Lok Priya Devi | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | 1898 |
Died | 1960 (aged 61–62) Nepal |
Nationality | Nepali |
Relatives | Laxmi Prasad Devkota (brother) |
Lok Priya Devi ( Nepali: लोकप्रियादेवी; 1898–1960) was a Nepalese poet. [1] In 2014, she was recognised as one of the women who contributed to the arena of Nepali literature, art, and politics. [2] [3] She is the sister of Laxmi Prasad Devkota, the nation's most adored poet. [4]
Devi was born in 1898 in Dilli Bazar, Kathmandu, Nepal to Teel Madhav Devkota, and Amar Rajya Lakshmi Devi. [5] Devi was a sister of Laxmi Prasad Devkota, who is considered to be the greatest literary figure in Nepal. [4] [6]
In 1906 at the age of eight years, Devi was married to businessman Lok Nath Joshi. [5] They had five sons and three daughters, however, Joshi was known to be a womaniser and he had many concubines. [5] Devi is never known to have criticised her husband. [5] Devi's name "Lok Priya" was given to her by Joshi which means "darling of Lok Nath". [6]
Her brother Devkota used to encourage her to write poems. [5] She was a student of Lekhnath Paudyal and Chakrapani Chalise. [5] Devi's works were also praised by various writers including Prem Rajeshwari Devi, Goma, and Devkota. [5]
She mostly published her poems in Sharada magazine, and she also published in Udyog, Sahity Shrot, and the literary supplements to the national newspaper Gorkhapatra. [7] Devi was also an activist, she advocated and encouraged women to get an education. [8] [9] In 1953, she organised a literacy event for Bhanubhakta Acharya. [5]
In 1983, her daughter Shashi Rimal, compiled and published Collected Poems of Poetess Lokpriya Devi. [5] Lok Priya Devi Puraskar is named in her honour. [10]
In 2014, she was recognised one of the women "who contributed to the arena of Nepali literature, art, and politics. Much of their lives have been excluded [or written very little] from the narratives of official records", alongside Ambalika Devi Chandrakala Devi, Mangala Devi, and Divya Koirala. [2] [3]
She died in 1960. [11]
"नारीचुली - लोकप्रियादेवी". RabinsXP (in Nepali). 28 March 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2021.