Archduke Ferdinand and his hunt in Nepal

"The Great War for Civilization" or more famously known as "World War I" claimed millions of lives from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. The immediate cause of the war was the assassination of His Imperial Highness The Archduke of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand ( the heir-apparent to the throne) and Her Serene Highness Princess Sophie in Serbia. Nepal sent 14000 soldiers to fight for Britain, against Austria-Hungary.

His Imperial Highness Archduke Franz Ferdinand with Her Serene Highness Princess Sophie

The Archduke had a morganatic wedding with Sophie Chotek in 1899, who he met at a ball in 1894. The marriage meant that Sophie couldn't be seen in public functions anywhere near the Archduke when in royal duty, because of her non-royal lineage. The only exception was when he was fulfilling his military duties. So, under the pretext of inspecting the Serbian army, the Archduke went to meet his death, But, 21 years before he was shot in the neck by Gavrilo Princip, he came to Nepal to shoot tigers ( March, 1893 )

Shree Teen Maharajah Bir Shumsher was the lone tiger in the huge forest of Nepal in 1893. With the threat of Khadga Shumsher completely eliminated, Maharajah Bir was enjoying his supreme rule over Nepal. His simple-minded brother Dev Shumsher was next-in-line, while the cunning Chandra Shumsher was the Jungi-Laath and the Western Commanding General. At that time, Nepal had no formal ties with any country except for Great Britain. Archduke Ferdinand was also on a trip around the globe. In 1893, he first reached India, where he was received by the Maharajahs and Nawabs. After almost a month in India, the Archduke expressed his desire to hunt tigers in Nepal.

The Archduke's wish desire was met with a great difficulty in the Lal Durbar. Because of the pressure to maintain close ties with Britain and the East-India Company, the Mahrajah couldn't welcome the Archduke in person, nor could he send one of his "rolewallah" brothers (included in the roll of succession), lest the Viceroy be provoked. Then, it was decided to send Commanding Colonel Keshar Singh Thapa, the maternal uncle of four brothers; Khadga, Dev, Chandra and Bhim. Keshar Singh Thapa was exiled from Kathmandu and was sent to live in Salyan as its Bada-Hakim (Chief Administrator). So, it was decided, Commanding Colonel Keshar Singh Thapa would be the chief of the organizing party, and his son Captain Prem Shumsher Thapa his assistant.

The hunting party of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Nepal. He is pictured holding a rifle. 

In the month of march in 1893, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand came to Nepal and shot animals in Kailali and Kanchanpur. During his hunt, a total of 17 tigers, 6 leopards, and many swamp deers, boars, antelopes, spotted deers and blackbucks were shot. Pleased with the hunt and the hunting party, Archduke Ferdinand, he gifted C.Col. Keshar Singh Thapa a Qatari sword with its scabbard with the royal monogram upon it and fourteen guns; while Capt. Prem Shumsher Thapa was also gifted a sword. He also sent a letter to Maharajah Bir (via Keshar Singh Thapa) thanking him for the hunt and also requested for his autographed potrait, to which Bir graciously acquiesced.

 The same Archduke was assassinated 21 years later in Serbia, by Gavrilo Princip. That assassination is regarded as the trigger for World War I.

Subarna Shumsher : The unsung hero

When it comes to revolutionary leaders in Nepal, most people think of Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala, Kunwar Indrajit Singh, Ganesh Man Singh or even Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda". There is no doubt whatsoever about who the greatest revolutionary leader of Nepal ever was : Subarna Shumsher Rana. 

Born as the only son of Commanding General Hiranya Shumsher JBR at Tangal Durbar in 1909, Subarna Shumsher joined the military in 1930 as a captain . Gen. Hiranya Shumsher was the second son of Shree Teen Maharaj Bhim Shumsher, the son of Gen. Dhir Shumsher and Nanda Kumari ( the sister of Commanding Colonel Keshar Singh Thapa ). Subarna was exiled to India along with many members of his family by the then Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher JBR, when Juddha Shumsher was sending many C-class Ranas to exile. 

After Subarna and his relatives reached India, they were scarce on money. However, at that time, India was about to be freed from the British Raj and almost all bungalows and palaces were being sold in a hurry. Subarna's cousin General Mahabir Shumsher JBR realized this opportunity and established Dalhousie Properties Ltd. as the chairman and MD, from which he bought those buildings in a cheap price and sold them with a huge margin. The money earned from this was later used to buy weapons from Myanmar and cover the living expenses of all the revolutionaries residing in India.

Many people fail to see the connection, but the political career of Subarna Shumsher resembles that of the Chinese leader Dr. Sun Wen, or more commonly known as Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. Both of these leaders spent a large portion of their lives in exile. Both of these leaders were the principal donors for revolutions. Both of these leaders became the executive head of states for a brief period of time only. The striking difference is that Dr. Yat-Sen supported the three people's principles, while Subarna Shumsher supported socialist democracy.



Subarna Shumsher established the Nepal Democratic Congress on 4th August, 1948. Then, BP Koirala had already created Nepal National Congress on 25th January 1947. These two parties merged on 9th April 1950 to form Nepali Congress. The first ever conference of Nepali Congress was held in Bairganiya, India, where the revolution was formally announced. Subarna Shumsher supported the living expenses and bought weapons from Myanmar (Burma). Large quantities of alcoholic products, food and ammunition also came as foreign aid. 

During the revolution, Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala insisted that the Nepali Congress should focus on non-violent struggle "Satyagraha" instead of commencing an armed revolution. However, Subarna Shumsher disagreed with him. Subarna knew what PM Mohan Shumsher was made of and that futile methods of demonstrations would not affect him in any way. So, he convinced everyone that an armed revolution was absolutely necessary for bringing democracy, in which the Congress succeeded.

A common photograph of Subarna Shumsher

Subarna Shumsher was made the head of the council of ministers (effectively the Prime Minister) by King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev to ensure parliamentary elections. The election was duly held, in which Nepali Congress secured 74 out of 108 seats in the parliament. BP Koirala became the Prime Minister and Subarna Shumsher became the Deputy PM and Minister for Finance. During the coup-d'état of 1960, Subarna was out of harm's way as he was given permission to go to India for a consultant with a doctor, which King Mahendra was refusing him for some time. It seemed (and still seems) that King Mahendra was close to Subarna and didn't want to see any harm come to him. His property was seized by the state, and the central office of Nepal Rastra Bank, the living quarters of Prime Minister and Chief Justice are situated on his confiscated properties. Subarna Shumsher himself issued a statement, warning that the coup had pushed the country back by more than a decade. Even then, he didn't lose hope and struggled for the reestablishment of democracy.

The life of Subarna Shumsher is the life of an ideal revolutionary. However, it is a real shame that none of the recent generation of Congress politicians remember him for his principles and actions. Subarna Shumsher is a priceless jewel of the entire nation, and it is the nation's responsibility to make sure that all the struggles and sacrifices of Subarna doesn't become unnoticed. Recently, an organization called Subarna Memorial Council (सुवर्ण स्मृति परिषद ) has been established, which primarily aims to increase the awareness of people about the struggle for democracy spearheaded by Subarna. Let's hope that the present "great" politicians shall take a page out of Subarna's book and try to work just like him, with his selflessness, patience , and above all, his patriotic feeling.

Melawa Devi's departure from the Palace

Shree Teen Maharajah Chandra Shumsher ruled over Nepal for 28 long years as the Prime Minister of Nepal and the Maharajah of Kaski and Lamjung. He is popular for his lavish palaces and developmental works. Chandra Nahar , the first irrigation project of Nepal, was constructed during his tenure, with Colonel Dilli Jung Thapa as the chief engineer. He is more popular for the abolishing of Sati and Slavery system, which were major problems back in his day. In 1924 AD, he spent Rs. 36,70,000 to free all the slaves in the country. It was compulsory for all the slaves to be freed, which included his palace as well. Almost all "slaves" who didn't want to stay at their masters' house started leaving. The real shocker came when "Melawi Devi", one of the royal maids of the Maharajah, also expressed her desire to leave the "Singha Durbar", and she did it publicly.

Maharaj Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, one of the most influential politicians in the history of Nepal

Melawa Devi was one of the most popular maids of Singha Durbar, the real powerhouse of Nepal during the Rana-era (and now). She was extremely famous for her dancing and singing skills, which caught the eye of the Maharajah. She was employed as a maid for her aforementioned characters, of which she made full use to impress her master. During those times, a favourite maid of the Maharajah would receive a vast fortune in the form of jewels. So, it was desired by every maid to become a "favourite".

So, why did Melawa Devi decide to depart from this "jewel" mine? It turned out, later, that she had an affair with Bhagatkrishna "Ustad", who sang classical songs in the palace and was equally popular in the palace. After obtaining the Maharajah's permission to leave the duty, she started living with the Ustad and married him. On hearing this, the Maharajah became furious and fired the Ustad from the job and banned him from appearing anywhere near Singha Durbar. Melawa Devi later became an eminent singer in Nepal.

Postal Stamp issued in the name of Melawa Devi. Source: www.delcampe.net