Birth: 31 August 1946, Kaski
Death: 31 August 2021, Kathmandu

After completing her Bachelors in Science (BSc) in Kolkata, India, in the mid-60s, Shobhana Gurung, a young woman full of energy and spirit, went to the United Kingdom for her further studies. 

After returning to Nepal from the UK, she secured a government job as a botanist. She was later promoted to deputy secretary, but she left the job to engage full-time in her own business. Giving up a permanent government job at a young age to start a business was not an easy thing to do.

In the UK, she had met Dr Ram Prasad Pokharel, who was pursuing his medical studies there. The senior eye specialist and Gurung fell in love and later got engaged. Together, they inspired and helped each other grow and succeed in their respective fields.

From an early age, Gurung had always thought of committing her retired life to the practice of spirituality and social work. When Gurung and her husband met Pilot Baba, a renowned sage, the couple was immediately inspired by his philosophy of life. “Scientists have discovered the most powerful form of matter, the molecule, and every human being must search for the same microcosm within themselves,” Pilot Baba had told the couple. This thought helped her cope with her problems on multiple occasions.

She wanted to establish a meditation center to help people living in the chaotic capital city. Gurung and her husband paid for the construction of the meditation center as well as a dormitory at Gundu heights of Bhaktapur, naming it Pilot Baba Meditation Center, also known as Somnath Temple. 

Gurung commissioned the center’s construction under her strict supervision and chose a design that included Nepali artistic style with majestic woodworks and flooring. She hoped youths would come to the center and this would eventually help them stay away from addictions and crimes.

Apart from that, she, along with her husband, was actively involved in the initiation of Kathmandu Medical College, Everest Hospital, HIST Engineering College, and more. Lately, she also bought stakes in hydropower companies and other businesses. 

A few days ago, Gurung suffered from a brain hemorrhage and was rushed to Everest Hospital. She was then referred to Norvic Hospital where she breathed her last on her 75th birthday. She is survived by her husband and a daughter.