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Birth: 12 March 1948, Dailekh

Death: 4 July 2021, Dailekh

For those who only knew Jagat Jung Thapa casually, he came across as an intimidating figure. But those who knew him up close remember him as a kind-hearted and soft-spoken man who dedicated his life to the country’s betterment

There are, in fact, few in Dailekh district of Karnali Province who have not heard of Thapa.

Born on 12 March 1948 in Narayan Municipality-2, Dailekh, Thapa got his early education at Kathmandu’s Anandakuti Vidyapeeth. He then enrolled into Amrit Science and Tri Chandra campuses for higher education. 

After completing his Masters in Political Science, he stepped into politics in 1966 through a democratic student union protest at Tri Chandra Campus. Following this, in 1970, he also contested a position in a student union group from Far-Western districts.

From 1972 to 1976, Thapa worked as a teacher at Tribhuvan Secondary School located at the heart of Dailekh Bazaar, where he helped various youth organizations around the Bheri region organize during the Panchayat regime. Then, in 1991, he was elected a member of the Congress Mahasamiti and a district party representative.  

In 2017, he contested the general election from Dailekh-1 but ended up losing. Thapa was magnanimous in his defeat. In fact, he was admired for his equanimity in both victory and loss.

Thapa had his ups and downs in politics but this never stopped him from working for the country. Throughout his career, he worked with organizations like Nepal Family Planning Organization and Nepal Red Cross Society. He was also the chairperson of the Nepal Children’s Organization.

Thapa, 71, had recently contracted coronavirus and was admitted to Dailekh District Hospital, where he was kept in isolation. He succumbed to the virus at around three in the morning on July 4. Thapa is survived by his wife and six daughters.

Birth: 1969, Gulmi
Death: 29 June 2021, Rupandehi

Shankar Bhandari was always among the top students in his class while he was in school and later in college. Raised in a well-to-do family, he never had to struggle financially in his life.

As his elder brother Chandra was into politics Shankar also got interested in trying to understand his country and society better.   

In his college days Bhandari had for a while been involved in student politics. He was even appointed chair of Nepal Student Union, the Nepali Congress student wing. But he would later pursue an academic career.

Bhandari wanted to inspire the young generation and he thought the best way to do so would be by teaching in schools, which he started doing in his high-school days. He wanted to learn as much as he could and then impart that knowledge on the next generation.

His keen interest in society later resulted in a PhD in sociology.

Bhandari invested his knowledge and skills in Nepal’s oldest university, Tribhuvan University, where he served in multiple capacities, including seven years as an assistant head at Tri Chandra Campus, four years as co-controller of the Office of the Controller of Examinations, and deputy director of Tribhuvan University Monitoring Directorate. Most recently, he was the director of the Student Welfare and Sports Directorate.

As the head of the Student Welfare Directorate, he worked directly with university students, who in turn remember him as a decent and progressive administrator and someone concerned about their wellbeing.

During his time at Tri Chandra, Bhandari worked restlessly with student unions for the improvement in the quality of education on offer.

Bhandari was recently in Butwal for his father’s first death anniversary. On the night of June 29, his car veered off the road and into the Charange River. Bhandari was rushed to a hospital nearby but succumbed to his wounds. He was 52.

Birth: 16 March 1961, Achham
Death: 20 June 2021, Lalitpur

Tapta Bahadur Bista witnessed all the recent political upheavals in Nepal, including the decade-long Maoist insurgency, from the front seat from his perch in the Karnali province.  

Bista, who led the people of the Karnali region during both first and second Jana Andolans, was arrested several times for his participation in pro-democracy protests. He also faced many hassles from the Maoists who had made western Nepal the launchpad of their rebellion.

Bista is credited with playing a key role in making the people of western Nepal politically aware.

At a young age of 35, Bista was elected leader of the Surkhet district committee of the Nepali Congress, a position he held for 20 years. During his long tenure, he worked to mobilize party cadres, and helped establish a strong Nepali Congress base in the whole of western Nepal.

In 2013, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Surkhet Constituency No.3. In 2017, Bista was appointed Minister of State for Communication by then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. At this time his special focus was on making Karnali Province a ‘wi-fi internet zone’, whereby all public areas in the province would be connected by free wi-fi internet.  

Thousands of Nepali Congress members looked up to Bista as a role model. He is remembered by his friends and supporters alike as an honest, down-to-earth, development-friendly, and exemplary leader.

On May 30, Bista, who was infected by Covid-19, was admitted to the provincial hospital in Surkhet. But as his health deteriorated, he was airlifted to a hospital in Lalitpur. He breathed his last on June 20.

Birth: 10 April 1956, Lalitpur
Death: 13 June 2021, Lalitpur

Rajesh Hari Joshi didn’t play competitive chess, but his contribution to the development of the sport in Nepal is less than none.

Joshi, who formally began his engagement with the sport 15 years ago after being elected vice-president of the Makwanpur Chess Committee, took charge as the fourth president of the Nepal Chess Association in 2007.

The numbers speak for themselves.

It was under his guidance that the first rating competition was organized in the country. Before that, there were only a handful of internationally rated players all over Nepal. At the end of his two tenures in office, the number had grown to over  600.

Joshi was also keen on getting Nepali arbiters on the international platform. Due to his endeavors, the country now has 10 international arbiters, 20 International Chess Federation (FIDE) arbiters, 50 national arbiters, and 50 arbiters-in-training. There were again only a handful of them before Joshi entered the scene.

His contribution wasn’t limited to the sport’s promotion in Nepal. Joshi also helped spread the game’s global appeal. During the 2014 FIDE Congress, he was elected its member as well as a member of its ethics community. He was re-appointed to the ethics committee in 2018.

Joshi also presided over Asian Zonal 3.2 area that included Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Chess championships such as the International Grandmaster Competition, Asian Zonal Competition, and South-Asian Competition were held under his leadership. Nepal’s Manish Hamal became the first FIDE master in the country during Joshi’s tenure.

Joshi was also actively involved in the cooperative movement. He founded National Co-operative Bank Ltd and served as an advisor to the District Co-operative Union Ltd, Lalitpur, and Multipurpose Co-operative Union Ltd, Lalitpur. He also worked as vice-president of Ganesh Man Singh Memorial Health Co-operative, and executive president of National Development Co-Operative Society Ltd, Lalitpur.

On 13 June 2021, Joshi suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. He is survived by his wife and two children.