the constitution.
Early Life And Education
Bhagyamani Bhikshacharya and Laxmi Maya Newarni welcomed their child, Parasmani Pradhan, on January 1st, 1898, in Kalimpong. His grandfather originally came from the Nepalese district of Okhaldhunga and then settled in the district of Lalitpur. The parents of Parasmani relocated to Kashi, India. Before ultimately relocating to Kalimpong, his father worked for publisher Pandit Harihar Sharma. Bhagyami Bhikshacharya was well known in Kalimpong as Julfe Newar.
Parasmani received his early schooling at Pudung Primary School, which at the time was a Scottish Missionary institution. Later, he changed schools and completed his elementary education at Waugh Primary School. His mother stopped taking him to school after his upper-primary teacher at the same school reprimanded him. She instead enrolled him at the night school run by his uncle, Sri Harkadhoj Pradhan.
He was enrolled at the Darjeeling Government High School. He completed his matriculation in Hindi because Nepali-medium education was not available in Kalimpong and Darjeeling at the time.
Parasmani as an Educationist
He worked as a Nepali and Sanskrit instructor at Scottish University Mission. He was the first Nepali teacher to ever teach at the matriculation level.
When it came to the accuracy and development of the Nepali language and community, Parasmani’s role as a teacher at the S.U.M.I. was important. He presented his thoughts vehemently and persuadable to the Principal and his other colleagues. Dr. Sutherland, the institution’s principal, came to rely on Parasmani’s judgement, and in turn, Parasmani discovered in Dr. Sutherland a kind educator. Dr. Sutherland left a deep impression on Parasmani Pradhan.
He was appointed teacher at the Government High School in Darjeeling in 1931 after being named sub inspector of the schools in 1921.
A Man Who Brought Nepali Language To The Forefront
Pradhan waged a protracted, consistent, and unrelenting campaign for the advancement of the language that was to be acknowledged in the educational system, way of life, and finally the constitution. He was instrumental in getting the Darjeeling District’s primary and secondary schools to accept Nepali as a vernacular language of instruction. He saw to it that the three Subdivisions of the Darjeeling district adopt Nepali as their official language and as a subject of study at the college and university levels. At a time when students in Darjeeling had no scope to learn in Nepali due to the lack of textbooks and grammar, Parasmani came to their aid. In July, 1983 when the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Sikkim he wrote to her, “Nepali is the state language of Sikkim but it has not yet been recognized in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. Nepali-speaking citizens are clamouring for its recognition. As a member of the expert committee appointed to consider the question of recognition I had to assure Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee and others that the Nepali speaking people of India wanted to uplift their language and literature.”
Also read: Nepali Bhasha Diwas: The Extensive Background of the Recognition Struggle
Pradhan laboured tirelessly for 70 years, from assisting the language in being recognized by the Sahitya Academy to the Government of India as one of the official languages.
A passionate social reformer who focused all of his energies on improving society, he was an author, grammarian, lexicographer, linguist, editor, and educationist.
The first literary newspaper to emerge from Kurseong in 1918 was “Chandrika,” which Parasmani edited to further the cause of the Nepali language. It released a significant number of papers and poetry in just two years. The significance of linguistic, educational, and social transformation was underlined by Chandrika. After India gained its independence, his other journal, “Adarsh,” which was published from Kalimpong and Bharati, also began to appear. Bharati was first published in 1949 from Darjeeling. This magazine, which had been published 108 times by Parasmani Pradhan and Roopnarayan Singh, was shut down in 1957.
Literary Career
In May 1915, he published Adhyavasaya, an article in a Chandra magazine published in Banaras, to start his literary career. He also authored an essay with the working title “Bidhya,” which was printed in the same journal.
He composed numerous plays between 1918 and 1924, including “Sawitri Satyawan,” “Sundar Kumar,” “Harishchandra,” “Ratnawali,” “Bidhya Sundar,” and “Chandra Gupta,” among many others. Most of these plays were created with staging in mind. He placed a strong focus on plays since he was aware that people at the time lacked the necessary education to read or write the language. He wrote plays in plain language that are frequently used in homes. Through his plays, he hoped to educate audiences as well as amuse them.
Pradhan experimented with a variety of literary forms during the course of a 70-year career, including poetry, prose, essays, theatre, memoirs, novels, stories, humour, biography, translations, children’s literature, grammar, and editorials. Many of Parasmani’s poems were written in an easy-to-understand, straightforward style for schoolchildren.
He translated two books by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Gajadhar Singh, respectively, called “Hiranmaye Charitra” (1916) and “Bilayat Yatra” (1919). “Prathamik Siksha Bidhi (1942)”, “Nepali Prathamik Bhugol Vol I and II”, “Nepali Bhasa ko Utpatti ra Bikas (1961)”, “Tipan Taapan (1969)”, “Aathau Anusuchi ma Nepali Bhasha (1972)”, and “Kathe Jhanki,” to mention a few, are only a handful of the non-fiction books he is credited with writing.
His most well-known short stories are “Maya ko Chiya,” “Sadhe Saat Katha (1974),” and the “Katha Bharati” series, which were all published between 1953 and 1956. His most well-known poems include “Prasnottar (1949)”, “Kabi ra Kabita (1957)”, “Jaymala (1972),” and others.
Along with Dharnidhar Koirala and Surya Bikram Gyawali, he was a member of the group “SuDhaPa.” The trio had a significant role in the advancement of the Nepali language in India’s Nepali diaspora. They established the Nepali Sahitya Sammelan, a literary association for the Nepali people in India, in 1924. The organisation received the Jagadamba Shree Puraskar for publishing the literary journal Nepali Sahitya Patrika. As the “Trimurti” of Nepali literature, they praised Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Balkrishna Sam, and Lekhnath Paudyal.
The translator, Parasmani, did a fantastic job. Famous authors like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankimchandra, Premchand, and many others had their works translated by him. In his work “108 Amar Jiwani,” he depicted the lives of many famous Indians. He has tried to enlighten the Indian Nepali community about their glorious Indian heritage.
Parasmani wrote well in English as well. He is well known for his four monographs on Laxmi Prasad Deokota, Lekhnath Paudyal, Bhanubhakta Acharya, and Balkrishna Sam. He was given the chance to serve as chief editor of the Nepali newspaper “Himachuli” for a while.
Awards
For the book “Pancha Paurakhi Purush,” he received the Tribhuwan Puraskar from the Royal Nepal Academy in Kathmandu in 1969. He also earned the “Madan Puraskar” during the same year for his book “Tipan Taapan.” In June 1975, Tribhuwan University awarded him a doctorate in letters, and in April 1981, the University of North Bengal awarded him a doctorate in literature. He received the Ratna Shree Subarna Padak in 1983 for his piece “Maile Chineko Samaj” from Ratna Shree Patrika, Kathmandu.
His son Nagendramani Pradhan wrote a biography of him titled “Dr. Parasmani ko Jiwan Yaatra.” In 1995, the novel won the Nepali language Sahitya Akademi Award. Every year, the Nepali Sahitya Adhyan Samiti bestows the Parasmani Pradhan Puraskar Award.
Dr. Jas Yonzone Pyasi, an Indian author best known for his poetry book “Shanti Sandeha,” completed his doctoral research on Dr. Parasmani Pradhan. Dr. Yonzone, who won the Sahitya Akademi Puraskar in 2004 for his work “Shanti Sandeha,” authored the book “Parasmani Pradhan- Adhyayan Anusandhaan.” The book is a biography of Gorkha icon, “Dr. Parasmani Pradhan.”
His Family and Personal Life
His first wife left him while he was studying for his matriculation exams in Darjeeling. He thereafter married Jasmaya Newarni, a daughter of Gopal Singh and Indra Laxmi Malla. They have twelve children. His demise occurred at Siliguri on February 2, 1986.
The family has roots in Kalimpong going back more than a century. Parasmani Pradhan believed that people in the hills should learn how to make money so they can augment their income. With this in mind, he launched a number of small-scale projects with the assistance of his family.
The paper Yojana, August 20, 1967, wrote, “The five-story house was a veritable beehive of human activity. On the ground floor was a flour mill, and on the first floor, the printing machines rattled rather leisurely. The second floor was occupied for residential purposes. On the third floor, we came across a modest noodle factory and an experimental workshop for manufacturing artistic articles from bamboo, and on the fourth floor, a young lady was making artistic dolls, which had an unusual charm about them. On the floor occupied by the noodle factory were a few bee boxes, a newly devised honey extractor, and a few cement flower pots growing some lovely hill flowers in them.”
The sons and their spouses ran the printing presses. His son-in-law supervised a facility that produced noodles, while his daughter-in-law created dolls. One of the daughters owned a firm that produced jam, sauce, and fruit juices. The grandson produced the bamboo craft. Daughters were also taught how to take care of silkworms up until the time the cocoon was developing.
A Heritage
The home of Parasmani Pradhan is now a museum and library, serving as a major resource for academics. It is a private library with significant public value. There are more than 15,000 volumes on theology, history, philosophy, and literature in Nepali, English, and Hindi. A number of Nepali journals, some of which are around 100 years old, are also included in the list.
In the Kakjhora neighbourhood of Darjeeling, the Dr. Parasmani Memorial Research Library doubles as a gallery. One can see Parasmani’s glasses, walking stick, and other items of daily usage. There are numerous awards and vintage pictures of authors like Bhanubhakta Acharya and Rabindranath Tagore. Sahitya Akademi award, received by Parasmani’s son, Nagendramani Pradhan, is also displayed in the museum.
