The Ordeal of Heera Devi Yami and the rescue of Vidan
As the time for her delivery approached, Nepal was gripped by mass arrests. The Ranas, fearing underground resistance, were rounding up activists and locking them away. Despite these crackdowns, someone was still operating underground—passing information, assisting people, evading the Rana regime’s grip.
Eventually, their investigation pointed to Heera Devi Yami, a brave woman who risked everything for the freedom movement. Disguised in the clothes of a simple farmer, Heera Devi Yami moved secretly, even at night, carrying out her underground work.
The Ranas discovered her identity and came to arrest her. By that time, Heera Devi had just delivered her son , Vidan. They dragged her to the Rana court. There, the Ranas were repulsed—not by her courage—but by the visible blood stain signs in her Saree and Peticoat of her recent childbirth. Her saree was stained with blood. Holding their noses in disgust, they expressed contempt for her “disgusting” state.
But their cruelty didn’t end there.
It was peak winter, towards the end of Poush, the coldest time of the year in Nepal. Their intention was clear: to kill both mother and child, not by direct violence, but by exposing them to the bitter cold.
For three days, they left Heera Devi Yami and the newborn boy outside the house, in freezing cold in freezing conditions. Hiradevi became severely ill. The newborn, Vidan, suffered terribly from infection. For an entire month, the child endured continuous stomach infection, what people called “Aum”, reducing him to a skeletal state.
At one point, Dr. Haldar, the family doctor, made a grim prediction: “Either the mother will die, or the child will die.” The situation was so desperate that Dharma Ratna Yami, Heera DEvi Yami's husband, even contemplated ending the child’s life himself to save Heera Devi.
But there was hope.
Heera Devi's mother's younger sister, Lakshmi Prabha Tuladhar, who lived in Jhwa Bahaal, stepped in. She took the frail Vidandai under her care. For four months, she nursed him back to health, ultimately rescuing his life.
Legacy
This story is not only a testament to the resilience of Heera Devi Yami and her family but also a reminder of the unimaginable sacrifices made by Nepal’s freedom fighters, especially its women. Their courage and suffering laid the foundation for the democratic aspirations of Nepal.