Gopal Gurung

Gopal Gurung (गोपाल गुरुङ) (7 December 1939 – 10 June 2016 ) was a politician, author, journalist, teacher and vocal advocate of the human rights for the indigenous people of Nepal.

Gurung was the editor-in-chief of New Light and Thunderbolt weekly newspapers for many years.

He was a former member of the Central Committee of the Nepal Journalists Association, former Secretary General of the World Nepalese Association and Chairman of the All India Press Council for Nepal, as well as a consultant and coordinator for the Press Foundation of Asia (PFA), Manila, Philippines.

Gurung was one of the first writers to discuss ethnic discrimination.

Gurung was born to politician Tej Bahadur Gurung and Kumari Gurung, on 7 December 1939, in Mahanadi, Darjeeling.

Gurung's involvement in politics came out of his childhood exposure to political activities, and his experiences as a teacher, writer and journalist.

He first encountered politics through his father, Tej Bahadur Gurung, who became politically active upon retiring from the British Army, like many ex-servicemen.

Gurung came to Nepal and began teaching in 1952 in Ilam district, at the age of 17.

There were few schools in Nepal at that time, and he founded a small elementary school, holding classes in an old goat pen.

Later, he served as assistant headmaster and headmaster of two schools in Jhapa district and, in 1964, he taught school for one year in the British army camp in the town of Dharan.

He began publishing and serving as the editor-in-chief of a Nepali language newspaper, called New Light, from Kathmandu in 1967.

The villagers of Darjeeling had completed their primary education from Pathshala Mahanadi and secondary level education from Pushparani Roy Mem H S School, Darjeeling.

After the Second World War, when his father left the military service and got involved in politics, the other siblings of the family also became upset.

My father started a small living job, which was also snatched away on the charge of being a communist.

After that, father entered Nepal to overthrow the Rana regime.

Gurung had only heard that his grandfather Kulman Gurung lived in Ranitar in Panchthar district of eastern Nepal.

Therefore, it was his dream to see the Motherland.

He began writing about it in 1972 in the Nepali Newspaper New Light and later published an influential book on the topic, Hidden Facts in Nepalese Politics.

Gurung, founding president of the Mongol National Organisation, was a pioneer democratic republican figure of Nepal.

Even during the Panchayat era, Gurung, a self-described anti-current figure, had stood in favour of federal republic.

The then government had jailed Gurung for Hidden Facts in Nepalese Politics.

Though banned in Nepal, the book became quite popular in Sikkim and Darjeeling.

Gopal Gurung, the author of this book, was arrested by the Panchayat government on 30 August 1988 (just after the publication of the second edition in 1988), based on the charge of racial discrimination against the Hindu rulers and politicians.

He was arrested under the two State Offence Acts at the time, and was sent to the Bhadragol central jail for three years without any adequate charge sheet.

In the jail there was no separate cell for the political prisoners and he had to share the room with other criminals.

On 1 January 1989, he established his political organization Mongol National Organisation along with its own flag and manifesto.

During his stay in jail he was not sound in health, and any prolonged confinement in the unhealthy atmosphere at the jail would have badly deteriorated his physical condition.

But luckily after the abrogation of the Panchayat system, a multiparty system came into existence and people became free from the bondage of the autocratic Panchayat government.

Consequently, Gurung and many other political prisoners were released unconditionally.

Gurung was released on 13 April 1990.

Gurung entered Nepal in 2008 to fulfil his dream of setting foot in Motherland.

He came to Ilam, in the far east of Nepal, to spread the light of education.

He started teaching in Kolbung by setting up a school.

Gurung, who started his journey in Nepal in this way, went to the remote areas of Jhapa's Gauriganj, Dharan Depot, Kathmandu and West Parbat Rakhu and became involved in the teaching profession for some time.

Struggling in this way, Gurung, who matriculated from West Bengal Board of Secondary Education in 2016, also learned Bengali.

Gurung, who has since become fluent in Nepali, Hindi, English and Bengali, also received military training.

Gurung, who could not study comfortably, had to struggle to get an education.

He came from Tribhuvan University in 2024 BS and completed his studies up to B.A. from Saraswati Multiple Campus.

After hard work and some financial resources, he passed the private examination in Political Science from Tribhuvan University and completed his formal studies up to a master's degree.

Gurung has been a vocal advocate of the human rights for the indigenous people of Nepal.