Ganesh Man Singh ( Nepali:गणेशमान सिंह) (November 9, 1915 – September 18, 1997) was the leader of the democratic movement of 1990 in Nepal. He is revered as the Father of Democracy and the Iron-man of Nepali politics. He joined Praja Parishad to protest against the autocratic rule of the Ranas.

Early life

Ganesh Man Singh was born on November 9, 1915, in Itum Bahal,

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

. His father was Gyan Man Singh and his mother was Sanunani Shrestha Singh. His father died when he was young, so his grandfather, Ratna Man Singh (who was Badakaji in the Rana regime), raised him. He studied in

Durbar High School Durbar High School () or Bhanu Higher Secondary School, opened in 1854 is the oldest modern school in Nepal located near Rani Pokhari, Kathmandu. The school was originally built to teach sons of Ranas exclusively but was opened to public citizens i ...

till class 6 when he was rusticated from the school for not respecting his fellow Rana students.वीर गणेशमान सिंह स्मारिका, Page 1 He then went to

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

to study where he completed his matriculation from

Vidyasagar College Vidyasagar College (Bengali: বিদ্যাসাগর কলেজ) is a state government-aided public college, affiliated to the University of Calcutta, located in North Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The college offers both post-gradu ...

in the first division. He studied until ISc (Intermediate of Science) then returned to Nepal in 1938.

Leader of Nepali Congress

Ganesh Man Singh was one of the main leaders of the Nepali Congress Movement in 2007 B.S., which was able to overthrow the Rana Regime. In 2015 B.S., he was elected as a Member of Parliament from

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

and later became a Cabinet Minister. After the coup d'état by King Mahendra, Singh became one of the main leaders advocating for democracy in Nepal. He ultimately became the Supreme leader of

Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress ( ne, नेपाली कांग्रेस ; abbr. NC) is the largest social democratic political party in Nepal. As per the results of recent local election, ''Nepali Congress'' stands as the single largest party of ...

, the title he held throughout his life.

Early political life

He entered into politics formally by joining Praja Parisad, the first political party of Nepal. in 1997 B.S. Only after three months into married life with Mangala Devi Singh, he was handed life imprisonment by Ranas for waging a revolution against their autocratic rule. He successfully escaped from the prison and continued his struggle against the Ranas with Krishna Bahadur Pradhan as his pseudonym.

Later life

After the coup of 1960, Singh was held without trial for eight years at the

Sundarijal Sundarijal is a village and former Village Development Committee that is now part of Gokarneshwar Municipality in Kathmandu District in Province No. 3 of central Nepal. History The name Sundarijal was derived from the term that "Sundari" means ...

Military Detention Camp. Recognizing his outstanding contribution in the field of Human Rights, Mr. Singh was honored by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

with the “Human Rights Award” in 1993. He is the first Statesman from South Asia to receive this prestigious award. Singh had received the “United States Peace Run Prize” in 1990 for his contribution to peace in Nepal and the world and his leadership quality. He was also decorated by the “U Thant Peace Award”.

Ganesh Man Singh Foundation

Ganesh Man Singh Foundation was established in the commemoration of Ganesh Man Singh with the presidency of his son Prakash Man Singh.

Contributions of Ganesh Man Singh

Singh made major contributions to Nepal. He was the leader of the anti-Rana Movement in 2007 B.S. as well as the leader of the Nepali Congress. He gave continuous efforts for the establishment of democracy over the autocratic rule of Ranas. He was the commander of the Mass Movement-I (2046 B.S.) Ganesh Man Singh's continued effort led to multi-party democracy's establishment in Nepal. He also showed his great renunciation by refusing the post of prime minister and instead suggesting the name of his friend

Krishna Prasad Bhattarai Krishna Prasad Bhattarai (Nepali: कृष्णप्रसाद भट्टराई; 13 December 19244 March 2011) also known as Kishunji was a Nepalese political leader. He was one of the main leaders involved in transitioning Nepal from a ...

for the post He died on 2nd of Ashwin 2054 B.S at Kathmandu.

References

External links

*
Nepal homepage

Ganesh Man Singh OrganizationGanesh Man Singh Academy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Ganesh Man 1915 births 1997 deaths People from Kathmandu Government ministers of Nepal Nepali Congress politicians from Bagmati Province Nepalese prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Nepal Vidyasagar College alumni Nepalese democracy activists Nepal MPs 1959–1960 Nepalese political party founders Nepalese revolutionaries Durbar High School alumni