Dharma Ratna Yami
Encyclopedia
Dharma Ratna Yami (18 August 1915 – 10 September 1975) was a Nepalese freedom fighter, author and government deputy minister known for his radical views on social mores. Born Dharma Ratna Tuladhar
, he changed his surname to Yami (meaning an inhabitant of Kathmandu in Nepal Bhasa
) to avoid confusion with another Dharma Ratna when a Buddhist monk asked them which was which.
Kamalachhi , Kathmandu. His was an affluent merchant family which was made penniless after the government confiscated their property for failing to fulfil a procurement contract. Yami was schooled at home, and in 1932, travelled to Lhasa
and worked in the business house of Dharma Man Tuladhar
. In Tibet
, he came in contact with Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan
; and under his influence and inspiration, he studied books on various subjects and began writing himself.
. He was arrested in 1940 and sentenced to 18 years in prison and his property was impounded. Following his release after serving five years, he married Heera Devi Kansakar. On 15 August 1947, both Yami and his wife were arrested for organizing a meeting to mark India's independence from Britain. Yami's wife was freed after a few days while he remained in jail for six months. In 1948, he became a founder member of the Nepal Democratic Congress Party. Yami was arrested again and spent 16 months behind bars before being freed in February 1951 after the Rana regime was abolished and democracy established in Nepal.
On 15 December 1951, Yami was appointed Deputy Food Minister in the government led by Prime Minister Matrika Prasad Koirala
. He served as Deputy Forest Minister in the same administration from 5 February to 3 August 1952. Following the political changes in 1960 when parliament was dissolved and political parties were banned, he was put under house arrest for a few months at Shree Mahal. Yami was nominated to the Rastriya Panchayat (legislature) in 1962.
, English and Hindi
. The novel Bhrikuti in Nepal Bhasa was awarded the Shrestha Sirapa in 1959. Another novel Ang Lhamo recounts the saga of a Tibetan girl amid a backdrop of the Chinese entry into Tibet in the early 1950s. The first edition published in 1970 by Pasa Muna was banned by the Nepalese government. A second edition appeared in 1992, published by Paleswan Pithana, Kathmandu.
. In 1969, a year after his wife died, he remarried outside his caste a Brahmin
woman named Sabitri Devi Dahal. He also hired a woman from a so-called untouchable caste as a cook in his kitchen, an unthinkable act in those days. His radical social and political views have led his contemporaries like missionary Marshall D. Moran
, SJ to describe him as the most informative and interesting person in Kathmandu. Yami died in Kathmandu in 1975 at the age of 60.
Tuladhar
Tuladhar is a caste from the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The name Tuladhar is derived from the Sanskrit words tula and dhar , thus meaning scale-bearer or in general, merchant. Tuladhars belong to the Uray group which includes Kansakar, Tamrakar, Sthapit, Bania, Sindurakar,...
, he changed his surname to Yami (meaning an inhabitant of Kathmandu in Nepal Bhasa
Nepal Bhasa
Nepal Bhasa is one of the major languages of Nepal, and is also spoken in India, particularly in Sikkim where it is one of the 11 official languages. Nepal Bhasa is the mother tongue of about 3% of the people in Nepal . It is spoken mainly by the Newars, who chiefly inhabit the towns of the...
) to avoid confusion with another Dharma Ratna when a Buddhist monk asked them which was which.
Early life
Yami was born to father Bhawani Ratna and mother Devi Maya Tuladhar at AsanAsan
Asan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at , bordering the Seoul Metropolitan Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 250,000.Asan is known for its hot springs and is a city of spas....
Kamalachhi , Kathmandu. His was an affluent merchant family which was made penniless after the government confiscated their property for failing to fulfil a procurement contract. Yami was schooled at home, and in 1932, travelled to Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
and worked in the business house of Dharma Man Tuladhar
Dharma Man Tuladhar
Dharma Man Tuladhar was a Nepalese trader and philanthropist best known for the renovation of the Swayambhu stupa in Kathmandu, one of the holiest Buddhist shrines in Nepal. Popularly known as Dhaman Sahu , Tuladhar headed the restoration project which began in 1918 and ended in 1921...
. In Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, he came in contact with Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan
Rahul Sankrityayan
Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan , who is called the Father of Hindi Travel literature, was one of the most widely-traveled scholars of India, spending forty-five years of his life on travels away from his home. He became a buddhist monk and eventually took up Marxist Socialism...
; and under his influence and inspiration, he studied books on various subjects and began writing himself.
Political activities
Returning to Kathmandu in 1939, he joined the democracy movement against the Rana dynastyRana dynasty
The Rana dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1953, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other government positions hereditary...
. He was arrested in 1940 and sentenced to 18 years in prison and his property was impounded. Following his release after serving five years, he married Heera Devi Kansakar. On 15 August 1947, both Yami and his wife were arrested for organizing a meeting to mark India's independence from Britain. Yami's wife was freed after a few days while he remained in jail for six months. In 1948, he became a founder member of the Nepal Democratic Congress Party. Yami was arrested again and spent 16 months behind bars before being freed in February 1951 after the Rana regime was abolished and democracy established in Nepal.
On 15 December 1951, Yami was appointed Deputy Food Minister in the government led by Prime Minister Matrika Prasad Koirala
Matrika Prasad Koirala
Matrika Prasad Koirala was the Prime Minister of Nepal for two terms . He became the first President of Nepali Congress, when it was formed as a result of the merger of Nepali National Congress and Nepal Democratic Congress in April 1950....
. He served as Deputy Forest Minister in the same administration from 5 February to 3 August 1952. Following the political changes in 1960 when parliament was dissolved and political parties were banned, he was put under house arrest for a few months at Shree Mahal. Yami was nominated to the Rastriya Panchayat (legislature) in 1962.
Literary activities
Yami was jailed for his writings. He was a prolific and multilingual writer and has published 21 books including novels, epics and an anthology of poems in Nepal Bhasa, NepaliNepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
, English and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
. The novel Bhrikuti in Nepal Bhasa was awarded the Shrestha Sirapa in 1959. Another novel Ang Lhamo recounts the saga of a Tibetan girl amid a backdrop of the Chinese entry into Tibet in the early 1950s. The first edition published in 1970 by Pasa Muna was banned by the Nepalese government. A second edition appeared in 1992, published by Paleswan Pithana, Kathmandu.
Social activist
Yami was an outspoken nonconformist and challenged the social norms of the day like untouchabilityUntouchability
Untouchability is the social practice of ostracizing a minority group by segregating them from the mainstream by social custom or legal mandate. The excluded group could be one that did not accept the norms of the excluding group and historically included foreigners, nomadic tribes, law-breakers...
. In 1969, a year after his wife died, he remarried outside his caste a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
woman named Sabitri Devi Dahal. He also hired a woman from a so-called untouchable caste as a cook in his kitchen, an unthinkable act in those days. His radical social and political views have led his contemporaries like missionary Marshall D. Moran
Marshall D. Moran
Marshall D. Moran, SJ was born in Chicago on May 29, 1906 and died April 14, 1992 in Delhi, India. He was a missionary in Nepal and founded multiple schools there, amongst them the St. Xavier's High School, Patna....
, SJ to describe him as the most informative and interesting person in Kathmandu. Yami died in Kathmandu in 1975 at the age of 60.