Everything: April 2012

Monday, April 30, 2012

Biography - Narayan Gopal

Narayan Gopal Guruacharya (Nepali: नारायण गोपाल गुरूवाचार्य) (October 4, 1939 - December 5, 1990) is the most prominent and popular singer and composer in the history of Nepali music. He is popularly referred to as "Swar Samrat" (Nepali: स्वर सम्राट, meaning: Emperor of Voice) in Nepali music. He is also known as "Tragedy King." He is well known as a singer as well as a composer. His voice range allowed him to sing songs of every genre of Nepali music. His songs are often richly orchestrated with the sitar, harmonium and flute. He belongs to the first generation of Nepali singers who took singing as a profession. His songs have also been used in movies and dramas.

Narayan Gopal is by far the most prominent and popular singer in Nepali music. When people think or talk about Nepali music, the name most associated is that of Narayan Gopal. For most people, he is the singer. He was also an accomplished music composer in his own right. Not only was he gifted with a great voice, he was very versatile. His voice range allowed him to sing songs of every genre. His songs are often richly orchestrated with the sitar, harmonium and the flute. Some of his most popular songs include:

* Euta Manche Ko Maya le Kati
* Jhareko Paat Jhai
* Yo Samjhine Man Cha
* Saawan ko jhari bani
* Manche ko Maya
* Kehi mitho baata gara

Album of Narayan Gopal
Album of Narayan Gopal
Narayan Gopal has been accorded with title “Swor Samrat” (literally, King of Voice) which affirms his position as the supreme virtuoso of Nepali music. His death was due to organ failures, said to have been caused by his notorious drinking. The cassettes and CDs of his music still make significant sales in Nepal.

He has sung over 500 songs, including in films, ballets and drama. Most of his songs are melodies. It is said that he was very selective about which songs he sang. Although 500 songs is not a lot for some of his caliber, they are outstanding in some ways—be it the lyrical depth or superb rendition. In recognition of his contribution in the field of Nepali music, he has received several national honors and awards, Trishakti Patta, Chinnalata Puraskar to name a few.

Continued sales of his albums attest to his immense popularity. Even more than a decade after his death, his songs are equally liked, loved and sung.His legacy lives on. Current sensation, Ram Krishna Dhakal, a very popular singer, sang Narayan Gopal’s songs and modelled his singing style after him when starting his career.

In a brief introduction of Narayan Gopal on an album cover, Music Nepal, the largest music company in Nepal, writes:

“The late Narayan Gopal (1996-2046 BS) is regarded as the most popular in the entire domain of modern Nepali music. A still more appropriate introduction of the music maestro would be to call him the King of Vocals or Swar Samrat of contemporary Nepali music. Narayan Gopal, who has enchanted millions of listeners by his immortal melodies has been awarded several national honors among which, Indra Rajya Laxmi Award, Chhinalata Award for vocals, Jagadamba Shree, Trishakti Patta third (awarded post humously) Urvashi Rang and several other honors and decorations bear testimony to his widespread popularity and the eminence he has achieved as a favorite singer of millions.

During his career, Narayan Gopal rendered his voice to over 550 compositions including modern songs, ballets, dance dramas, movies and patriotic songs. These songs have contributed in enriching the store of Nepali Music and popularizing Nepali music even beyond political frontiers.”

Personal Life

Narayan Gopal was born to a Newar family in Kathmandu in 1996 Bikram Sambat (BS). His father was a classical musician and wanted his son to follow his footsteps. Narayan Gopal was interested in music from an early age but not exactly into classical field. He studied music in India.

The late Gopal Yonjon and Narayan Gopal were good friends and “mits”.(It’s a nepali custom where good friends enter into a kind of a lasting friendship. This is generally seen as strengthening the friendship bond.) Narayan Gopal has sung many beautiful and soulful songs composed by Gopal Yonjon.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Biography - Tulsi Mehar Shrestha

Tulsi Mehar was born in humble middle class Newar family in 30th December 1896 A.D. at Kuli Mha Tole of Lalitpur District of Nepal. He was the only child of his family. Inspired by reading the book of Maharshi Dayanand "The Light of Truth" Tulsi Mehar brought himself changes in his own life. His self realization about the truth and observation of self-disciplined was the key message he was delivering to the mass people. In those early days when country was in the grips of the autocrat Rana regime when people were not allowed to educate and to express their views freely Late Tulsi Mehar Shrestha dared to disseminate the messages to the society about the importance of self awareness and urged to wake up against ignorance and evil of the society. He began appearing into the public and advocating on the wicked side of prevalent religion specially against rigid caste system and oppression of people especially women. His vision towards social reform and development was to emphasize on women's empowerment and for which he was propagating about the need of education of women and income generation program to make women economically self-reliant. It looked simple but was very tough at that time when women were observing "Parda" vail system and motivating and driving women to economic activities was the heroic activities at those days.
Because of Tulsi Mehar's such deeds the then Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher J. B. Rana charged him as an anti-national and awarded punishment of either life imprisonment or life long exile. Filled by far sighted mind and vision, Tulsi Mehar decided to accept life long exile since he thought he could not do anything for the country if would he be rotted inside the wall of the jail, so he pleaded the prime minister to have him sent for exile.
With little money granted by Shree Tin Chandra Samser, Late Tulsi Mehar Shrestha set out for India. His search for truth and his strong will and dedication to work for the society took him to close contact with Mahatma Gandhi (the great soul) of India. He stayed in Savarmati, Wardha and Sewagram Ashram and dedicated his whole heart to learn spinning and weaving technique. His time with Mahatma Gandhi gave him an opportunities to gain experience and insight to the liberation of suffered people and his commitment and conviction to fight back with evil in his own country became more firmed.
After acquiring the expertise in the field of spinning, weaving etc, he returned to Nepal in 1923 with inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi wrote a letter to the Nepali prime minister to allow Tulsi Mehar to come back to Nepal and let him work for the sake of Nepalese people. The Rana Prime Minister gave him consent and Tulsi Mehar started a small project of spinning and weaving some ninety five years ago.
The first place from where Tulsi Mehar commenced his journey to render service to the society was from Shankhamul Ghat (at the bank of Bagmati River) of Lalitpur District. In those days and yet, the river is regarded as the sacred place. Tulsi Mehar sow a seed of cottage industry in Nepal through a gift of a bundle of raw cotton handed over by Gandhi, which he used as a raw material for spinning programme. He established an institution named "Shree Tin Chandra Kamdhenu Charkha Pracharak Mahaguthi" in 1927 which is one of first kind social service organization. Following this, he also founded another organization in commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi named "Nepal Gandhi Smarak Nidhi". Through these two organization he was rendering service to the society. In 1973, these two organizations were amalgamated into one under the name of "Nepal Charkha Pracharak Gandhi Smarak Mahaguthi". He was a orthodox follower of Mahatma Gandhi's principle of self reliance and practice of self employed.
Prior to Tulsi Mehar's effort to initiate spinning and weaving project, people of Kathmandu Valley used to grow cotton in their own field and spin and weave on their own. The establishment of " Trichandra Kamdhenu Charkha Pracharak Mahaguthi" was the first initiative of the country to start such work in an institutional based and in organized way. Tulsi Mehar was able to impress the Rana Prime Minister from his skill and expertise in this field. He had also gained sympathy from Mahatma Gandhi which made the Rana Prime Minister to grant him Rs. 750.00 to start the cottage textile industry, "A Khadi" project. A retail outlet was set up in the Mangal Bazar through where production, raw material collection and distribution was channeled. This small outlet later developed as "Mahaguthi, Craft With a Conscience" in 1984 which at present serves over 1000 producers throughout Nepal.
It was Tulsi Mehar's long cherished dream to establish an ideal residential type of training centre in Manohara, Kathmandu for the cause and care of the widowed and the abandoned women. The dream appeared nearing realization in 1977, when he was awarded "Nehru Award" for international understanding and recognition for his social service. He donated the whole amount of Rs. 145,000.00 to establish a residential type of training and rehabilitation center for the betterment and upliftment of widowed and destitute women of the society. This center provides training in weaving, sewing, knitting etc. to the destitute women and imparts education to their children as well.
Tulsi Mehar died in 27th September 1978 soon after he received " Nehru Award".
From the collection of handful of grains from individual, Tulsi Mehar was able to inculcate in people's mind the habit of donating on regular basis at those time. The campaign called " Musthi Dan" means keeping aside a handful of grains from everydays meal and donate on regular basis was initiated by Tulsi Mehar in organized way which in long run turned Nepal Charkha Pracharak Gandhi Smarak Mahaguthi, the one of leading non- governmental organization possessing huge fixed property at the present time. Many of present Nepalese organizations have followed same principle of reducing dependency on foreign donation and marched towards the self- reliant. Tulsi Mehar's ideology was also inclined to the development of people within organization. He was putting much emphasizes on training particularly in vocational skill.

Biography - Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Laxmi Prasad Devkota (Nepali: लक्ष्मी प्रसाद देवकोटा November 12, 1909 – September 14, 1959), was a Nepali poet. Devkota is considered to be one of the best writers in Nepal. He is best known for the poem "Muna Madan". There are several tributes to the poem Muna Madan. This is a poem which shows the obligation of people to go far from home to earn money and the realization, in comparison with family and love money is nothing. Devkota was born on the night of Gai Puja, when Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, is honored. Seeing this as an omen, Devkota’s parents named him after the goddess. It was an omen indeed, but of a different kind. In Nepal, Laxmi is seen as a bitter rival of Saraswati, the goddess of education and learning. Saraswati is displeased if a person is wealthy. On the other hand, Laxmi is not inclined to grant favors to those whose main pursuit is learning. As it turned out, the rivalry between the two goddesses was played out in Devkota’s life. He was known as Mahakabi, the great poet, and lived and died a poor man.

When Devkota was born in Dillibazaar, Kathmandu, in 1909, the country was ruled by the Rana oligarchy. The Rana administration was not enthusiastic about educating the masses, so the permit to study was a privilege. Devkota’s family went through a lot of trouble to enroll him at Durbar School, the only school in the Kathmandu Valley. Devkota wrote his first poems at school. He is said to be a quiet student who preferred reading and writing. He proved to be an excellent pupil and was married at the age of fifteen while at school.

After graduating from school with high marks, Devkota enrolled in the science program at Tri Chandra College in 1925 and began to read English poetry. Writers of the romantic era were a particularly strong influence on Devkota and he incorporated some of their themes in his work. Devkota completed his Intermediate of Science degree and switched to arts. He received his bachelor’s degree in arts in 1929 and went to Patna, India, and was impressed by the libraries he saw there. He and his friends then wrote a letter to the Rana prime minister requesting permission to open a library in Kathmandu. Since the administration took a dim view of providing uncensored information, Devkota and his friends were put in prison. They were released after paying heavy fines.

In 1931, Devkota went back to Patna on scholarship hoping to study English for his Master’s degree. But seats were not available so he studied for the Bachelor of Law degree instead. After he received the degree, he returned home and felt the first shocks of poverty that would trouble him for the rest of his life. Despite tutoring to supplement his earning, sometimes for fourteen hours a day, financial problems never left him. Muna Madan was among the creations of this time. The book challenged Sanskrit scholars who dominated the Nepalese literary scene. While these scholars determined good poetry as those following the Sanskrit form, Muna Madan was based on the jhaurey folk tune. The book received recognition from the Ranas and a significant purse of Rs. 100.

The mid-thirties were a terrible time for Devkota: his mother, father, and a two-month old daughter died within two years. Devkota was never a smoker at school or college, but when he learned to smoke, he became a chain smoker. He was exceedingly nervous and began to complain that everything hurt him. His brothers were worried enough to put him in a mental hospital in Ranchi, India, for five months in 1939.

In 1943 Devkota was selected to represent writers in the Nepal Bhasanuwad Parishad, a state organization that acted as a censorship board. He wrote a lot during this time and tutored for long hours. He complained that people asked him for a thirty-two hour day. He wrote his first epic, Shakuntala, in three months. It is said that Puskar Shumshere Rana challenged him to write another epic in thirty days and Devkota responded by handing him the manuscript of his second epic, Sulochana, in ten days. Both epics are considered among the best works of Nepalese literature. Most of his work was unconventional. He had a habit of inventing new words to suit his poetic requirements. At times his more conservative colleagues resented his taking so many liberties with the language. Devkota became a professor at Tri-Chandra College in 1946. He left Nepal without any obvious reason and worked in exile in Benaras, India. He was editor of Yugbani, an opposition paper. He also wrote Pahadi Pukar, a book that addressed people’s poverty in Nepal. The book was banned in Nepal.

The Ranas invited him back to the country. After the democratic movement was successful, he helped publish Indreni, a bilingual journal, and was a part of the influential Royal Nepal Academy. Financial troubles followed him throughout these years. Part of the problem was his generous nature. He gave money to people who came to him with hard luck stories. One cold winter day he gave the coat he was wearing to a beggar shivering at the roadside.

Even as he was having financial worries, he was getting high appreciation and by 1957, he had become minister of education though he was an active politician. At this time he suffered from what doctors at first thought was gastric ulcer. By 1958, cancer was diagnosed and since Devkota did not have enough money (his salary was held back by the Royal Nepal Academy for visiting the former USSR as a representative of writers without informing the king), King Mahendra gave him Rs. 5,000 after complaints in the local papers and the Indian Embassy provided air transportation for him to go to India for treatment. Three inches of cancerous color was removed.

Devkota knew before his death that the end was approaching and stayed up late into the night to continue his writing. He wrote to a friend while he was in Santa Bhawan Hospital, “Death stands before me. I search for constellations in the sky but can find none. I cannot give peace to myself. If I could rise, I would kill myself and my children.”

There was much pain towards the end of his life and perhaps this explains his bitterness. So that was how, even though everyone appreciated him, Devkota died in 1959 in sorrow, thinking that he achieved nothing. He asked that Muna Madan be preserved even if all his other works faded away. Muna Madan is the most popular of Nepalese works today and though Devkota felt himself a beggar towards the end of his life, he is revered by his country people as a god of Nepalese literature.

Biography - Mother Teresa

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born on 26 August 1910. She was more commonly known asMother Teresa, was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian^[2]^[3] ethnicity and Indian citizenship,^[4] who founded the Missionaries of Charity inCalcutta, India, in 1950. For over 45 years, she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity's expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries. Following her death, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and given the title "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta".^[5]^[6]

Mother Teresa is not yet a Catholic Saint, in late 2003, the leaders of the church completed the process of beatification, the third step toward possible sainthood. A second miracle credited to Mother Teresa is required before she can be recognized as a saint by the Catholic church.

Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity at the time of her death had 610 missions in 123 countries including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children's and family counselling programmes, orphanages and schools. She was the recipient of numerous honours, including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work. She died on 5 September 1997.

Biography - Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was born on 12 May 1820. She was a celebrated English nurse, writer andstatistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night. An Anglican, Nightingale believed that God had called her to be a nurse.

Nightingale laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment, in 1860, of her nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital inLondon, the first secular nursing school in the world, now part of King's College London. The Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses was named in her honour, and the annual International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on her birthday. We lost honorable nurse on 13 August 1910.

Biography - Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869. was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.

Gandhi is commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi (Sanskrit: mahāt̪mā or "Great Soul", an honourific that was being applied to him by the time he left South Africa for India in 1914) and in India also as Bapu (Gujarati: bāpuː or "Father"). He is known in India as the Father of the Nation; his birthday, 2 October, is commemorated there as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and world-wide as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Born and raised in a Hindu Bania community in coastal Gujarat, and trained in law at the Inner Temple in London, Gandhi first employed non-violent civil disobedience as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, in the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers to protest excessive land-tax and discrimination by British rulers. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, increasing economic self-reliance, but above all for achieving Swaraj—the independence of India from foreign domination.

Gandhi famously led Indians in protesting the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km (250 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930, and later in calling for the British to Quit India in 1942. He was imprisoned for many years, upon many occasions, in both South Africa and India. Gandhi attempted to practice non-violence and truth in all situations, and advocated that others do the same. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn he had hand spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long fasts as means of both self-purification and social protest.

In his last year, unhappy at the partition of India, Gandhi chose to ignore the widespread celebrations of independence, and strove instead to stop the carnage between Hindus and Muslims that had accompanied the partition. He was assassinated on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist who felt resentful at what he perceived was Gandhi's sympathy for India's Muslims. January 30 is observed as Martyrs' Day in India. The great leader died on 30 January 1948.