Kashiraj Pradhan
Kashiraj Pradhan | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Sikkim State Council | |
| In office 1953–1967 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Constituency | Namchi |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Sikkim State Congress |
Kashiraj Pradhan (11 December 1905 – 31 March 1990) was a pro democracy politician and journalist in the Kingdom of Sikkim.
Early life and education
Pradhan was born in the family of Newar Taksaris in Pakyong, East Sikkim. His parents were Kaluram and Bhadralakshmi Pradhan. He was a grandson of Taksari Chandrabir Maskey of Pakyong, who was the ruling Thikadar of Pakyong, Pendam and other estates of Sikkim. He received his early education in Sikkim, thereafter he went to high school in a government school in Darjeeling and completed his matriculation from Calcutta University in 1923. He completed his intermediate (I.A) from Banaras Hindu University (B.H.U) in the 1924, in arts. Thereafter, he graduated from Calcutta University in Arts. He was amongst the first few graduates from Sikkim.[1]
Career
In 1933, he became a teacher in the Sir Tashi Namgyal high school. Between 1942-1947 he was the headmaster of Sir Tashi Namgyal High School. He also started a business exporting Sikkim oranges and cardamom to Calcutta (present day Kolkata). He was a leader of the pro-democracy movement in the erstwhile Kingdom of Sikkim. In the Sikkim State Council, he held important cabinet positions including that of Executive Councillor(equivalent to cabinet minister). He was a member of the Sikkim State Congress, a party he led for many years.[2][3]
He was also a journalist, who started Sikkim's first monthly news magazine, Kanchenjunga in 1957 with his nephew Nahakul Pradhan as its editor.[4] Known as Father of Sikkimese Journalism, the state government of Sikkim has instituted Kashiraj Pradhan Lifetime Journalism Award for journalists since 2018.[5][6]
Honours
- Pema Dorji Decoration - Presented by the Chogyal of Sikkim, third-highest civilian honour in the former Kingdom of Sikkim.
- Government of Sikkim has named Deorali - Namnang road as Kashiraj Pradhan Marg.
- Bhanu Puraskar - On 13 July 1998, the Nepali Sahitya Parishad Sikkim awarded him with the first Bhanu Puraskar.
References
- ^ Sinha, Awadhesh C. (26 October 2018). Dawn of Democracy in the Eastern Himalayan Kingdoms: The 20th Century. ISBN 9780429685682.
- ^ "PGPSM to celebrate Writer Ganga Prasad Pradhan Birth Anniv".
- ^ Upadhyay, Dr Rajen (February 10, 2011). "Sikkim- A Look Back View: Kashiraj Pradhan – Father of Journalism in Sikkim".
- ^ Kanchenjunga and Sikkim Press: How Media Started Its Practice in Sikkim
- ^ "43rd State Day | Sikkim institutes award for journalists". The Statesman. May 18, 2018.
- ^ "WITNESS TO CHANGE IN SIKKIM:?Affairs of Sikkim State Congress and the Khamdong Estate".
- Bareh, Hamlet (2001). "Introduction". Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Sikkim. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-794-8. Retrieved 19 June 2011.