By Anchit Dhungana
“A national hero is one who is dedicated to the wellbeing of his nation and is worth imitating by all,” is what biographer Gopal Parajuli says. His book National Heroes of Nepal well describes the lives of a few national luminaries who contributed a lot to the nation. The book is children-oriented and is capable of making the little readers aware of the national heroes who contributed to the nation.
The book details out the lives of many national heroes, a suggested by the titles Parajuli has chosen. His titles are: “Janak : The Saintly King”, “Sita : The Great Daughter of Nepal”, “Gautam Buddha : The Light of Asia”, “Amshuvarma : The Ruler for the People”, “Araniko : The Famous Architect”, “Shankhadhar Shakhwa”, “Ram Shah : The Just Ruler”, “Prithvi Narayan Shah : Unifier of the Nation”, “Amarsingh Thapa: The Brave Fighter”, “Balabhadra Kunwar : The Brave Patriot”, “Bhimsen Thapa : The True Patriot”, “Bhanubhakta Acharya : The Pioneer Poet”, “Motiram Bhatta: The Poet in Youth”, “King Tribhuvan : Father of the Nation” and “Pasang Lhamu Sherpa”.
This book outlines theirs contributions and briefly talks about their life. This book is just not a compilation of boring words. It accommodates many cartoon pictures as well, and they make the readers more excited to pick up the book and learn about National Heroes. As there are many incidents that occurred in the lives of the great heroes, reading about them can every reader aware of those kinds incidents. There also are references to many conflicts, which may affect the minds of the young readers. But in any case, this book gives children a brief overview of the talents of such diverse characters. It gives an opportunity for them to learn about the nation as a whole.
In the beginning of the book, there is a biography and contributions of King Janak. The writer has written that Janak was a very holy or virtuous. The second essay describes Gautam Buddha. Hearing his name it fills me with a sense of pride, as I say he was a Nepali as I am. He was a prince of Kapilvastu, but instead of living as a prince, he went for meditation. He was born in Lumbini which has become a famous tourist destination for the world now. He was the one who transmitted peace to the world.
The third biography contains introduction of King Amshuverma who was the great ruler of Nepal. Similarly, the chapter about Araniko introduces him as a great architect of Nepal. This book has a great history that reflects many genuine issues of Nepal.
Amar Shing Thapa ‘The Brave Fighter’, was a great and brave warrior of Nepal. He was the one who fought for the freedom of the Nepalese people, as described in the ninth chapter of this book, which details out his bravery. In the seventh chapter the book talks about ‘The Just Ruler’ Ram Shah. He was the king of Gorkha ruling in the seventeenth century. He is remembered for several reforms in the kingdom of Gorkhas he undertook. Prithivi Narayan Shah is the ‘Unifier of the Nation’. His biography forms the 8th chapter of the book.
Balabhadra Kuwar, Bhimsen Thapa, Bhanubhakta Acharya, Motiram Bhatta, King Tribhuvan and Pasang Lhamu Sherpa are mentioned in detail alongside their contribution like how did they contributed to the country’s interest in different ways. As Bhanubhakta Acharya and Motiram Bhatta contributed in literature, Pasang Lhamu is known as a brave woman who became the first woman to climb the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest.
So, this book gives much knowledge to the young generation. I also refer this book to you as a good read. Many thanks to Taleju Prakashan, author Gopal Parajuli and translator Toyanath Bhattarai for publishing such an important book.
Grade 9
Kathmandu Pragya Kunja School
Kathmandu, Nepal