Aji's Podcast

85 years old Mithai Devi Biswokarma is a courageous Dalit rights activist. Together with her husband Late T.R. Biswokarma who was a pioneering Dalit activist, Mithai Devi has made invaluable contribution to the Dalit rights movement. She was one of the leaders of the historic Pashupatinath Temple Entry movement of 1954, a series of events that forced the government and “upper” caste locals to remove the signboard that read ‘Untouchables are Prohibited' and allowed Dalits to enter the temple. Mithai Devi also led a women’s association named Pariganith Nari Sangh (Association for Scheduled Caste Women) who participated into everyday organising as part of the movement. For her activism and leadership Mithai Devi has received several prestigious awards including the Dr. Ambedkar International Award from All-India Dalit Sahitya Sammelan and Bhagat Sarbajit Manab Maryada Rastriya Award.

Anjana Tamrakar is the founder and executive director of Creative Women’s Craft based in Kathmandu. She is also a consultant and freelance trainer in the fields of micro, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship development. She focuses mostly on training and supporting women across Nepal. Her organisation trains women and produces a wide range of paper products for sale in Nepal and abroad. She is also a poet and has published several poetry collection books in Nepali and Nepal Lhasa languages. At 68, Anjana continues to write poetry, run her business and she is also involved in various social organizations geared towards empowerment of women in Nepal. This episode with Anjana Tamrakar was recorded on 13 May 2022 via zoom by Aji’s Podcast host Lorina Sthapit. You can also listen to Aji’s podcast on Facebook, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

85 years old Chandra Devi Adhikari recently published her autobiography titled 'Mero Jeevan Yatra'. Chandra Devi was born in Ilham, Nepal in a big joint family. She enjoyed her childhood playing in gardens with her siblings and cousins. She later joined her brothers to study in Darjeeling, India where she was introduced to political consciousness and communism ideology. Later when her sister died of small pox, she married her brother-in-law D.P Adhikari. D.P Adhikari who was the leader of a banned communist party. During the movement against the Panchayat system he had to leave the country and seek refuge in India and even jailed when he was back in Nepal. Meanwhile, Chandra Devi supported her husband through this struggle and raised their two kids on her own, traveling between India and Nepal. She has detailed all the experiences in her book which is available in Ratna Pustak Bhandar and Pragati Pustak Sadan in Bagbazar, Kathmandu.

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69 years old Saroj Shrestha is the Founder & Executive Director of Navjeevan High School in Lalitpur. She is a mathematics enthusiast who enjoys making the subject fun and easy for her students. As a girl child she had to make extra efforts to prove her love for education and to seek permission from her family to continue her studies. Saroj also faced many hardships in her adult life including the death of her first and second husbands and disapproval and scrutiny from society for remarrying. Despite these challenges she dedicated over 4 decades in Nepal’s education sector for which she has received many awards and recognitions.

This episode with Saroj Shrestha was recorded on 22 March 2022 via zoom by Aji’s Podcast host Lorina Sthapit.

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71 years old Bhimi Gurung was born in Dhanda Khadga village in the Parbat region where she had a fun childhood. Her mother gave birth to her at age 50 which made her popular in her village since birth. Later she married an army officer and moved to Singapore. She lived in the army camp in Singapore for 25 years and had four children there. Today she lives in Kathmandu and runs a well-known pickle company with her daughter called ĀMĀKO achar. Her achars are prepared in the traditional style of Gurungs from the Parbat region.

This episode with Bhimi Gurung was recorded on 2 September 2021 via zoom by Aji’s Podcast host Lorina Sthapit.

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72 year old Renuka Upadhyay is an avid knitter and crafter. She learned the craft first from her mother and then advanced her skills by reading many books on the subject. Later she used these skills to earn a living and raised three daughters as a single mother. She also taught courses in dress design in various colleges in Kathmandu and Pokhara for four decades. She continues to create unique products, everyday. "If I don't work and make new things, I get sick," she says. You can see and buy her creations on Instagram, Facebook and Etsy through her page Nens Workshop.

This episode with Renuka Upadhyay was recorded on 16 August 2021 via zoom by Aji’s Podcast host Lorina Sthapit.

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90 year old Nalini Gyawali fell in love with reading as a child. Even though she couldn’t continue her education due to social obligations, she continues to pursue her love for reading. Her favorite author is Agatha Christie. In this episode of Aji’s Podcast Nalini shares her colorful memories of traveling to Banaras, India with her mom when she was 3 years old, getting married at a young age of 13 during the end of WWII, struggling to adjust her life in village without toilets, fighting a major health issue just before her pregnancy, her life today with many grandkids and great grandkids and much more.

This episode with Nalini Gyawali was recorded on 22 December 2021 via zoom by Aji’s Podcast host Lorina Sthapit.

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Durga Lal Shrestha, born in 1935 in Kathmandu, is Nepal’s leading poet and lyricist. He has been honored with national titles of “Janakavi” (meaning People’s Poet) and “Janagitkar” (meaning People’s Lyricist). He writes poems, songs, plays, essays and children’s verses mostly in his mother tongue, Nepal Bhasa. He is an outspoken advocate for minority language rights and mother tongue education in multilingual, multiethnic Nepal. He also writes in Nepali language and his Nepali songs 'Phoolko aankhaa maa, phoolai sansara' and 'Saya thari baja yeutai taal' holds the distinction of being the most popular hit song ever in Nepal. Collections of his poems have been translated into English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean languages.

This episode with Durga Lal Shrestha was recorded on 24 August 2021 at his home in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu by Aji’s Podcast host Sunita Dangol. The interview was conducted maintaining physical distance.

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87 years old Badri Prasad Khatiwada, also knows as Bhanu among his family and friends was born in Makwanpur, Nepal. He is a devout teacher and was a passionate activist during the panchayat regime. He founded the National Teachers’ Association and fought for the rights of teachers in Nepal. Bhanu is the grandfather of Miss Nepal World 2018 Shrinkhala Khatiwada and Birodh Khatiwada, Minister for Health and Population in Nepal.

This episode with Badri Prasad Khatiwada was recorded on 6 April 2021 at his home in Kathmandu by Aji’s Podcast host Sunita Dangol. The interview was conducted maintaining physical distance.

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