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Birth: 1967, Patan
Death: 5 June 2021, Pulchowk

Raj Kumar Shakya’s family had been into traditional artwork ever since the latter days of the Malla dynasty (13th-18th century). 

The eldest son in the family, Shakya was already into the family profession by the time he was seven. Despite starting so early, Shakya was comfortable working with older artists and taking on large-scale projects. They taught him valuable lessons on perseverance and patience, which in turn would serve him well throughout his career.

By the time he was in his early 20s, Shakya, who embraced repousse (metalwork that involves hammering into relief from the reverse side), had begun working on independent projects. He improved on traditional techniques with the help of modern and scientific methods.  

Shakya was one of only a handful of Nepali sculptors to follow this dying technique, which requires precision and patience to accomplish grand-scale projects. He would eventually be known, not just in Nepal, but around the world for his grand repousse works. Some even compare him to Arniko, the artist who introduced Nepali architecture in China.

Shakya was best known for the 155 ft tall repousse statue of Guru Padhmasambhava, revered by the Bhutanese as the ‘Second Buddha’, who spread the teachings of the Buddha all over the country.  He was commissioned in 2010. The masterpiece fusion work of contemporary and traditional art took almost two years just to sketch. Made of 70,000 kg of copper weighing about 300 tons, Bhutan revealed the repousse statue to the world in 2014.

Shakya also played an instrumental role in showcasing Nepali repousse work on the global stage. His works include the 12 ft tall mask of Shwet Bhairav, 76 feet tall Swayambhu Stupa for the World Expo in Germany 2000, 40 ft tall Tibetan Stupa at Kapan Monastery, 100 ft towering Swayambhu for the Nepal Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo 2010, and a 50 ft tall Little Buddha at Lumbini.

Shakya had recently been working on a 72-ft tall Bhairav mask. Unfortunately, the masterpiece has been orphaned as he passed away from covid-related complications at the age of 54. He is survived by a wife and two sons.

Birth: April 17, 1928, Nawalparasi
Death: May 19, 2021, Kathmandu

Khadgajeet Baral’s Nepal Police career was truly memorable. One of the first officers in the force with a postgraduate degree, Baral commanded Nepal Police for six years—when most police chiefs don’t get to serve out their four-year tenure due to age restrictions.

Baral, who got his MA from Patna University, India, joined the Mukti Sena (Liberation Army) that had launched an armed struggle against the Rana autocracy in Nepal in the latter half of the 1940s. 

After the ouster of the Rana regime, many members of the Liberation Army joined Nepal Police. Baral too became an inspector in 1957 and climbed the ladder to reach the force’s top position after 14 years of service. 

According to the then rules, an officer would be eligible for state pension only after completing 20 years in service. This meant that Baral, who was to complete his four-year tenure in office, would retire from service without pensions. Then King Birendra thought this would be unfair for a man who had served the country for such a long time, and added two more years to his tenure.

Until Baral became chief, police offices across the country didn’t have proper buildings. He started a campaign to change this and lobbied with the government to provide food and clothing allowance to police personnel. 

Baral established the Nepal Police Mountaineering & Adventure Foundation whose trainees have climbed many Himalayan peaks such as Tukuche Himal (6921m) and Pabil Himal (7,104m), conquered in 1976 and 1978 respectively.

The credit for establishing the first border outpost in the country also goes to Baral. He did it back in 1968 when stationed in Nepalgunj as deputy inspector general. He then worked on a detailed protocol to establish over 30 BOPs across the country.

Baral was successful not just in Nepal. His diplomatic skills and acumen also helped the country in the international arena. It was during Baral’s tenure that Nepal Police obtained membership of INTERPOL. Following his time in the police force, he was appointed ambassador of Nepal to Myanmar (1980-86). He lobbied with the Myanmar government to provide citizenship to people of Nepali origin and establish scholarship programs for Nepali students. Baral also served as Nepal’s ambassador to Indonesia, Singapore, and French Indo-China (Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam).

Apart from his bureaucratic and diplomatic work, he played an instrumental role in promoting sports. He invited a judo trainer from Japan and a hockey trainer from Pakistan to promote the two sports in Nepal.

Even in his retired life, he was concerned about the welfare of Nepal Police, offering valuable inputs to generations of police officers. 

He passed away peacefully at his Maharajgunj residence of natural causes on May 19. He was 93. 

Birth: 11 April 1946, Kurseong
Death: 23 May 2021, Kathmandu

Banira Giri had wanted to study Nepali literature since her early school days. But on completing her Bachelor’s degree from North Bengal University in India, she learned that she didn’t have the option of studying Nepali there. As luck would have it, she would travel to Nepal in 1965 for an award ceremony. 

Giri had submitted a poem for a competition held by the then Royal Academy. She eventually stood second and got a medal at the hands of King Mahendra.

During a short meeting with the king, Giri conveyed her interest in pursuing an MA in Nepali literature from Tribhuvan University, and the difficulties she faced in doing so. Soon, the Royal Secretariat invited her to Kathmandu with a scholarship to study at Nepal’s only university.

After a year in Nepal, she met Shankar Giri, an engineer who always motivated her to publish. They fell in love and tied the knot in 1967. Shankar played a key role in establishing Banira in Nepali literature. In 2019, he set up the Banira Foundation—a non-profit to help writers financially and in other ways. The foundation also aims to archive photo galleries, published books, manuscripts, awards, and Giri’s every unpublished piece.

After getting her Master’s degree, Giri started teaching at Padma Kanya Campus. For her doctorate, she studied the poetry of Gopal Prasad Rimal and soon became the first woman to complete a PhD in Nepali Literature. She continued teaching at various colleges affiliated to Tribhuvan University.

Although she published countless pieces in magazines in both Nepal and India, her first published book was Euta Euta Juido Jung Bahadur. She got positive reviews for her work and soon came up with the next poem collection, Jiwan Thayamaru. Her third book was a novel, Kaaragar, a 1985 bestseller. 

She is one of the few Nepali female writers celebrated outside Nepal as well. In 1975, she was invited to attend the Afro-Asian Poet Conference in Russia, becoming only the second Nepali writer to get the honor, after Laxmi Prasad Devkota. In 1997, the Japan Foundation Asia Center decorated Giri with the Takeshi Kaiko Memorial Award for her solo poetry recitation in three major Japanese cities. The American Library of Congress has archived eight of her literary works.

Shabdatit Shantanu, a poetic fantasy, helped her win the Shajha Puraskar in 1999, again becoming the first woman to do so. The government also recognized her with Suprabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu, the second highest honor in the Kingdom of Nepal.

Of late Giri had been busy with her autobiography before dementia hit her three years ago. She had been infected by Covid-19 but it was a cardiac arrest that killed her at 75. 

Giri is survived by her husband, a son and a daughter.  

Birth: 27 January 1976, Mahottari
Death: 13 May 2021, Lalitpur

It was late September 2019 when Manavsewa Ashram—a social organization dedicated to rescuing homeless people—was managing logistics to start its new branch in Bhaktapur. A large sum of money was needed. But no one knew where it would come from.

Bijay Jalan, executive director and co-founder of Worldlink Communications, heard about it and donated a million rupees to the charity. Manavsewa Ashram has since considered him its advisor and guardian. 

Jalan didn’t hesitate to get actively involved in a good cause. He also didn’t hesitate when he had the idea of launching an internet service provider company in the country—even when the internet was in its nascent stage.

In 1995, Jalan, along with one of his cousins, started Worldlink—one of the pioneer internet service providers in Nepal. In the early days, the duo used to visit customers’ houses and install the service. More and more people subscribed to Worldlink in the years to come.

But in 2008, the ISP business in Nepal witnessed a slump, and Worldlink was no exception. Nepal Telecom started its ADSL service, which provided better internet connectivity compared to other companies. The situation worsened so much that Jalan and the team almost shut down the company. 

But Jalan didn’t give up. His company invested heavily in new technology and ensuring faster connectivity. Things improved gradually with the introduction of optical fiber networks and NTC’s ADSL would be no match against the new services.

Worldlink is now the largest ISP in the country as well as the largest taxpayer from the ICT sector. Almost 45 percent of internet traffic in Nepal passes through Worldlink.

Jalan recently showed mild symptoms of Covid-19. When he got himself tested, he was immediately admitted to a hospital in Lalitpur and kept on a ventilator for a week. The 45-year-old passed away on May 13. 

He is survived by his wife Anupa Jalan and son Ashwin.