Monday, February 1, 2010

Parijat

Parijat was born in 1937 at the hill station of Darjeeling, India, a place known for its tea gardens. Her father Dr. K.S. Lama was a psychologist and her mother Amrita Moktan was his second wife. As her mother died early, Parijat was brought up by her father and grandparents in Darjeeling. Sharing a close relationship with Nepal and at one time, a part of the kingdom, Darjeeling has played an influential role in the development of the country's literature.
Parijat, who was interested early on in Nepalese literature, was to play an important and well-appreciated role in strengthening Nepalese literature. She completed part of her schooling in Darjeeling, she came to the Kathmandu Valley in 1954. She completed school at Padma Kanya School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Suffering early on from physical ailments, at 26 she became paralyzed and was supported for much of her life by her sister.
In 1959, Parijat's poem was first published by Dharti. She published three poetry collections: Akanshya, Parijat Ko Kavita, and Baisalu Bartaman. Her first short story was "Mailey Najanmayeko Choro". She is, however, best known in Nepal as a novelist. Altogether, she wrote ten novels of which Siris ko Ful gained the greatest popularity. In 1965, she was awarded with the Madan Puraskar for the novel. She also received the Sarwashrestha Pandulipi Puraskar, Gandaki Basunahara Puraskar, and Bridabrit.
She was elected a member of the Tribhuwan University and was a part of Ralfa literature movement. She also played an important role in the establishment of Pragati Sil Lekhan Sangh and worked for Akhil Nepal Mahila Manch, Bandi Sahayata Niyog, and Nepal Manav Adhikar Sangathan.
Parijat remained unmarried and continued to suffer physical setbacks. While she was contributing to literature, she also tried to support social causes and initiated attempts like Prisoners' Assistance Mission. She died in 1993 but is a widely popular writer in Nepal.

No comments:

Post a Comment