Nepal has lost a gem as the National Poet of Nepal (Rashtra Kavi) Madhav Prasad Ghimire passed away at the age of 101 at 5:55 PM on Tuesday. According to the family source, he had been ill for some time.
The veteran poet and lyricist Ghimire was born on September 23, 1919, in Pustan village of Lamjung district in western Nepal. Ghimire learned to read at the age of six and learned the “Panchanga” (Hindu Calendar) at the age of eight or nine. He migrated to different places to study. In Kathmandu, he studied at Sankstrik Pradhan Pathashala and Tindhara Sanskrit Pathashala. Later, he continued his study in Banaras, India.
His work “Gyanpuspa” was his first publication at the age of 14 in the newspaper Gorkhapatra. Later in his life, he had also worked as the co-editor of the same newspaper. After he completed his studies from Banaras, he worked as a writer for Bhashanubad Parishad in 2001 BS (1944 AD). He also worked as a member of Kavya Pratisthan led by the Great Poet of Nepal Laxmi Prasad Devkota in 2010 BS (1953 AD). Two years ago, he was awarded an honorary title of Brigadier General of Nepal Army by the government of Nepal.
National Poet Ghimire’s most popular work is Gauri (1947) which is a lament of the loss of his wife. His other works include “Malati Mangale”, “Himal Pari Himal Wari”, “Aswathama”, “Rajeshwari” and “Shakuntala”.
