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Birth: 5 July 1954, Kaski

Death: 12 July 2023, Kathmandu

Sita Dahal, the wife of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal who passed away on Wednesday, was not just a doting mother and a politician’s spouse, she was also a watchful protector and advisor of CPN (Maoist Center).  

Born on 5 July 1954, in Kaski, her family permanently relocated to Chitwan when she was eight. In 1969, she married Dahal and became involved in politics alongside. Throughout her healthy life, Sita played a vital role in the party, acting as a coordinator, guardian, and advisor for the party.

Dev Gurung, general secretary of the Maoist Center, hailed her unwavering dedication to the party: “During the Panchayat period, she spent a significant amount of time underground for party work. She remained actively engaged in underground politics from the beginning of the civil war, acting as a coordinator and guardian for the entire party during tumultuous years.”

Party leaders and cadres remember her as the party’s true guardian, adept at uniting everyone, particularly in times of crises. Within the party too, she was seen as a motherly figure, who was loved and respected.

“Besides being a supportive spouse to our party chairman, she also assumed various roles within the party,” says Dinanath Sharma, secretary of the Maoist Centre. “She played a pivotal role in unifying party leaders and cadres, ensuring the party’s resilience during challenging periods. In addition to her private responsibilities, she displayed a warrior-like spirit and offered many valuable suggestions.” 

Despite her position, Sita maintained a down-to-earth demeanor and possessed an equal and respectful attitude towards people from all walks of life. Her amicable nature made it easy for the public to connect with Prime Minister Dahal, and she played an integral role in supporting him through the ups and downs of his political journey.

Krishna KC, a member of the secretariat team during Prime Minister Dahal’s second term, says it was because of Sita that general public and party cadres could easily approach the prime minister and party chair.

“It was her who used to advise the prime minister to always make time for people,” adds KC. 

Despite her powerful position, Sita embraced an ordinary life and relished her experiences, perhaps influenced by her upbringing in a humble farming family. She treated everyone with equal respect, whether they held high status, were party workers, or belonged to ordinary backgrounds.

“To make a revolution successful, there are equal roles of many frontliners and backliners. Sita Dahal is one of such a backliner who is a strong pillar of the Maoist revolution,” says Chairperson of Communist Party of Nepal Netra Bikram Chand, who was a close hand of Prime Minister Dahal during the insurgency period.

Sita’s role as an advisor to her husband and the party stopped after she was diagnosed with a debilitating condition related to a rare neurological disorder called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) Parkinsonism. She was also suffering from Diabetes Mellitus-II and Hypertension. Over the years, her condition continued to deteriorate. She passed away while undergoing treatment at Norvic International Hospital in Kathmandu. She is survived by her husband and two daughters.

Most Nepalis who grew up in the 90s are familiar with the name Mike (Mukunda) Khadka. His songs would be played in most radio stations, a major source of music at the time. Khadka’s fan-base was immense. Even today, decades after his first stage performance, he is remembered for his contribution to the Nepali music Industry. Born and raised in Lalitpur, Khadka was fond of music. People close to him say that there weren't any lyrics he could not remember, or music he could not understand. He was mostly known as a rock musician, but his music taste was eclectic. Khadka stepped into the world by learning classical music as a student of Indian musician Rangarao Kadambari. “He had knowledge for every kind of music, be it Nepali, English, Hindi, or Urdu,” says Prakash Sayami, his longtime friend. Maria, Mohammed Rafi, and Narayan Gopal, were among his favorite singers. In October 1972, Khadka gave his first stage performance, where he sang a number by Elvis Presley. He was discovered by Michael Chand, who used to host musical events at the time. “No one knew Mike at the time, but I invited him to the concert because he was a great singer,” says Chand. “On stage, Mike had the personality of a rock star. He used to wear black most of the time because he wanted to stand out among the crowds.” Chand and Khadka would go on to become lifelong friends. In his early days as a musician, Khadka went by the name that his parents gave him, Mukunda. Mike was a nickname (a variant of the word ‘mic’) that his friends gave him. It is said that he started being known as Mike when he said during one of his performances, “Without mic, I can’t survive.” In person, Khadka was a reserved yet charming man, says his friends and relatives. Sayami remembers how even legendary Bollywood actor Dev Anand was impressed by Khadka’s personality. “We had an opportunity to attend a dinner program with Dev Anand during his Nepal visit, and he gave Mike his blessings and asked him to sit next to him,” says Sayami. “The incident says a lot about Mike’s amazing personality. Everyone was fond of him.” Besides being a musician, Khadka was also a radio DJ, who was adored by his listeners. He was the founder of Classic FM, a popular radio station. “His heart was always into music, which he showed by either performing and recording songs, or by taking up the job of a radio DJ,” says Chand. Throughout his musical career, Khadka recorded hundreds of Nepali and English songs. He was planning to record some new songs and write a book on music when he passed away aged 69 on 23 February. Khadka was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in January and was undergoing treatment. “With Mike gone, the Nepali music industry has lost a prominent artist,” says Sayami. “He will be sorely missed by his friends, family, and fans.” Mike is survived by his wife, a son, and four sisters. Birth: 14 Jan 1955, Lalitpur  Death: 23 Feb 2023, Lalitpur

Laxman Gurung, the chairperson of Mahabu Rural Municipality, Dailekh, has passed away. He was involved in politics for more than five decades. “He was the hope and inspiration for the people living in Mahabu,” says Prakashraj Thapa, the spokesperson for Mahabu Rural Municipality. “He spent most of his life working for the development of his village.” Gurung is credited for initiating various development projects in Mahabu, such as rural road access and electrification. In 1969, Gurung was appointed Pradhan Panch, a village chief, which he held for 20 years. “He was the village chief during the Panchayat era, and he always worked for the interest of the local community,” says Thapa. After the fall of the Panchayat, Gurung continued his work as an active member of Nepali Congress. He was also elected as the chairperson of Bada Khola Rural Municipality. “There aren’t many people who return to their hometown with the sole purpose of assisting in its development. But Gurung was one of them,” says Thapa. As Gurung was a member of Nepali Congress, he and his family were targeted by the Maoists during the insurgency. His house was robbed and vandalized, and he and his family were forced to leave their hometown. They moved to Birendranagar, and Gurung stayed away from active politics for a long time. He returned to Mahabu after the situation got normal and resumed his political career. He even became the acting president of Nepali Congress for Mahabu. He was elected the chairperson of the rural municipality in the 2022 local elections. Although Gurung did not have the opportunity to get directly involved in the infrastructural development for the village, Thapa says that he played a big role in driving the authorities’ attention towards investing in bringing better infrastructure for the village, even before he got elected as the chairperson for the municipality. “The villagers looked up to him, and we had high hopes once he won the election,” says Thapa. “He was a kind, friendly individual and treated everyone equally.” Gurung, who did not have a history of any heart conditions, died on Feb 10 in Dailekh District Hospital, where he was admitted after suffering a heart attack. He was 77. Thapa says Gurung’s demise is a heavy loss to bear for Mahabu Rural Municipality. “It will be hard to come across someone who was as dedicated and sincere as him,” he says.

Birth: 8 Jan 1928, Kathmandu

Death: 5 Feb 2023, Kathmandu

Himalaya Shumsher Rana, the first governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, breathed his last on February 5 in Kathmandu, leaving behind a rich legacy. The reputed economist (95) passed away on Sunday in the course of treatment at the Thapathali-based Norvic Hospital. While he will primarily be remembered for his role in the establishment of the central bank, Rana has many other laurels under his belt. He was instrumental in establishing Himalayan Bank, Nepal's first private sector bank after 1990, and setting up Gorkha Brewery and Himalayan Distillery. Rana, the great-grandson of the then Prime Minister Dev Shumsher Rana, held the position of the governor from 26 April 1956, to 7 February 1961.

After a successful tenure as finance secretary, Himalaya Shumsher Rana was offered the job of governor at Nepal Rastra Bank by the then King Mahendra. As there was no central bank in the country, the king gave him a book that had a draft of the Banking Act. But Rana requested that he would need some time to study the acts of central banks of foreign countries and only start the process of establishing Nepal’s central bank.

At first, he established a central office, an office for banking transactions, and a note department. After almost six months of homework, he was appointed the governor on 26 April 1956. With a small team, Rana started working to realize King Mahendra’s dream. He had two major concerns: to introduce Nepali notes in the Tarai, and stabilize an exchange rate between Rs and InRs. During those days, the Nepali currency was not in use in the Tarai, so much so that it was customary to take the land revenue and immigration duties in Indian currency.

In such a situation, replacing Indian notes with Nepali ones was a challenging task. Unless there was a stable exchange rate between Rs and InRs, it was not possible to circulate Nepali currency in the southern plains. The team researched for three years and came up with an exchange rate of Rs 160 for InRs 100. To date, Nepal uses the same rate. Rana and the team then established currency exchange centers from the east to the west. Nepali notes were printed at Nashik Security Press in India back then. After the establishment of the central bank, the central bank called for an international tender because the revision of the notes being printed in India was a must.

A proposal from a company from the UK was considered the best as it came up with a new design for notes bearing the pictures of famous places of Nepal. It was very nice and attractive. The notes printed in India also did not have the security thread; it was added on to the notes printed in the UK.  After serving as the governor for four years and eight months and almost two months since King Mahendra banned political parties and started a dictatorial regime, he was sacked on 8 Feb 1961 because of being a supporter of democracy.  

Rana then worked as a representative in various countries from 1962 to 1986 under the United Nations Development Program. He worked in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, America, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Indonesia. 

In an ApEx Pioneers column of The Annapurna Express, Rana said ever since he became the finance secretary, he had worked tirelessly. “After retirement, I tried to spend my time playing golf and reading books. But I got bored after six months and decided to start a business. I established the Gorkha Brewery Company and brought international beer brands like Tuborg and Carlsberg to Nepal. I also established the first private bank in Nepal, Himalayan Bank Ltd.” Among many national and international recognitions, he was conferred with the title of The Order of Japan (The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star) for his contribution. Former governor Chiranjibi Nepal described Rana’s demise as a huge loss for the banking sector. “Without him, the Nepali currency would not have found its place for a long time,” he says.

“The establishment of the first private bank was itself a milestone back then as it opened the door for aspiring bankers.” Rana’s friend Kiran Pyakurel remembers him as an admirable man. “Though born to a Rana family, he always advocated for democracy, which also cost him the post of governor,” he says: “I am inspired by how he never lost his learning spirit and has managed to remain curious all his life. No matter his age, he is always curious to learn about new things.”  Rana is survived by two daughters and two sons.