Centenarian Satya Mohan Joshi no more
Satya Mohan Joshi, the highly revered icon of Nepali literature, culture and history passed away on Sunday at the age of 103.
He died while receiving treatment at KIST Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Gwarko, Lalitpur, on October 16 at 7.09 am. He had been taken to the hospital on September 23 due to excessive weakness. He had also contracted dengue.
Born to father Shankar Joshi and mother Raj Kumari at Bakhumbahal, Lalitpur, on May 12, 1920, Satya Mohan won rare three Madan Puraskar prizes and earn the appellation litterateur of the century (Bangmaya Shatabdi Purush).
A man dedicated to learning and research, Joshi chose to pursue higher education in a society that did not view anything above matriculation (grade 10) as necessary and completed his Bachelor’s degree from Tri-Chandra College. He also held an honorary doctorate in literature from Kathmandu University. Joshi lived a long life, seeing five monarchs, two presidents, five Shree 3 Maharajas and nearly four dozen governments led by almost two dozen prime ministers, witnessed the fall of the autocratic Rana regime, the partyless Panchayat system and the monarchy and experienced not one but two mega earthquakes. Joshi spent many years of his professional life in civil service. He also served as the director of the Archaeological and Cultural Department (ACD), the precursor to today’s Department of Archaeology.
He was presented the first Madan Puraskar in 1956 for his book‘Hamro Lok Sanskriti’.
Joshi always loved Nepal’s culture. He must be remembered for establishing the Archaeological Garden in Patan, the Archaeological Museum in Taulihawa and the National Art Museum in Bhaktapur along with the national theatre (Rastriya Naach Ghar) in Kathmandu.
Joshi also contributed greatly to Nepali numismatics and his research on the coins used in Nepal since the Lichhavi era, published in the form of the book ‘Nepal Rastriya Mudra’, won him his second Madan Puraskar in 1960. A contribution appropriately recognised in 2019 when coins of the denomination Rs. 100, Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 2,500 were minted with his image. This made him the first living person other than a monarch to have his portrait featured on national coinage. Similarly, in 2021, he again became the first Nepali citizen not of royal lineage to have his likeness featured on a postal stamp while still alive.
Joshi’s third Madan Puraskar came in 1971 for his ‘Karnali Lok Sanskriti’ which he wrote based on his field study of the Khas civilisation. Additionally, Joshi was also a recipient of the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu, the Trishaktipatta, the Adikabi Bhanubhakta Puraskar, the Ujjwal Kirtiman Rashtradeep and was conferred with the decoration Rastra Gaurab by the President this year.
The man affectionately dubbed the centenarian was also extremely well-travelled. After he lost his job in King Mahendra’s Poush 1 coup, Joshi travelled to China from where he made what many consider his greatest contribution to Nepal. He introduced the country to one of its greatest sons Araniko.
In 1953, a few days after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary conquered Mount Everest, Joshi reached New Zealand, becoming the first Nepali to reach the South Pacific nation.
Joshi mentioned in his biography published in March this year that he was greeted with much fanfare and excitement in New Zealand as he was considered ‘someone from Tenzing’s village’. Author of over 60 tomes on history, culture, drama and music, Joshi was committed to the preservation and promotion of his mother tongue Nepal Bhasa as well and was the Chancellor of the Nepal Bhasa Academy too. He had also founded the Lok Sahitya Parishad in 1985 at a time when the KhasArya-centric Panchayati state viewed folk literature and languages with contempt. He served as the patron of the Parishad till his final day.
Joshi was an esteemed institution in himself and his loss has left a hole that may not be filled for generations to come. Noted personalities from all sectors of society poured out their grief on social media including President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Chairman of CPN (Maoist Centre) Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and CPN (UML) chair KP Sharma Oli.
Joshi’s body has been kept at KIST instead of cremation as per Hindu rituals. This was in line with the pledge he and his wife had made last year to donate their bodies to the teaching hospital.
Joshi is survived by his wife Radha Devi and his six children.