The Birth of the Nepal Women’s Association
Grassroots Education & Political Training
○ By 2002–2003 BS (1945–46 AD), 20–30 women trained in secret classes at
Padmajyoti Pathshala and Shantinikunj School.
○ Focus on political consciousness alongside basic literacy—preparing girls for
both overt & covert activism.
● Shrawan 22, 2004 BS (Aug 6, 1947): A Historic Picnic
○ Over 20 trainees (from Shantinikunj and Kanya Mandir) met at Mhepi for an
informal gathering.
○ Attendees (e.g., Shreemaya, Sadhana Pradhan, Kokila Tuladhar, Subarna Maya
Joshi, Mainu Pradhan...) resolved to found the Nepal Women’s Association.
● Rapid Growth & Impact
○ First executive committee elected shortly thereafter.
○ Membership surpassed 100 women within weeks (including Haridevi Shrestha,
Tulsidevi Singh, Jwala Devi Bajracharya, Binduwasini Sharma, etc.).
○ Laid the groundwork for sustained women-led civic and political organizing in
post-Rana Nepal.
Would you like me to format these into styled slides with headings and visuals?
Here’s an expanded version of that point, with brief bios and a key anecdote for each leader:
● Civil Disobedience & Underground Organizing
○ Pradhan (Govind Pradhan)
— A former schoolteacher turned activist, Pradhan organized clandestine
leafleting operations in Bhugol Park. His impassioned speeches there drew
hundreds, and he narrowly escaped arrest by slipping away in a ragged raincoat.
○ Vijay Bahadur (Shrestha)
— A factory foreman by day, Vijay Bahadur used his network among laborers to
coordinate simultaneous sit-ins in Patan and Bhaktapur. His leadership ensured
that when one group was dispersed, another was ready to take up the cause.
○ Gopal Das (Juju)
— A respected merchant, Gopal Das quietly funded the purchase of flower
garlands and betel nuts, and arranged safe houses. At Bhaktapur’s main square,
he personally handed out garlands to each satyagrahi, symbolically “draping” the
protest in dignity.
○ Hiradevi (Tuladhar)
— Already a tutor beloved by local children, Hiradevi became the heart of the
movement’s morale. At Bhugol Park she insisted on personally placing a garland
around every arrested protester’s neck—even as police jeered—so they would
return home with their dignity intact.
Would you like to:
1. Incorporate these expanded bios into the existing slide?
2. Adjust any details (names, dates, roles) before we finalize?
3. Move on to the next slide?
Here’s a tighter, more impactful phrasing you could use:
“A beloved tutor to local children, Hiradevi became the movement’s moral
heart. At Bhugol Park—despite police jeers—she personally draped a
garland around every arrested protester’s neck, ensuring they left with their
dignity intact.”