It was not easy for Heera Devi Yami — born into a deeply conservative Newar family that believed in the rituals of temples, caste purity, and god-fearing customs. To speak for the Dalits, to advocate for secularism, and to educate the poor — all of it went against both her family’s beliefs and the government’s oppressive policies.
Defying Fear and Faith
At a time when the Rana rulers banned education for the common people and when women were confined within layers of social fear, Heera Devi began teaching children secretly — including those of farmers and untouchables. The guardians paid her not with money but with vegetables and grains. This was not just teaching; it was a rebellion against an unjust system that sought to keep people ignorant and divided.
She risked everything. If the police or CIDs discovered her secret classes, she and the families involved could be arrested, beaten, or worse. Yet, she continued to shift her classrooms from one courtyard to another, never letting the spirit of learning die.
Her husband, Dharma Ratna Yami, was repeatedly jailed for his revolutionary politics. But Heera Devi’s courage kept the household alive. When her husband was imprisoned, she walked miles to feed starving prisoners and their families — often with the very food she received in return for teaching.
Her life was a blend of tenderness and iron will. She suffered from asthma and heart problems from her forties, yet she never allowed her frail health to silence her voice. She often said to her children:
“If I leave behind gold or property, others will take it away. But if I leave you education and courage, no one can steal that.”
Witnessed by Her Neighbors
A neighbor who lived beside the Yami residence at Khyokeba recalls:
“She had a broad forehead and a soft nature. Though I never spoke with her, I remember her visits to my mother — sometimes serious, sometimes with tears in her eyes. Those moments from my childhood are still vivid. I didn’t understand them then, but now I know I was witnessing a woman carrying the weight of revolution and pain in silence.”
The neighbor continues:
“Because of asthma, she would climb the stairs panting, resting to catch her breath before she could speak. Our house stood next to Yami Daju’s; from the top floor, we could see their home clearly. Everyone in our family called her Heera Devi Peeta. There was a deep understanding between my mother and her — a bond of empathy and struggle.”
Even after moving from Khyokeba to Bhurungkhel, Heera Devi never forgot that first house — the place that held her life’s most painful and meaningful memories. From her new home, she often gazed longingly toward Khyokeba, sometimes with tears rolling down her cheeks. That house had witnessed her hunger, her imprisonment, her solitude as a mother raising children while her husband languished in jail.
It was in that same house that she was placed under house arrest after giving birth to her son Vidhan, guarded by soldiers during the freezing winter of Magh. She should have been in a hospital or a state facility, but the authorities deliberately kept her confined, surrounded by military watchmen. Only after several days of suffering was she released — on the cruel condition that she report daily to Singha Durbar, the Rana palace.
Even in those circumstances, she never yielded. She remained proud, even while poor. When hunger struck, she sent her daughter to buy food with small coins. She refused to borrow money from neighbors, fearing she might not be able to repay them. Her dignity was her fortress.
A Life of Resistance and Love
In her old age, she would often look toward the old Khyokeba house — her place of struggle and strength. While her husband wished to gift it to his younger brother, she felt deeply attached to it as the foundation of their lives. Under pressure, she signed the transfer papers, but her heart never left that home.
A neighbor remembers seeing her standing by the window, silently watching the house where she had endured hunger, loss, and revolution — the same house that, through all pain, gave her the courage to rise again.
Legacy of a Fearless Heart
Heera Devi Yami’s life was a reflection of the nation’s transformation. She challenged caste barriers, fought superstition, and embodied secularism long before the word became part of Nepal’s constitution. Her compassion reached those whom society had condemned. Her defiance inspired generations of women to break silence, seek knowledge, and live with dignity.
She lived as both flame and shadow — fragile in body, unbreakable in spirit. Her memory, passed through oral histories, neighbors’ eyes, and her children’s work, remains an enduring symbol of how one woman’s quiet courage helped light the path to Nepal’s awakening.