Bal Krishna Pokharel (1933–2019) was a
Nepalese writer, linguist, historian, and literary critic.[1] He was one of the key person behind the publishing of Nepali Brihat Sabdakosh, a comprehensive Nepali dictionary. Alongside
Nepali language, he also wrote in
Sanskrit and
Magar languages. He wrote multiple fiction, non-fiction and poetry books and was awarded with
Madan Puraskar in 1963 for his book Nepali Bhasa Ra Sahitya (
transl. Nepali Language and Literature).
Early life
He was born on 28 August 1933 (13 Bhadra 1990
BS) on the day of
Krishna Janmashtami in
Chisapani Gadhi,
Makwanpur, Nepal to father 'Subba' Sharada Pokhrel and mother Chhaya Devi Pokhrel.[2][3] He began his formal education from Tri-Juddha High English School, Biratnagar, Nepal in 1946. He also learnt Magar language, an indigenous Nepalese language, in around 1950.
He obtained a Matriculation certificate from
Banaras Hindu University of India in 1952. He received a master's degree in comparative linguistics (then called comparative philology) from
Kolkata University. He obtained an M.A. in Nepali literature with the First class first position and gold medal from Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 1973.
Literary career
After completing his education, he started teaching at
Tribhuvan University from 2019 BS (
c. 1962/1963) and at Morang College subsequently. He retired from teaching in 2046 BS (
c. 1989/1990).
In 1963 (2021 BS), Pokharel was awarded the
Madan Puraskar, Nepal's highest literary honour for his book Nepali Bhasa Ra Sahitya.[2][4]
In 2017, he was awarded the Lekhnath Literary Award.[5]
Notable works
Non-fictions
Nepali Bhasa ko Katha (Linguistic non-fiction, 1962)[Note a]
Nepal Ra Chetriya Bhasaharu ko Sambandha (Linguistic non-fiction, 1963)
Panch Saya Barsha (Historical non-fiction, 1963)
Nepali Bhasa Ra Sahitya (Essays, 1964)
Rastrabhasa (Essays, 1965)
Dhoni Prakriya ra Dhoni Siddhanta (Linguistic non-fiction, 1970)
College Starko Nibandhai Nibandha (Essays, 1971)
Ek Man Saat Chintan (Curriculum supplements, 1973)
Pachhis Barsa ka Bhashik Charcha (Essays, 1982)
Tesro Ekmukhe Rudrakshako Khoji (Essays, 1983)
Nepali Nirwachan – Volume 1 (Election non-fiction, 1989)
Nepali Nirwachan –Volume 2 (Election non-fiction, 1993)
Khas Jaati ko Itihaas (Anthropological non-fiction, 1998)
Nepali Byakaran Sharada – Volume 1 (Linguistic non-fiction, 2006)