Entitle: Yuga Kavi

Siddhi Charan Shrestha

Siddhi Charan Shrestha (सिद्धिचरण श्रेष्ठ) was one of the most prominent writers of Nepal. He wrote in Nepali Bhasa and Nepali. He is also known 'Yuga Kavi', meaning 'Poet of the Era'. His poem "Mero Pyaro Okhaldhunga" is considered to be one of his masterpieces. In this poem, he has expressed how proud he is to describe the place Okhaldhunga in eastern Nepal, where he was born and grew up.

Quick Information

Date of Birth:	1969 B.S. (1912 A.D.)
Date of Departure:	2049 B.S. (1992 A.D.)
Birth Location:	Okhaldhunga, Nepal
Father’s Name:	Vishnu Charan Shrestha
Mother’s Name:	Neer Kumari Shrestha
Popular Compositions:	Urvashi, Mero Pratibimba, Kopila, Bishwa Betha
Awards:	Yuga Kavi
Occupation:	Poet, Journalist, Social Worker

Sidhhi Charan Shrestha was born on Jestha 9, 1969 BS in Okhaldhunga Bazar of Sagarmatha zone, Nepal.

Education

Siddhi Charan studied at Durbar High School. One day in 1926, he observed an old man bent over his writing at a herbal shop at Kamalachhi near his school. The old man was renowned Nepal Bhasa poet Siddhi Das Amatya. Siddhi Charan eventually considered Amatya as his guru.

Contributions

Siddhi Charan Shrestha started his poetry journey at the age of 13. He had a natural flow of poetry. He was a revolutionary writer of that time. He contributed to the struggle against the autocratic Rana regime (1846-1951) through his writings. In 1940, he was accused of sedition by the Rana regime and sentenced to 18 years in prison for a poem he had written in Nepal Bhasa. It contained the line "Without revolution, there can be no proper peace". However, he was released after 5 years.

Some of his works are Urvashi, Mero Pratibimba, Kopila, Bishwa Betha, Kuhiro Ra Gham, etc.

Siddhi Charan also worked as a journalist. He was the editor of Nepal's first daily newspaper Awaj which was launched on 19 February 1951, a day after the Ranas were overthrown in a revolution. He was also associated with Sharada, a literary journal, and the Gorkhapatra, which was then a bi-weekly newspaper.

During 1957-1965, he was a member of the Royal Nepal Academy. Later, he was as a life member of the academy. He served in the standing committee of the state council from 1971 to 1979. He also worked as a social worker during 1936 earthquake disaster.

Notable Awards

Some of his notable awards are Praval Gorkha Dakshin Bahu, Vikhyat Trishakti Patta, Tribhuwan Puraskar, Prithivi Pragya Puraskar, and awards by the Royal Nepal Academy.

In 1993, Nepal's Postal Services Department issued a commemorative postage stamp bearing a portrait of Shrestha to honor his contribution to Nepalese literature. A highway in eastern Nepal that leads to Okhaldhunga has been named Siddhi Charan Highway. Several schools and organizations were established in His name, like Yuga Kavi Siddhi Charan Higher Secondary School, Yuga Kavi Siddhi Charan Prathamic Vidhyalaya, Siddhi Charan Avinandan Samiti, Siddhi Charan Smriti Guthi, Yuga Kavi Siddhi Charan Pustakalaya, etc.

NOTES:
All dates except date of birth (and those which are immediately followed by B.S.), are in A.D.