To everybody he was a poet - sensitive and heavy with emotion. But to me, he meant something more. He was the father to my mother and to me, my grandfather. Others knew him as the famous poet Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Shrestha, but for me, he was more human and, I shared with him some of my life's best and most precious moments.

Grandfather was a compassionate and kind person. He was aware of the hardships many Nepalese families lived in and, whenever he could, he looked forward to helping those in need. It gives me much joy to hear some of them recall how he illuminated their lives.

That is why, I am proud to be his granddaughter. Not only because I admire him as the poet Siddhi Charan Shrestha; it is also because I have begun to learn about the wisdom in his words. For me, they carry lessons valuable to life. My life.

"… Truth is something that a person must find in oneself first…
Utmost devotion to its quest can alone lead to the truth."

I remember a time when he helped me come through one of my worst experiences in life. I was seven years old and my father had passed away. I was in shock and accepting his death was something I wasn't willing to grasp and understand. I said to grandfather: "Everyone says that my father has died, but I don't believe them. You are an old man and you are still alive. What does this mean?" I can still remember his pain and his eyes swelling up in tears. He lifted me up onto his lap and started explaining to me about the realities of life. "Death is uncertain and it transcends all age bars. You should always be ready for it." Although I was too young to understand what grandfather was trying to tell me at the time, I think the way in which he said it made an impact on me. Today, as I live my life, I draw strength from his words whenever I know I need to accept the realities of life.

His father was Vishnu Charan Shrestha, who was also a literary figure. Although my great grandfather wrote several poems and short stories, he was known and respected more as a novelist. His novel Sumati was published in 1837, but he wrote it three years earlier. It is among the first Nepalese novels to cover a social context. My grandfather's mother was Neer Kumari Shrestha - a woman with a quiet disposition but courageous. He had two elder sisters whom he loved very much. Grandfather was married to Mishree Devi Shrestha in 1932. They had nine children. His eldest son, Viswa Charan Shrestha, died at the age of four. He was grief-stricken by the experience and, in his son's memory, he wrote a poem "Viswa Betha".

I, too, will now weep
shedding a hot flow of tears endlessly.
I ask let not forgetfulness awake
through the passage of time
and take away my grief for Viswa
- lost forever.

The Revolutionary Poet

Siddhi Charan Shrestha started writing poetry from the early age of 13. It seemed that he had a natural flair for writing poetry. His first published book was Bhuichala, which he wrote after the terrible earthquake of 1936. But because of his revolutionary thoughts expressed vividly in his work, he was sentenced for 18 years in prison. His family belongings and property were also confiscated by the then autocratic Rana regime and his wife was left alone with their two little children. She must have felt shattered when she saw him being arrested. He was released after five years.

As political prisoners, they were kept in tight security. They were not allowed to see their inmates. While my grandfather was serving his sentence, my great grandfather passed away. But during this time, the then Rana regime did not allow grandfather to be with his father. We cannot imagine the depth of anguish he experienced - being the only son in his family whose duty was to carry out his father's last cremation rites - but who could not, because he was given no choice.

The Nepali Congress leader Ganesh Man Singh and other inmates who were in jail were inspired by Siddhi Charan's poetry. Later on, Ganesh Man Singh recalled his time in prison with the poet and admitted that, had it not been for Siddhi Charan, he would have lost his mental balance. Former ambassador and adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohan Lohani, wrote in an article published in The Rising Nepal: "Siddhi Charan's poetry is a guide post. It teaches us that service to others is a noble goal… He not only sympathized with the suffering of humanity but felt their suffering as his own… Siddhi Charan, the revolutionary poet lived for Nepal and breathed his last for Nepal." Indeed, my grandfather was in every sense a true patriot and wrote several poems about his feelings for Nepal.

The more I see this country,
the more I long to see it.
Ever strong is my desire
to love it and
sing its glory.

Also known as Kaji dai, Siddhi Charan loved to smoke the hukka (a long cylindrical shaped structure with a rubber pipe), and, whenever visitors came to see him, which was often, he made them sit down and enjoyed reciting his poems to them. He would then discuss their work with them and encourage them to do better. He was an inspiration to many of the country's contemporary poets like Kedar Man Byathit.

During his lifetime he wrote many poems, both in Nepali and Newari. He also wrote religious poems such as "Devighat". Most Nepalese are familiar with "My beloved Okhaldhunga", which he wrote about his birthplace.

From 1957 to 1965, he was honored as a member of the Royal Nepal Academy and, after that, as a life member. He served in the standing committee of the state council from 1971 to 1979. During the 1936 earthquake, he worked as a social worker. He was also associated with the literary journal Sharada and the bi-weekly Gorkhapatra. Later on, he worked with the Dainik Awaz and the poetry magazine, Kavita, as the chief editor.

My grandmother was a pillar of strength to him. She always supported and encouraged him to do things. She got married to him when she was very young, and she and my grandfather together learned to experience the joys and hardships of matrimonial life. At the end of his days, she was with him until his very last breath.

He passed away in 1992. Many people like to associate his death with Lord Buddha, because according to the lunar and solar calendar studied by our priests, the dates of birth and death of my grandfather coincide with Lord Buddha's. Buddha died on his 80th birthday, as did my grandfather.

It seemed as if he knew death was approaching and he was calm about it. He thanked the doctors for their kind service and held my grandmother's hand just before dying. On his face, he had a look of eternal peace and gratification.

Death was something I always feared before. But after seeing the way my grandfather calmly accepted his fate, I have come to the conclusion that death, after all, is not something strange and therefore fearful to me. I do wish though that, when I die, I will have a death like his, one without pain and remorse.

"Everyone walks this way,
the rich and those who suffer poverty.
Earth has to meet earth.
I saw the world flower,
I saw it wilt
and I have known God.
The seeds we plant here
will grow in heaven.
What you have given, love,
you will get back
when you leave this place."
- Laxmi Prasad Devkota (Translated by Pallav Ranjan)

Works in Nepali: Urvashi, Mero Pratibimba (My Image), Ashu (Tears), Kopila (The Bud), Biswa Betha (In Painful Memory of Son), Mangal Man, Junkiri, Kuhiro Ra Gham (The Mist and the Sun), Banchiraheko Awaz, Jyanmara Shail (Murderer Shail), Tirimiritara, Bali, Bhimsen Thapa, Yudha Ra Shanti (War and Peace), Aatma Bilauna, Siddhi Charan Ka Pratinidhi Kabita, and Siddhi Charan Ka Jail Samjhana.

Works in Newari: Lumbini, Trishna, Fuswa, Siswa, Gyaswa, Nari Hridaya, Urbashi, Siddhi Charanya Nibanda Sangraha, and Ghama.

Unpublished works: Muswa, Siddhi Charanka Angreji Kabita Sangraha, and Siddhi Charanka Yatra Smaran.

Awards: Praval Gorkha Dakshin Bahu, Vikhyat Trishakti Patta, Tribhuwan Puraskar, Prithivi Pragya Puraskar, and awards by the Royal Nepal Academy.

Recognitions: Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Highway (Katari, Okhaldhunga); Postal Stamp (Hulak Ticket Prakashan); Siddhi Charan Rastriya Pratibha Puraskar; Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Higher Secondary School, Gamnatar/Okhaldhunga; Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Prathamic Bidhyalaya, Jaleshwor/Janakpur Anchal; Siddhi Charan Avinandan Samiti, 1987; Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Puraskar; Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Prathistan; Siddhi Charan Smriti Guthi; Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Sanghralaya; Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Pustakalaya; Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Pratima Sthapana, Okhaldhunga; Yuga Kabi Siddhi Charan Pratima; and Siddhi Charan Chowk, Om Bahal, Kathmandu. Personal belongings of the late poet are displayed at Nepal Sikchaya Parikchyat building in Naya Bazaar.