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Parijat was
born in 1937 at the hill station of Darjeeling, India, a place known for its tea
gardens. Her father Dr. K.S. Lama was a psychologist and her mother Amrita Moktan
was his second wife. As her mother died early, Parijat was brought up by her father
and grandparents in Darjeeling. Sharing a close relationship with Nepal and at
one time, a part of the kingdom, Darjeeling has played an influential role in
the development of the country's literature. Parijat,
who was interested early on in Nepalese literature, was to play an important and
well-appreciated role in strengthening Nepalese literature. She completed part
of her schooling in Darjeeling, she came to the Kathmandu Valley in 1954. She
completed school at Padma Kanya School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Suffering
early on from physical ailments, at 26 she became paralyzed and was supported
for much of her life by her sister. In
1959, Parijat's poem was first published by Dharti. She published three poetry
collections: Akanshya, Parijat Ko Kavita, and Baisalu Bartaman. Her first short
story was "Mailey Najanmayeko Choro". She is, however, best known in
Nepal as a novelist. Altogether, she wrote ten novels of which Siris ko Ful gained
the greatest popularity. In 1965, she was awarded with the Madan Puraskar for
the novel. She also received the Sarwashrestha Pandulipi Puraskar, Gandaki Basunahara
Puraskar, and Bridabrit. She
was elected a member of the Tribhuwan University and was a part of Ralfa literature
movement. She also played an important role in the establishment of Pragati Sil
Lekhan Sangh and worked for Akhil Nepal Mahila Manch, Bandi Sahayata Niyog, and
Nepal Manav Adhikar Sangathan. Parijat
remained unmarried and continued to suffer physical setbacks. While she was contributing
to literature, she also tried to support social causes and initiated attempts
like Prisoners' Assistance Mission. She died in 1993 but is a widely popular writer
in Nepal. |