} Dr. Harka Bahadur Gurung (1939–2006) was a Nepali geographer, author, and politician, known for his conservation work.

Early life

Gurung was born in

Lamjung Lamjung District ( ne, लमजुङ जिल्ला ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the 77 districts of Nepal. The district, with Besisahar as its district headquarters, covers an area of and had a population of 167,724. Lamjun ...

on 5 February 1939, in the village of Taranche. His father was a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. After completing his secondary education at King George Royal Indian Military School, he studied for a B.A. and M.A. in geography at

Patna University Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern er ...

, and later received a PhD from

the University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...

after being offered a scholarship there.

Academic career

After completing his PhD, Gurung worked as a research fellow at the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

in London, returning to Nepal in 1966 to take up a lecturing post at

Tribhuvan University Tribhuvan University (TU; ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. In terms of enrollment, it is ...

in Kathmandu. He was the first PhD holder in Nepal. In 1984, he was appointed visiting fellow at the

East–West Center The East–West Center (EWC), or the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peopl ...

in Hawaii. A prolific scholarly author, Gurung published fifteen books and around 675 academic articles and reports. He also worked as an advisor to the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

in Nepal.

Political career

In 1968, Gurung was appointed vice-chairman of Nepal's National Planning Commission. He subsequently held several government posts, including Minister of State for Education, Trade and Industry Minister, and Minister of State for Tourism. He served as Director of the Asia and Pacific Development Centre from 1993 to 1998, and was a consultant for the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

Death

Gurung, unfortunately died in 2006 along with 23 others in a helicopter crash at Phale in

Taplejung Taplejung District ( ne, ताप्लेजुङ जिल्ला ) is one of 77 districts of Nepal and one of the 14 districts of Province No. 1. It is remotely located in the Himalayas in Eastern Nepal with Tibet to the north across the ...

, whilst returning from a conservation meeting. The 2011 Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival was dedicated to his memory, and Lamjung F.C. created a memorial

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

tournament in his honor. In Pokhara, a three-hectare eco-park (the Dr. Harka, Chandra & Migma Memorial Laligurans Eco Park) was set up to commemorate Gurung and those who died with him in the crash.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurung, Harka 1939 births 2006 deaths People from Lamjung District Nepalese geographers Nepalese anthropologists Nepalese politicians Nepali-language writers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Nepal 20th-century anthropologists 20th-century geographers 20th-century Nepalese male writers Gurung people