Indumati Kedia, a doting matriarch of the Kedia family, passed away on April 3 aged 82.

Born in Samastipur of India’s Bihar state, Indumati grew up in a large household as its eldest daughter. At just 14, she was married to Shankar Lal Kedia of the Kedia Group, one of Nepal’s oldest and most prominent industrialist families. 

The Kedia family had first come to Birgunj, Nepal, from western India as cloth merchants. 

Indumati and Shankar Lal had three sons and three daughters.

As the eldest daughter-in-law, Indumati took on the responsibility of taking care of the family. And this, she did with utmost love and compassion, according to family members. 

Her son Anil Kedia remembers his mother as a warm and affectionate person who showered unconditional love on him, his siblings and cousins.

The Kedia family moved to Kathmandu in the early 1980s. Over the years, the Kedias became a powerhouse family, expanding their business in a wide range of fields like fabrics, carpets, food grains, metals and minerals. All the while Indumati was an important pillar of the family, even more after her husband Shankar Lal died aged 68 in January 2005. 

Besides starting various business ventures, Shankar Lal was also involved in social works. He founded Nepal’s Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh and DAV School in Lalitpur in 1992, of which his son Anil is the current chairman. 

Like his father, Anil says, his mother also deeply believed in social services. She was full of empathy “with no selfish bone in her”, and did everything in her capacity to help those in need.

Indumati was spry and active despite her old age. She kept herself busy, be it in household work or in social causes. Every day, she used to visit temples and practice meditation.

She was especially fond of knitting and used to make sweaters, socks and gloves for her children and grandchildren.  

Family members say she showed no sign of grave illness and looked hale and hearty just minutes before her sudden demise. 

She is survived by her two sons, three daughters and an extensive family. 

 

Birth: 28 November 1939, Bihar

Death: 3 April 2022, Kathmandu