Memoirs of Timila Yami Thapa

 

Memoirs of Timila Yami Thapa  

My background 

My story in IIT-Kanpur is linked to my parental background, their constant involvement in the freedom struggle against the tyrannical Ranas, the Nepalese social taboos against the higher education of women and my father’s wish for me to get involved in the upliftment of the Nepalese people. The only beacon I had was my mother’s dying wish that we should be highly educated before getting involved in any Nepalese politics. It was the year of 1970 A.D.  Two elder siblings of my parents were studying away in India for Medical and Engineering degrees while my four little younger sisters and I were staying with my critically ill mother whose failing health condition left me no choice but to assume the role of taking care of my younger siblings as part of my Buddha-Dharma.

 

My mother was a true example of "a strong mother, a dedicated wife and a role model for the society." She single-handedly raised seven children in all, participated with her husband in his political struggle and looked after a spouse who spent a huge amount of energy to mobilize the citizens of Nepal for the relevant cause of political and social transformations.

 

During the democratic movement of the A. D. 1940s in Nepal, a large number of freedom fighters were kept without due process in jails, and many were tortured. Four of the bravest among them became martyrs: Ganga Lal, Dasha Rath Chand, Dharma Bhakta Mathema and Shukra Raj Shastri were executed publicly in 1997 BS (1941 AD ). My father Dharma Ratna Yami with three others were imprisoned for eighteen years jail sentence with their properties were impounded.

 

My father devoted his life for the social upliftment of Nepalese society and continued with his earnest passion in writing books. He was a lot more than a deputy Forest Minister for a period of nine months. My father was always busy travelling abroad to India and Nepal, fostering Buddhism, political and social transformation by delivering powerful public speeches and fighting against the autocratic Ranas. He had little time left for family, and spent more time languishing in the Rana’s dreaded prisons, and planning with his political colleagues. He used to be known as a powerful speaker in regional countries and Nepal. Our house called "Yami Chhen" was known in the town as a house with famous visitors including famous personalities of India like Dr. Ambedkar, the famous writer Mr. Dharamvir Bharati, Maha Pandit Rahul Sanskrityayan, the well-known Indian freedom fighter and artist Upendra Maharathi from Patna.

 

My mother stayed brave through her last days. However, leaving behind seven children at a young age was heart breaking for her. As she became critically ill and realized that her days were numbered, she started worrying a lot because my father had no experience of caring about his family. During the last three years of her life, she shared all her worries with me. My mother perished in 1970, the year I joined IIT-Kanpur, at the young age of forty-eight from cardiac valve problems and chronic asthma. After she passed away, the family and the finance were in disarray, and we seven children were literally orphaned including my father.

 

Parental Disagreements & Social Taboos

 

My father wanted me to take up training in news report writing and reading so that I could become a news announcer in Radio Nepal. He was aggravated by the news of my enrollment at IIT-Kanpur for an engineering degree. We children were not of the age during those days to understand my father’s political devotions and aspirations. My mother had different views about our future. She advised us to focus on building a  good technical career that would be meaningful for the nation’s future, and then serve the nation by entering into politics in the later part of life. However, she was also of the strong opinion that all her children should diligently participate in the political mainstream as well.

 

The cultural mindset in Nepal was very different at that time. The Rana-British autocracy ended in 1951. Under the Rana-British rule, between 1846 and 1951, access to education was confined to the higher castes and wealthier economic few stratum of the population; the Ranas were opposed to giving education to the masses. The general public used to be frightened to express their wish for getting educated even after 1951. Rana’s ban on education had set in a harsh social norm stagnating women’s growth, and degraded their status in the society. Early childhood marriage had become a norm.

 

We come from a Newari (Newah) community (traders) settled in Kathmandu Valley. From my own maternal side, my aunts had no schooling all their lives. One of my mother's first cousins got married when she was just six years old and another at the age of nine. I was surrounded by relatives telling me not to leave the country at a young and vulnerable age. Some insisted on my marriage prior to attending IIT-Kanpur.  None of them had traveled out of Kathmandu Valley. Almost all of them didn't have any formal education. There was no formal  academic institution for medical and engineering education in Nepal. Hence, they were unaware of what I was going to study. They confused me a lot. However, I continued with my firm resolution. I faithfully followed my mother’s resolve as a beacon.

 

My father’s grandfather, Ratna Das Tuladhar,  was one of the rich category of traders with flourishing business in Kathmandu valley and in Tibet. It used to be the trend in those days of people being looted by rulers (Ranas ) the wealth of people who had flourishing business. His wealth was looted by the ruler Chandra Shamsher Junga Bahadur Rana. The four sons and three daughters of Ratna Das had to struggle hard to recover the wealth.  Two respectable ladies from my father’s side had higher degrees before us.  However, due to higher education then socially accepted norms, they remained unmarried until they decided to take the nuptial affairs in their hands.

 

My father’s first cousin Champa Tuladhar , daughter of 4th son  Harkha Das  of Ratna Das,   continued studying in India for higher education in spite of familial and social pressures to get married. She completed her Ph. D. degree from the United Kingdom, a sheer rarity in those times. She married a Scottish national because her parents objected to her getting married outside the caste within the Nepalese community. The youngest son of Harkha Das is Dr. Madan Das who is the first person to do Ph. D in Pharmacology from the United Kingdom. One of my father's cousin’s daughters ( Ratna Das’s elder daughter’s daughter ), Keshari Laxmi Tuladhar   , earned her Ph. D. degree from the United Kingdom in 1962, the first lady to Ph. D in the history of Nepal.  She got married to a boy who came from outside our caste (Manadhar family). The popular literary figure in Nepal Bhasa – my father’s  first cousin Mr. Chittadhar Hridaya  had raised Keshari because his sister passed away leaving behind one year old Keshari daughter. Even such a literary personality refused to accept the boy from Manadhar family for a longer period of time. Inter-caste marriage used to be a sensitive issue then. It was my father who went ahead welcoming this marriage despite objections from our community members. All the conservative relatives tried discouraging my father by advising him not to allow her to enter our house because they explained to my father that she would pollute the minds of my father's growing six daughters and would be encouraging the trend breaking the strict norms of society against inter-cast marriage. 

 

The marriages of two highly educated ladies in our family sent out shock-waves among our conservative Newari community. Weddings outside our caste used to be a big shame during those days; nobody was permitted to tie the nuptial knots with a groom or a bride belonging to a different caste.  This norm had to be observed by all the citizens. The rest of our cousins were forced to marry young, mostly after high school, because of these norm-breaking marriages. 

Ratna Das’s eldest daughter (Beti Laxmi )'s second daughter Moti Laxmi Upashikha,  younger sister of Chttadhar Hridaya , popular literary figure,  was a first woman writer in Nepal in the Newah community.   She, a well known writer,  was the one who persuaded  me to get married before joining IIT K because she was so worried that I would face similar fate like Chapa and Keshari.

Lots of Irritating New Things in India

I was so amazed to take a ride in the train and the plane for the first time in my life during my first journey to IIT-Kanpur. Postal delays and lack of telephonic connections from sweet home used to frustrate me a lot. We had no telephones during those days at home to communicate. Letters through land postal services used to reach home with a lot of delay of a month from Kanpur. I came from an air-conditioned city, and had never used a fan. I saw "Fan" for the first time in my life in IIT K. At night I could not sleep because of the high temperature. I used to find it very irritating to sleep under a noisy ceiling fan in the hostel dormitory. It was such an experience during my first entry into India entering IIT K coming from such a different cultural and very conservative background of Nepal in 1970.   I came from a family who eat nonveg. every day. "NO NON VEG"  being served in GH mess these days!!  OMG !! .

More than my studies I was busy with my youngest sister Hisila with lot of adjustment issues. The warden of the hostel initially refused to keep a small girl in adult hostel. The Central school also refused to admit her. I never knew that I  had to face such great crisis in a new country, new place ( heat was too much !!) surrounded ( 400 boys and only two girls in the class ) by brilliant cream students of India. I had to bunk many classes to sort out issues of Hisila in central school. After lot of persuasion I  managed to admit her in that school in class seven. After lot of persuasion girls hostel warden Mrs. Nanada allowed her to stay for five years (New building of GH had many rooms vacant ) till she cleared class eleven.

 

Early Years in IIT-Kanpur, My Grief and My Burden

 

I  joined IIT-Kanpur in 1970, literally orphaned without much parental support, full of resolve to fulfill my mother’s dying wish to get an engineering degree. I was the first female student to go for an Electronic  Engineering degree to India  in the history of Nepal. I consider it lucky that I was selected to be in the top ranked  Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT K) – an autonomous prestigious engineering and technology-oriented institute of higher education established and declared as Institute of National Importance by the Parliament of India,  and educated with the best students of India.

 

During the first semester at IIT Kanpur, the shock of my mother's death and the plight of my younger sisters haunted me. I was always preoccupied with the memory of my dear mother and her desire to part good higher education to her daughters. I used to receive melancholic letters from my younger sisters, and used to spend my time writing letters to each of them during my heavy academic schedules at IIT-Kanpur. I continuously grieved about the loss of my mother and worried about my four younger sisters. I silently wept in the hostel at night, and grieved inside the classrooms. Every time I read a letter written by one of my younger sisters stating their misery, I thought about leaving IIT-Kanpur.

 

My Batch mates and I

 

My batch had 410 boys and only two girls: Vini and I. I was very shy and apprehensive of the boys due to my cultural upbringing.  They tried to communicate with me, but in vain. They soon  realized that I was not approachable until very late. Some of my batch mates still introduce me to their spouses as the girl who never talked to them. I was in grief, had to handle my younger sisters' problems, and had to be doing well in academics at the same time competing with the best in India.  My class had a large number of regional toppers from India.  It was a very rough time for me.

 

I never shared my problems with my other batchmates. Vini Nigam from Kanpur City was the only batchmate I communicated with during the first year. However, she used to be in a different study-section. She would often find me grieving about the loss of my mother and worrying about my younger sisters. She felt very bad to see my misery and pain. On a few occasions, she even advised me to go back home rather than cry bitterly. Savita Gupta, a Ph. D student, advised me to bring Hisila for enrolling in Central school so that I would have less tension.

 

Instead of studying hard for my courses, I used to spend most of my time teaching Hisila, my youngest baby-sister who I managed to get admitted to the IITK Central School, so that she could catch up in her class. I also used to spend a lot of time communicating with the remaining younger sisters at home through postal letters.

 

It was towards the end of the program that I learned to trust my batchmates. I started repenting for not having shared my problems with my batchmates who surely would have helped me with my ongoing stress, coping with the tough academic environment, and managing the responsibility of bringing up my younger sisters.

 

Girls Hostel and Social Norms

 

The interesting thing I observed in the girls’ hostel was that the warden Mrs. Nanda got very worried about the safety of the girls when the boys entered the visitors’ room. She introduced rules restricting the boys hanging around the hostel-compound. I hardly understood her restrictions knowing that girls worked in the research laboratories and spent late hours in the library. Besides, we had All India Cultural Programs organized by the Student Gymkhana in which large numbers of colleges from India participated.  It is my conjecture that these restrictions were not to protect the girls but to satisfy the anxious Indian parents who allowed the girls away to be studying with the boys for the first time in their lives. Like Nepal, Indian society also had misgivings about pre-marital association of girls and boys.  I recall that many parents were outraged after a couple of media coverage regarding the boys being allowed to hang around in the girls’ hostel premises; many conservative mothers got very scared of this news.

 

Another problem IIT-Kanpur girls faced was their general acceptance in the traditional society. One girl student who completed her M. Tech. told me that her parents had a tough time looking for a boy for her marriage, and the boy's family asked her parents for a larger dowry because she was over qualified and had limited choices. Those days, industries also used to discourage recruiting of girls in an engineering field.

 

Competing with the Nation’s Best

 

I was enrolled in the Electrical Engineering (specializing in Electronic Engineering) Program of IIT-Kanpur that was considered to be the top engineering program of the nation, and attracted the best students and top rank holders of the All India Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). They were like "little kings" of little princely states (toppers of schools). I often used to see some of the proud parents occupying the guest house and taking a tour of the campus. 

 

I faced a very difficult situation continuously managing the double burden at such a tender age. However, I had no other choice, but to carry this inevitable burden. I was also very apprehensive then. Had I messed up in my responsibilities, I would have landed nowhere, and nobody could have saved me. Had I fetched help from my youthful batchmates, my life probably would have been less stressful.

 

Each of my batchmates, being toppers in their respective schools, lived in a magical world of their own. Some of them got the shock of their lives after getting test-scores lower than their peer group at IIT-Kanpur. The burden to prove oneself was very heavy and not without peril. Many good students lose confidence in a tough competitive environment. I used to witness daily some students losing hope and interest in life at such a youthful age. It is still painful to remember some of the brilliant students losing interest in life too. I witnessed five Suicides during my stay in that campus. I also saw large numbers of students who got transformed because of the blend of a highly competitive academic environment and extra-curricular activities.

 

The faculty members of a top institute of the nation had very high expectations from the students, and grading was very harsh; relative grading among the top students of the nation made life even more difficult. However, most of the faculty members, although very strict in the academic matter, were very helpful and nurtured students to unleash the maximum latent potential in every student in the campus. This was a place where students and teachers were equally enthusiastic to share a happy moment together outside the class.

 

The best part of IIT-Kanpur was to be with its professors who always ensured that the potential of each and every individual student was well unleashed. They all used to be with the students in the playgrounds and various students' clubs after class-hours. The students were very focused in studies, yet excelled in the extra-curricular activities. This creative environment not only transformed my life but also helped my sister Hisila in an all-round development.

 

Looking after my younger Sisters at IIT-Kanpur

 

After completing the first semester at IIT-Kanpur, I came home to spend my vacation. My elder sister Dharma Devi (medical student) and my brother Vidhan Ratna (engineering student) were also studying in India. However, the condition of my younger sisters was pathetic.  I decided to take my youngest sister Hisila (Hisila Yami) to Kanpur. She had just completed grade six from a girls’ school in Kathmandu. My relatives back in Nepal were very critical of my decision. With a lot of difficulty, I managed to admit her in grade seven at Central School in IIT-Kanpur. I am so thankful to Professor Narsimha Rao (Chemistry department at IIT-Kanpur) for his special effort to allow Hisila to study at Central School. He was on the Board of Members of that school, and was able to influence the board to help us at the time of sheer need.

 

The principal of Central School initially refused to admit Hisila in a section instructing in English medium; Hisila was enrolled in a section with Hindi medium of instruction. This situation put me into a lot of stress with sleepless nights. I was not sure that I would be able to keep her in that school, and the Hindi medium of instruction would make her life complicated if she had to go back to her old school in Nepal. I begged the school administration to allow her to sit in the English medium section.  However, the school-principal refused to change the section. Hisila realized the extent of the problem, and worked very hard to pick up English. I used to write the required few dialogues in English. Hisila used to learn them by heart and speak them out in class without any fear. She would boldly request the teachers to repeat everything that was taught in Hindi, once again in English. She gave an impression to the teachers that she had good knowledge of English, and lacked the knowledge of Hindi. Her teachers finally complained to the principal, and requested him to shift Hisila into the English medium section. The principal finally yielded. Still, Hisila had to take one compulsory course of Hindi subject which made the situation worse.

It was indeed a very challenging period for her. She made it though. The transition from instructions in Nepali language in a local school in Kathmandu to instructions in English was really tough for Hisila. With some encouragement and effort, however, Hisila flourished and excelled in academics, sports and cultural activities.  She was a quick learner and used every opportunity she got. She used to be selected as one of the best athletes in her school, and she was successful in bringing sports awards in all India Junior Sports Competitions held in different states of India. Hisila’s hard work, boldness and excellent all-round performance really saved me from packing my bags for good.

The warden of IIT-Kanpur girls’ hostel refused to provide a room for Hisila because children were not allowed in the adults’ hostel. I never knew that I would run into so many serious problems which disturbed my studies a lot. After a lot of persuasion, I managed to get permission for Hisila to stay in that hostel. It was indeed a miracle. Luckily, there were plenty of empty rooms available during those days in our hostel. She soon became the darling of the girls’ hostel and learnt everything the girls had to teach her. It was a real turning point for our lives.

Hisila was good in sports and travelled  to every All India Junior Student Tournaments. She brought many shields and awards for the school. I was horrified, and used to  protest in front of the school administration, begging them not to take my sister on sports-trips out of town telling them that "MY SISTER WILL BE STOLEN." She also received a games scholarship in that school.

 

I am very grateful to the girls at IITK for loving and caring for Hisila. They called her their "darling little sweet bubbly girl." Some of the girls were very good in sports, music and other extra-curricular activities, and participated in Inter-IIT sports competitions. Hisila enjoyed playing with them. Those girls enjoyed developing Hisila in extra-curricular activities of their interests. She literally grew up dancing, singing and playing musical instruments in that seminary.

 

Vasundhara Choudhary, enjoyed teaching her Sitar (an oriental musical instrument). Other girls taught her Bharat Natyam and Kathak dances. Some taught her Hindi songs. Sandhya Deo taught her table tennis. Kalpana Mehta used to take Hisila to the boys’ hostel to watch various sports competitions.  Professional coaches of IIT-Kanpur enjoyed teaching Hisila many sports, and appreciated the knack she had in picking up sports and excelling in them.  

Some of the girls of my hostel used to invite Hisila and I to spend time with their families during short holidays when it was not feasible to go back to Kathmandu. During those visits, I used to observe the aged grandmothers of my friends, some of them in the mid-eighties, reading the “Times of India” and other magazines. I used to get shocked to see the level of education of grandmas in India during those days. Suddenly, the educational gap in Nepal created by Rana’s  regime became so apparent to me. During my holiday back home I began exploring the education background of grand aunts and other senior citizens of the capital of Nepal.  Instead of telling me about their academic background they told me a horror story of moving out of the house wearing good clothes. An enlightened patriotism was punished by the ruling Ranas as they felt threatened by it. As the Ranas were holding absolute power over the country and exploiting the resources mainly for their own benefit, the people they could trust were those who were exclusively loyal to them alone. Anyone with a concern for the society at large and to the future of the country had to be the enemy of the Ranas, so they singled out, punished, jailed and executed anyone who fought for people’s welfare on the pretext that it was high treason.

 

During my later years, my other two younger sisters, Kayo and Nhuchhe Shova  spent months each at the Girl’s Hostel preparing for their examinations. Nhuchhe Shova had a tough time preparing for B.Sc. examination because her in-laws wanted her to discontinue studying. She was five months pregnant too.  Kayo came to prepare for the All India Entrance Examination for a Ph.D. program in IARI, New Delhi. 

 

IIT Kanpur: A Portal of Transformation for Our Whole Family

A single educational institution like IIT Kanpur became a transformative space not just for one individual, but for an entire generation of siblings shaped by the political and educational struggles of Nepal. My brother Vidhan Ratna Yami visited IIT Kanpur twice. Each time, it was a profound and eye-opening experience for him. Coming from the constrained and politically fragile educational environment of Nepal, IIT Kanpur felt like stepping into an entirely different world — one where science, freedom of thought, and opportunity flourished. My elder sister, Dharma Devi, a newly graduated medical doctor, also came to IIT Kanpur. She and her husband spent their honeymoon week at the guest house inside the IIT campus. For her too, the environment — the facilities, the intellectual energy, the openness of the academic atmosphere — left a lasting impression. It redefined what higher education could look like, especially for women.

One of my younger sisters, Chirika Shova, was pursuing her MSc at Tribhuvan University (TU)  in Kathmandu when she came to India with her classmates on an academic tour  too visited IIT Kanpur. Seeing where I studied, the kind of academic and cultural exposure available, left a deep impact on her as well. It allowed her to understand what academic excellence outside the walls of TU could look like.

In the end, all seven children of my parents — Heera Devi Yami and Dharma Ratna Yami — came into contact with IIT Kanpur, either as students or visitors. For each of us, in our own way, the encounter with IIT K transformed us. It wasn’t just the education or the infrastructure — it was the freedom, the access, the exposure, the human dignity the place seemed to offer. It broadened our minds, raised our expectations, and helped us see a world far bigger than the one we had been conditioned into under Nepal’s oppressive systems.

IIT Kanpur, in that sense, was not just my academic institution, it became a portal — a shared turning point in our family’s collective consciousness. It revealed to us what had been denied to generations of Nepalis by regimes like the Ranas: access to quality education in academics, and the dignity of independent thought. We were never the same again.
 

Six daughters and a mother’s revolution

My mother Heera Devi Yami’s incredible foresight and courage, but also the structural oppression women faced—and still often face—around education, health, and autonomy. My mother’s strength and the painful complexities  was followed by her untimely death. In those days, having six daughters in a single household was considered a curse. People constantly whispered about the burden of marrying off so many girls—the costs, the shame, the “failure” to produce sons. My mother, Heera Devi Yami, had to endure not just physical hardships, but also verbal abuse from conservative relatives and neighbors each time she gave birth to a daughter. There was immense social pressure to marry girls off early—often before the age of 14—especially in families with multiple daughters. But my mother defied this toxic norm. She boldly rejected early marriage proposals, placing education above all else. At that time, Nepal had no access to family planning, and my mother’s fragile health only worsened with each pregnancy. Yet she pressed on, committed to raising seven children with dignity, courage, and vision. When my mother passed away at just 48, it was a catastrophe for our family—not just emotionally, but structurally. My father, a veteran writer and fiery political thinker, had little understanding of how to run a household. Our relatives, especially from mother's side, were all very traditionally minded. Education was banned for the general public in Nepal till 1950. They had no knowledge about the value of education. Most of them used to put pressure on us for early marriage. They were worried  that we daughters would have difficulty getting married off if not married off at early age,

My father was passionate, even brilliant, but emotionally unequipped for the daily labor of raising children. My mother had protected him from domestic and financial stress throughout their life together, believing a creative mind needed freedom from mundane tensions. Foreseeing what might come, she had quietly taken measures. She added rental rooms to our home to generate income—not just for daily survival but to keep the door to education open for her children, even after her death. My mother had made sure that my father didn't suffer from financial tension in her absence. She added extra rooms for rent for collecting additional rent of rooms to meet total expenses which included daily feeding large numbers of visitors to my father. Our living room always used to be filled with writers, frustrated politicians and social workers and used to be like a mini party palace. She also ignored spending on her last days of critical health treatment expenses. Health workers used to warn her regarding critical health conditions. She used to be very worried that after her death our education would be stopped due to shortage of resources. My mother's passing away was a big disaster.  After my mother passed away my father engaged his first cousins and aunts ( mini mothers ) to run our household affairs. Our relatives, especially from mother's side, were all very traditionally minded and used to put pressure on us for early marriage. This used to be the most irritating issue every time I visited home during my vacation days at IITK. My father passed away five years after my mother’s death.

My father was a very angry (sanki) politician, mostly never understood what confusion we seven children were going through with the fragile critical health of our mother. He had no clues about how to run the household, including financial matters. My mother knew how we seven children including my father would suffer after her death because my father knew nothing about family affairs. One of my father's first cousin Lani Devi Nini used call my father as "eighth child (emotionally immature when it came to looking after household affairs) of wife Heera Devi" . My mother had always pampered him and never wanted to give him tension about financial matters including raising the children. She knew that a creative writer should be free from all the tension. She ignored her own critical health needs to make sure her children wouldn’t drop out of school. Health workers warned her repeatedly, but she brushed aside her pain, consumed with one fear: that after her death, our education would be cut short. She also worried about my father. After her passing, my father—political preoccupations—brought in his aunts and cousins (our “mini mothers”) to manage household affairs. Most of them were from traditional, conservative backgrounds and lacked any understanding of the value of education. Their priority was to get us daughters married off quickly. These tensions came to dominate our home. Every time I returned from IIT Kanpur for vacation, I was bombarded with pressure and arguments about why we needed to marry soon. I had to fight to protect my younger sisters’ right to continue schooling.

Despite everything, my mother had a dream. She wanted her seven children to become seven role models—each able to challenge outdated social norms and become agents of transformation. She never lived long enough to see that vision unfold, but she had already planted it in our young minds. It was only later, through her friends and through our own reflections, that we began to realize what she had truly envisioned for us. The environment at IIT Kanpur helped us understand her dream even more clearly. It gave us a world far from the suffocating norms of our home, a space that validated our hunger for learning, our desire to serve society, and our drive to prove that daughters, too, can carry the dreams of a nation. Our journey was one of extraordinary hardship and resilience. Pursuing higher education wasn’t just a personal goal—it was an act of rebellion, of honoring a mother who had quietly waged her own revolution in a deeply patriarchal world. Still, not all of us could escape the weight of tradition. Despite our efforts, two of my younger sisters were married off into conservative families before completing their studies. It broke my heart. It felt like a betrayal of everything our mother had fought for, a reversal of her lifelong effort to shield us from precisely that fate. It happened while I was still at IIT Kanpur—when I was too far and too young to stop it.

My immediate younger sister Nhuchhe Shova, who later became Campus Chief of IOE Thapathali under Tribhuvan University, faced a lot of difficulties being married to a family who believed in traditional thinking affecting her academics during B. Sc. program. I had to bring her to IIT K to prepare for her final examination. She was pregnant then. I arranged for a teacher Mr. Sareen from the Physics department for her tuition. She went back to Nepal and delivered a baby just before her final examination and cleared the degree also. Dr. Kayo, ex- chairperson of Lok Seva (Public service commission) was a skinny one mostly with fragile health problem during her early days. Because of the depressive environment in the house I shifted her to IIT Kanpur. I made her go through research practices at IARI New Delhi in between. At G. hostel of IIT Kanpur I made her prepare for all India competitive examinations for Ph. D degree at IARI New Delhi and she succeeded. These were very critical moments in our lives which were life changing moments making us even stronger to face any challenges and adversities in our lives.The ground realities of the then society and the hurdles, struggles and difficulties a family and specially six daughters in it had to go through for obtaining higher education was really challenging.

 

IIT Kanpur: A Shelter, A Struggle, A Silent Revolution

When I entered IIT Kanpur in the early 1970s, it wasn’t just to pursue higher education—it was to carry the broken, burdened dreams of an entire family into one of the most elite institutions in India.Established with support from MIT and nine top-ranking U.S. universities, IIT Kanpur had become a hub for India’s finest minds. Competing among them was hard enough. Doing so while carrying the emotional and logistical weight of raising my younger sisters, grieving my mother, navigating poverty, and holding a fractured household together—that was beyond what anyone could imagine.

Most of my batchmates came from highly educated, privileged families. I came from a home shattered by loss, where my mother had passed away too soon, and my father—a writer and politician—was emotionally unprepared to raise seven children. I hardly spoke to anyone in my batch. There was no vocabulary back then to express the trauma I was carrying. Only a few hostel mates ever knew. Despite receiving a scholarship, it didn’t cover everything. Twice, I was granted special permission to work part-time in the library—a rare exception, because scholarship students weren’t normally allowed to earn. That kindness from the administration was silent but powerful. They may not have said much, but they recognized the pain I was hiding and gave me the dignity of survival.

There were only 32 girls in the hostel with 64 rooms. No inclusion policies existed back then. But somehow, through objections and institutional hurdles, I managed to accommodate my younger sister Hisila  Yami in my room for five years. Stringent hostel rules, strict wardens, and an unfriendly director made it nearly impossible—but I always believed in silent miracles. With quiet  mind I raised her there like a daughter. Hisila would go on to become an architect, a political leader, and the author of “Hisila: From Revolutionary to First Lady.” published by Penguin  in her book, she writes about those IITK years as the golden period of her life. And I believe it’s true—because those were also the years when we transformed our pain into purpose. My elder sister, a medical doctor, even celebrated her honeymoon at the IIT Kanpur guest house. Another sister, who later retired as Dean of Science at Tribhuvan University, visited with her classmates during their student tour. My brother, who later served as a senior engineer and tragically passed after the 2015 earthquake, visited twice. We all took shelter there, one by one, like displaced birds finding a nest in a storm.

Even during the 2000 alumni reunion, I brought my daughter to show her the place my first home because for me, IIT Kanpur was never my second home. It was my first. To this day, my sisters and I often recall those days—the tears, the laughter, the fights with the warden, the warmth of professors who didn’t need to say much to show they cared. And through it all, I always felt one presence hovering above us:

Our mother:

Her soul watching quietly over the skies of IIT Kanpur, proud that her daughters were learning to solve problems not just in science labs, but in life.

Financial Burden and Hardships

After my mother’s saddening demise, the family went through very difficult financial times. Despite my scholarship, I was always short of cash. We bought clothes from shops selling inexpensive materials. My mother had instilled in us to stay simple and never crave for ornaments and good clothes unlike our community people who take pride in wearing expensive ornaments. We six daughters carried on with that mentoring even after her death. Thus, “simple living, high thinking” is still in our thoughts.

My worst days at IIT-Kanpur were when the hostel warden abused me in front of some of my classmates in the campus corridor when I couldn’t pay the mess-bill for four months (partial payments) in a row.  Had I to go through this financial crisis while managing a heavy educational load, competing with the nation’s best, and the burden of raising my younger sisters!

My mother had brilliantly planned well before her death regarding a possible financial crisis in the family. She had extended more rooms in the building for renting more flats  in order to have more income to sustain the family so that my father remained free from financial burden after her death. However, he was not hard wired that way. Any financial deals and complexities he would ask relatives to handle and dissociated with money matter making life complex for us. This is the part we could not understand about my father those days - maybe the first stage of Buddhism. This is the typical case I suppose of how wives  and children suffer in the hands of such intellectual personalities, especially those who also have passion for writing and rebuilding the nation.  For example Yeshodha begged Buddha to understand the feelings of her son when he refused to allow his son to enter in the "SANGH" directly and told him to come through the decision of the "SANGH". During those moments how Rahul would have thought about the father?. It may be a similar feeling we child carried.  Why didn't my father focus more on seven children after mother's death? Was it right? Maybe he was caught up between a choice of reforming the society, reconstructing the nation or choosing to take charge of the role of mother for seven children. Understanding the ideology between my mother and father I, at that young age, got influenced more by my mother as per typical culture of Nepalese society. I was always mother's daughter rather than father's daughter. My mother's role model influenced me more in my life all the time. Instead of focusing on family responsibilities he devoted all his energy to give vision to the society. We were too young to understand all these details during those early days of our lives. 

 

Every time I came home during holidays from IIT Kanpur I found my father with the crowd in the living room as usual.  I wanted to convince him to start focusing on working to meet the family expenses, however I used to be too terrified speaking to him on such a sensitive matter. I would come back to Kanpur and wished to write to him, however, I felt scared to write and didn't want to hurt his feelings. I am grateful to IIT-Kanpur for allowing me to work part time in the IIT-Kanpur library when I had an acute shortage of money. My father continued feeding his friends, including frustrated politicians and writers every day without bothering about growing children facing so many financial constraints.

 

I am also very grateful to Professor T. R. Vishwanathan for offering me a reliable job after graduating from the B. Tech. program from the Electrical Engineering Department for a tenure of three years in a research project sponsored by the Department of Electronics (DOE) under the Government of India at IIT-Kanpur. This became a continuous source of income that helped me sponsor Hisila’s architecture program at the Delhi School of Planning & Architecture (SPA), until she managed to get a scholarship of her own. It helped me to support my sister, Kayo’s PhD program at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), popularly known as Pusa Institute, New Delhi,   financially until she  managed to get a scholarship of her own].  It also helped my two sisters Kayo and Nhuchhe  Shova for their brief stay at IIT-Kanpur. These two sisters were undergoing tough times in Kathmandu. After I became free from any financial burden, I left IIT-Kanpur for good.

 

Inspiring Persons during IIT-Kanpur Stay

 

I came to know many faculty families through Hisila's friends. This included Meera Parasnis, wife of Professor Arawind Parasnis of the Physics Department.  Her son was Hisila's classmate. I had gone to borrow children's books in English at her flat so that Hisila could pick up English. I was overwhelmed with her compassion. Her nature resembled my mother’s. Knowing and being with her was like finding my own mother once again in my life. Meera Parasnis was indeed a motherly figure though in a different nation.

 

I appreciated the role of Counseling Services of IIT-Kanpur. My student counselor Professor Raghubir Sharan and his wife Raka Sharan used to give us lovely food while mentoring the students. My student guide Neeru Mohan, a final year student, helped me in minimizing the gaps of English standard of Nepal and IIT-Kanpur.

 

One of my father's aunts, Maya Nini Aji, had dedicated all her life to Buddhism. She was living at Saranath,  Kushinagar. She used to be very worried about my personal safety in Kanpur. Once, she sent a Buddhist monk (Mr. Chandra Mani )  from Kushinagar to check out whereabouts and  safety measures at IIT Kanpur. A Buddhist monk from Kanpur used to come all the way to our hostel to invite me for different programs.

 

Environment and My Personal Growth

 

My batchmates excelled both in studies and in extra-curricular activities. The teachers and learning methods were really good. The faculty members gave an environment for the students to excel in the flying club, the electronics club, the dramatic club, the music club, the sports club and the photography club etc.

 

This was a place where students organized the national-level students’ festivals spanning technology, arts and sports, primarily on their own (with the help from administration of course), inviting participants and popular personalities from all over India and abroad. This was the place which gave the students opportunities through experiential learning, taught us the responsibility that came together with freedom, and made us learn this by experiencing the consequences of our actions.  I still cherish its outcome even after such a long time.

 

One of the lessons I learnt from my IIT-Kanpur days is, that in one's life, any disaster can happen, and we should learn to go through without fear in mind. The more responsibility one takes, more the person grows with diverse perspectives, and learns to respect different view-points. One should never complain about being constrained due to limited resources. I had so many limitations compared to my batchmates. I could have easily given up.  However, everything worked out well. I emerged mature and full of resolve after this challenge. This was how my mother used to mentor us. Mothers indeed are great motivators for their children.

 

The Memorable Day – My Father’s Visit to IIT-Kanpur and a missed lecture

 

One of the most unforgettable moments of my IIT-Kanpur journey came in 1975, during a period when I was recovering from a repeated relapse of typhoid. My father—already a well-known scholar, writer, and political thinker in Nepal—came to visit me.

I remember taking him around the campus and walking him into one of our iconic lecture halls—L-7. As we stood inside the large, echoing empty room, he looked around thoughtfully and then turned to me and asked, “Why do you even attend classes? I never went to any classroom in my life, and I’ve authored over twenty popular books. You’re supposed to learn by yourself—not depend on teachers.” He said it with sincerity, with the pride of a man who had defied an education system that had been closed to the public in Nepal until 1950 for general mass. For someone like him, self-learning was not a choice—it was a rebellion, a necessity, and a source of creative power.

 

At the time, I didn’t quite grasp the full meaning of his words. I was neck-deep in a technically intense engineering program. He never appreciated my engineering program.  He felt sad that I didn't take up the journalism course. I hadn’t yet understood the world he came from—or his quiet resistance through learning and writing. Then he said something unexpected: “Can you call your classmates and professors? I’d like to give a lecture here.” He meant in that very room—L-7. I froze. I didn’t know how to respond. Would they relate to a Nepali writer and political activist? Would his ideas resonate with this elite academic community? I was unsure, unprepared, and unaware of how guest lectures were arranged. So, I didn’t inform anyone.

Now, decades later, I wish I had. If I had gathered the courage and asked for help, my father could have delivered one of his legendary five-hour talks—on self-learning, political and social transformation, on Buddhism and consciousness. Perhaps he could have left behind a spark in those minds trained in logic and technology, a spark that could bridge disciplines and nations.

 

That missed opportunity has stayed with me—not as regret, but as a reminder of the multiple forms of education we carry, the voices we sometimes silence, and the generational wisdom we must never take for granted. Dharma Ratna Yami – A Life-Learned Scholar. My father, Dharma Ratna Yami, never stepped into a formal classroom. He never wore a school uniform, never sat for board exams, never held a degree. But life? Life was his university.

He went through imprisonment, exile, poverty, and political persecution. But instead of breaking under that weight, he did something extraordinary — he turned every pain, every adversity, into part of a curriculum of his own making. Where others saw suffering, he saw lessons. Where others saw silence, he wrote books — books that became household names across Nepal. He built his education out of resistance. His textbooks were real life. His degree was earned in the struggle for dignity, knowledge, and justice. That is why, even though he never had a formal education, he was one of the most literate minds and influential writers of his time. He proved that education is not only what we receive in school — it’s what we extract from life.

A Home of Ideas and History

My father was a  truly remarkable examples of how wisdom, courage, and impact don’t require formal credentials — just vision, conviction, and unshakable resilience. One of his famous books The book Reply from Tibet is an extraordinary testament to my father Dharma Ratna Yami’s intellect and activism — to have written it from jail, and to have it translated into multiple languages, shows how far his voice has traveled despite every effort to suppress it.

Our home was not just a shelter — it was a sanctuary for thinkers, revolutionaries, and visionaries from across South Asia. Pandit Rahul Sankrityayan, the great Indian literary figure and champion of social reform, visited and stayed in our home three times. His deep scholarship, fearless rejection of orthodoxy, and connection to the people left a lasting impression. Even more unforgettable was the presence of Dr. Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution and a towering leader of the Dalit movement. He stayed in our home   two months before he passed away in 1956. His conversations with my father, Dharma Ratna Yami, resonated with shared values — of justice, equality, and the power of education to liberate the oppressed.

Mr. Dharamvir Bharati, the renowned Indian Hindi poet, playwright, and editor of Dharamyug magazine, was a frequent visitor to our home. He often came to meet my father, Dharma Ratna Yami, drawn by his sharp intellect, fearless political voice, and deep engagement with Buddhism and social reform. Their exchanges spanned literature, politics and the complex transformation of South Asia in the post-colonial period. I now realize how significant those visits were — our home hosted some of the subcontinent’s most critical thinkers of the time.

Looking back, I realize we were living at the crossroads of history and revolution, of intellect and resistance. The very walls of our home carried the echoes of debates, dreams, and doctrines that were shaping the future of the region. “When giants visited our home — we didn’t just host guests. We hosted history.”

  

My Greatest Sorrow

 

My greatest sorrow was not being able to understand my father at that age. I was not of the age to understand and appreciate the magnitude of his contributions to society. I often used to wonder during those days why my father was not quitting all his activities and concentrating on solving family problems when seven growing children needed him most. Three years before my mother's death, I was busy looking after my ailing mother when she was battling for her life. During that period, trying to take care of my mother was my top priority rather than understanding the lofty ideals and social dedication of my father. I used to feel very bitter about his negligence in looking after my ailing mother before her death.

 

The worst day  was receiving a disastrous telex about my father's death two months after he visited me in the year 1975 A. D.  The news arrived just before the end-semester examination. My father was only sixty years old. Hisila and I had never heard of my father having any health problems.  We both couldn't believe the passing away of my father. My mind refused to function. I wept bitterly and was totally heart broken. I decided to forget about the final examination, and was ready to leave for Nepal to attend his funeral.

 

Meera Parasnis, my dearest aunt, took immediate control of the situation and convinced me to carry on with my academic program. She begged me not to go to Nepal, damaging the end-semester examinations. Had she not been there, I would have vanished with the funeral of my father in Nepal. For me, IIT-Kanpur was not only for academics,  it was also for finding people like Meera Parasnis who saved me from such a drastic emotional action. Her loving memories  haunt me throughout my life indeed.

 

We had a very hard time getting out of the shock of losing my dear father so abruptly.  Hearing from close friends of parents discussing the pathetic situation of my father after my mother’s death, I felt really sad. Those days I could hardly understand and analyze the situation my father must have been facing in the sheer absence of my mother. I realized this only after my father's untimely demise. My father was completely devoted to a cause greater than himself — the fight for democracy, justice, and equality. That cause became his lifelong companion. He sacrificed everything for it: comfort, stability, and even the chance to live a normal family life. My mother, Heera Devi Yami, stood by him through it all. Her silent strength carried the weight of his struggle. In supporting that cause, she neglected her own health, her own needs. She passed away before her time at young age  — a martyr to a revolution. 

 

In the reading-room of the girls' hostel, there was a magazine with an article on the sudden death of my father written by Mr. Brahmanand Mishra, editor of “Dharma Yug”,  “Times of India”.  The article described how my father used to be invited as a chief guest in several programs of Dr. Ambedkar in India. This article woke me up to the social contributions and the impact of my father’s work.

 

Every time I traveled to IIT-Kanpur from Patna, my father's dearest friend late Upendra Maharathijee and his daughter Gopa used to drop Hisila and I at the Patna Railway Station - a major junction in Bihar, India. At his residence, I used to meet many freedom fighters of India. They used to praise my father, and would always mention that my father was a powerful speaker (Hindi) who could speak non-stop for three to four hours in front of a huge audience with pin-drop silence during different programs in India. My father had delivered powerful speeches in Buddhism, literature, and his vision on social and political transformation both in Nepal and India. Upendra Maharathijee told me that Jay Prakash Narayan was remembering my father a few days before his death.

 

IIT-Kanpur student life made me focus totally into the technical area under a highly competitive environment and gave me less time to think and understand about my father's activities. During the holiday period, I hardly had a chance to be with my father to understand what he was engaged in. He used to be always pre-occupied with the routine schedules and surrounded by the press people, politicians and sufferers of the freedom struggle, writers and social workers whenever I went home during the summer vacation. All those engagements gave him little time for his own beloved children. Hence, during our learning period at Kanpur, Hisila and I were literally cut off from my father. This sudden death gave us a colossal shock indeed.

 

My Greatest Lament

 

Today, after 47 years, my greatest lamentation is my inability to respect the friendly gestures of my batchmates during my IIT-Kanpur stay. I feel embarrassed to recall my aloofness and silence. It was indeed a real tough life for me at such a tender age. Overall, this tough life made me mature faster to handle the future.

 

A batchmate called Pulin Kinkhabwala, settled in Chicago, USA, introduced me to his son while he visited Kathmandu in the year 2017 saying "This is Timila and I am speaking to her for the first time in my life" as if I was "an untouchable or an alien from some other planet" during the IIT-Kanpur days of my life. This showed how cut off I was from the batchmates during the student-life at IIT-Kanpur. This used to be a similar scenario when some of my batchmates introduced me to their spouses during the batch-reunion. However, I am so happy that the social media has brought all of us together once again. It was a mood of reconciliation.

My Greatest Satisfaction

I feel satisfied to see that my mother’s wish about the future of seven children is finally fulfilled. During the three years of my mother, she had poured all her worries about the future of her seven children into my head.  Finally, all of us managed to get excellent education and have contributed in our own way to the social cause of Nepalese society.  From a family of freedom fighters, we also became a family of well-educated professionals who have contributed to the social cause as my mother would profess.

 

I was in Philips of Holland for a year where researchers were aware of the potential of IIT-Kanpur. I used to tell them that there are other good things too along with academics of IIT-Kanpur. At my rigorous research-intensive master’s degree program at De Montfort University, Leicestershire, United Kingdom, I missed the crowd of IIT-Kanpur in that environment.

 

Among my sisters, my elder sister Dharma, Kayo and Hisila had inter-caste marriage despite social resistance.  The maximum resistance came in Hisila’s marriage who chose to marry Dr. Babu Ram Bhattrai – a boy from a rural peasant family.  I married (intercast marriage) last after all the sisters got married and settled down in their life.

 

I wish my mother had lived longer to witness how her nurturing helped in shaping the lives of her dear children. I can never forget the last days of her life with so much tears pouring down her eyes, praying hard for her seven children. Those tears also used to haunt me in the class rooms of IIT-Kanpur. Sometimes I used to feel like screaming, recalling tears of my dearest mother saying " mother! Mother! Don't worry! Some of your children are growing up under the strict academic environment of IIT Kanpur which is also best equipped to make us realize the importance of Freedom, Independence, Autonomy, and Responsibility".  Before her death, she would tell us "study hard...no one will be able to steal your educational qualifications. People may steal wealth and jewelry, but not knowledge."

 

My Contributions to Nepalese Society

 

After getting trained in competing with 410 boys at IIT-Kanpur, I entered the male dominated society of Nepal. With my academics from IITK I was very keen to fulfill my desire to fulfill my mother’s vision of fighting against the traditional conservative social norms and bringing political and social transformation. I contributed for social causes, women upliftment, child-education, technical education and policy decision making at the national level.  True to IIT colors, I also became an entrepreneur, and started an IT company “Designco Nepal” 1991. 

 

A Woman’s Journey in Male-Dominated Corridors

For much of my professional life in Nepal, I found myself as the only woman in rooms where important decisions were being made — often isolated, often unheard. Whether it was within government ministries, regulatory councils, or academic leadership — the absence of women in top positions was not just visible, it was deafening. I was alone as a female most of the time while serving in the various important positions. Handling these responsible roles dominated by the male members was not easy for me.

What troubled me most was the pattern I observed — informal evening sessions, mostly male-only, where key decisions were shaped before the formal meetings even began the next day. As a woman, I was neither invited nor welcomed in those spaces. I had to prepare harder, speak louder, and navigate strategically just to make sure that my voice was not drowned out by silence. These experiences didn’t break me — they sharpened my resolve. I realized how male-dominated workplaces not only exclude women — they also lose out on empathy, accountability, and balance in decision-making. Especially in public service sectors where vulnerabilities are handled better by women — from disaster response to community health, from education to ethical governance. This is why I strongly advocate for a robust policy of inclusion — not tokenism, but active positioning of women in leadership, where they have resources, authority, and respect. Because true development is not just building infrastructure — it is about building inclusive institutions.

 

From IIT Kanpur to Nation-Building in Nepal

IIT Kanpur didn’t just sharpen my engineering skills — it ignited a fire in me to transform Nepal’s educational landscape. When I returned home, I faced a technical education system in its infancy. Tribhuvan University’s engineering faculty, established in 1972, only offered a three-year overseer program when I joined as faculty in 1979.

The late Dean Kul Ratna Tuladhar, the first Dean of Institute of Engineering (IOE) under Tribhuvan University, once confided me that international academic institutions had approached Nepal in the 1960s to build engineering institutes modeled after IITs. Shockingly, the Royal Palace had rejected the offer, fearing that access to such quality education would threaten the regime’s longevity. This revelation (1979) , combined with the legacy of the Rana-era ban on public education for the "general public" for a hundred and four years ( from 1846 A.D.  until 1951 A.D ) and this news about the attitude of the Royal palace on quality education really boiled my blood., deeply angered me — and strengthened my resolve.

While British India had established the Thomson College of Civil Engineering in 1847 (now IIT Roorkee), Nepal remained neglected. But we persisted. With tireless advocacy and planning, Nepal’s first civil engineering degree program finally launched in 1992. I took pride in helping initiate other engineering programs, including the first-ever Computer Engineering program in Nepal in 1998 at IOE Pulchowk, where I was the only professor with an IT degree at the time.

A New Horizon: Global Exposure and Higher Learning

Pursuing a higher degree at De Montfort University, UK added a transformative new dimension to my life. My one-year professional experience in the Philips, Netherlands—in the heart of Europe’s innovation hub—empowered me in ways that went far beyond the classroom.

At De Montfort University, I was exposed to advanced pedagogical methods, interdisciplinary collaboration, and research ecosystems in IT field that connected academia with industry and policy. The experience helped me further understand how engineering, innovation, and ethical leadership could be harnessed to tackle real-world challenges like climate change, disaster resilience, and digital inclusion—issues so relevant for Nepal to develop IT industry. The Dutch system emphasized open access to knowledge, practical application of theory and strong university-government-industry linkages. It reaffirmed my conviction that education is not merely about degrees—it is a transformative force to build resilient, equitable societies.

This international exposure, built on the foundation laid at IIT Kanpur, shaped my mission even more clearly to build institutional capacity in Nepal so that future generations. Through resource scarcity and administrative roadblocks, I worked as both educator and system-builder.

I feel proud that I too played a key role in initiating engineering education in Nepal and influenced in initiating Bachelor, Master’s and Ph.D. Programs at the Institute of Engineering (IOE) under Tribhuvan University in cooperation with the resource sharing and faculty upgrade program of IIT-Kanpur. I made a special effort in initiating a Computer Engineering program for the first time in the history of Nepal at IOE Pulchowk in the year 1998. In that department, I was the only professor with an IT degree then, and struggled hard with a lot of resource constraints to support the human resource back up for the IT industry in Nepal 

I worked as a Professor and Assistant Dean, managing 14 engineering colleges (4 state-run, 10 affiliated), Curriculum developer and Senate member, Pokhara University, Member, University Grants Commission (UGC) Academic Council and Advisor, IT Council under the Prime Minister, Government of Nepal.

During my tenure at Tribhuvan University, I saw the gender gap first hand in engineering sector. I really used to feel the absence of female candidates in my classes, pressurized for quota system for girls and succeeded in opening the first girls’ hostel at IOE, Pulchowk for female Engineering students. I used to go around conversing with families to encourage their daughters to get into the technical stream.

 

  

Standing with the People - Following the Tradition of My Parents

 

My Mother – A Brave Role Model

My mother, Heera Devi , was the first woman in the history of Nepal who delivered public speeches to a big audience which had only men during the political revolution to overthrow the Rana Regime. She was the first woman in the history of Nepal who led a procession and was arrested with a one-month old child in her lap in 1947 A. D. This news was published in several newspapers in India. Her life was truly remarkable examples of how wisdom, courage, and impact don’t require formal credentials — just vision, conviction, and unshakable resilience. My mother’s bravery, especially her imprisonment in 1947 — and the fact that her arrest was censored in Nepal but covered in Indian newspapers — speaks volumes about both the risks she took and the silencing of women’s political resistance in that era.

She bravely managed to look after all the freedom fighters in the hideouts. Among the revolutionary men’s groups, she used to be the only woman during all the riskiest times of the people’s movement. She was the first woman who started teaching children, collecting children in the hideouts facing all the risks of getting arrested in the interior core areas of Kathmandu Valley during the 1940s A.D. She also used to be a single lady in the crowd of men who braved against the aristocratic rule of the Rana Regime to fight for the rights  of citizens including the education system for the general public.  She did it when women were not even allowed to peep out from the window for fear of being whisked away by the merciless rulers.

My mother Heera Devi Yami is remembered as an initiator of STEM education. She advocated strongly on promoting STEM education among the guardians and school children in the history of Nepal in 1950s and 1960s. Her exposure to the Gandhi movement on overthrowing the British from India seems to have made her realise the importance of STEM education for human capital development. While in India around the 1940s she had  researched the need of technical education for nation building. Education was banned in Nepal during those days. She was the first person to keep the record of "WALK THE TALK" by sending all six daughters and other children of Nepalese society in STEM areas in the 1960s.

 

We six sisters always celebrate "Girls in international ICT day" under the theme  “Leadership“, to underscore the critical need for strong female role models in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Heera Devi Yami was the First Lady to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ) education in Nepal in the 1960s. She invested in instilling Science education on seven siblings in the 1960s and the outcome was following: She is an example in countries and her six daughters are also good role models.

Our voice on challenges and opportunities matters in the age of AI!  The obstacles and incentives in other families’ educational journey, with the aim to break down barriers and promote gender equality in and through STEM field (think biology, engineering, computer, earth & health sciences, information technology, mathematics, physics++) should be encouraged from disadvantaged groups. Celebrating families through story telling can make a world of difference and shape the future of STEM together!

 

Profiles of her seven children of Late Heera Devi Yami and Late Dharma Ratna Yami.
My mother was ahead of her time. Unfortunately she didn’t live to see the outcome of her dream.

1) Dr. Dharma Devi Rajbhandari
(Yami) : Board Certified Radiation Oncologist in USA

2) Late Vidhan Ratna Yami : Civil Engineer, Saha Sachiv, first class, Ministry of Physical Planning and Works

3) Prof. Timila Yami Thapa : Er. / IT specialist, Ex-Ast. Dean, IOE, Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University; Ex - Chairperson , Board of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanipani Limited (KUKL ) ; Chairperson of DHMA, Ex-Chairperson WARN and
IETE ; Advisor of WARN; Executive member, Retired Nepal Pradhyapak Sangh; Advisor, Women’s committee of Nepal Engineering Association (NEA) ; Service Chair of Rotary Club of Mount Everest, Lalitpur ;
Vice president, women’s committee Bagmati & member Bigya Committee, socialist party of Nepal

4) Associate Prof. Nhuchhe Shova Yami Tuladhar: Mathematics, IOE , Pulchowk Campus ; Ex-Campus Chief , Thapathapli Engineering college , Tribhuvan University

5) Prof. Chirika Shova Tamrakar : Chemistry, Ex Dean of Institute of Science and Technology ; Ex Campus Chief of Padma Kanya Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University

6) Dr. Kayo Devi Yami : Microbiologist ; former chief scientific officer of Nepal Academy of Science and Technology ; former chairperson of Public Service Commission of Nepal.

7) Hisila Yami : Architect,
Master in International Housing Science;
Ex Lecturer in Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk
; Senior Vice- President of Socialist Party of Nepal;
Ex- Minister of Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation, Ministry of Land Reform and Management

 

STEAM Education as Legacy and Mission: Collaboration between the Yami Family and IIT Kanpur

STEAM education is not just a career path for us — it is a family legacy rooted in resistance, vision, and nation-building. Our mother, Heera Devi Yami, was Nepal’s first female public speaker during the anti-Rana revolution, and the first woman to organize underground education movements during a time when women were forbidden even from looking out the window. She risked her life to teach children in secret and to shelter revolutionaries — all while advocating passionately for technical and scientific education as the foundation for a just and modern society. She believed — even in the 1940s — that the liberation of our people was not complete without the empowerment of women through science, engineering, and technology.

Inspired by her, all seven siblings in our family — six daughters and one son — pursued careers in STEM fields, overcoming cultural, political, and gender-based barriers. Our academic and professional journeys, many of which were connected to IIT Kanpur, were shaped by this legacy of purpose. IIT Kanpur — a beacon of excellence in scientific education — played a pivotal role in our transformation. It became a nurturing ground not just for one of us, but for our entire family. Its values — of inclusion, innovation, and public service — mirror our mother’s dream. Today, we carry her vision forward. We believe the Yami Family and IIT Kanpur can come together to advance a shared mission:

Promoting STEAM Education in Rural Nepal and India

Together, we can launch community-based STEAM outreach programs for girls in rural districts developing teacher training and digital learning toolkits rooted in local languages and cultures supporting first-generation STEAM learners through mentorship and scholarship pipelines and also creating heritage storytelling modules linking historical women like Heera Devi Yami to modern STEAM journeys, to inspire youth building a cross-border collaboration model in science education, innovation, and leadership. We see this partnership as an opportunity to honor our past — and shape a future where no girl is left behind in science, no rural student lacks access to opportunity, and education becomes a true equalizer in our region.

I wish I could invite IIT Kanpur to join hands with us, in memory of a courageous woman our mother Heera Devi Yami who dared to teach science under tyranny — and in honor of every rural girl who dreams of doing the same.

 

Women and the Society

 

A gender-mixed board at the key decision-making places certainly has a better understanding of the consumer preferences of households, particularly in sectors where the women make many of the spending decisions and in the public-sector service institutions which affects women the most. Academic research has demonstrated that having women on a board improves the performance on corporate and social governance metrics for companies with a weak governance. Women have been shown to be generally more risk-aversive than men. There are many possible reasons why the full participation of women on boards could contribute to a stronger performance.

 

Men are respected as decision-makers more than women, especially in the work-places, largely because of the prevalent cultural belief that women are incapable of making smart choices at work. During the earthquake disaster period, one of the learning lessons  was that women can make better decisions during the riskiest disaster times. Women are at the frontline of disaster impact and response due to their nurturing role in looking after children, elders and community members. Yet they are often excluded from decision-making in the immediate and long-term recovery efforts during earthquakes and landslides.  Women need to be at the front and center in any decision-making and action. I felt so much about their need while I was involved in the 2015 earthquake rescue operation and relief services.  Women should come forward, and learn to lead, especially at times of crisis. The earthquake was a more difficult moment for us; but in difficulties, women have always proven things turn out better when they take the lead.

 

Resilience, perseverance and tenacity - what all these words have in common is that they gave me a sense of deep inner-strength. It gives us power to: deal with difficult situations; give their all to an idea or a goal; and dedicate everything they have in taking care of their family. It is this strength that gives us courage to fight injustice. It is this perceived strength one must have to overcome life’s challenges.

 

 

2015 Earthquake brought IITK Family Back to Me

 

After the earthquake of Nepal 2015, I am very grateful to the IIT-Kanpur batchmates, the past faculty members like Prof. Viswanathan, Prof. R Sharan and the IIT-Kanpur community have taken a serious concern about my safety. I do recall some of the key people from Pan-IIT also communicated with me during the great disaster. I would like to thank all of them for their concern during such a critical period of the mega-quake that shook Nepal, and grazed Kathmandu Valley.

 

I was amazed to observe, during and after the 2015 Nepal earthquake, on  how both my parents were still alive in the hearts of the citizens of Nepal. We  came across a large crowd of elderly people during this earthquake disaster who told us how my both parents helped in strengthening individuals and communities in the wake of a natural disaster, political freedom movements. They told us about their contributions  during the crisis period of people's lives which included working with the most vulnerable members of a community while strengthening the community as a whole. I used social media to reach the vulnerable groups during the earthquake, however, I discovered that my parents  were deeply connected in their hearts with  people far more during their times than other politicians and social workers of those days although they had  so many resource constraints.

In the rubles of the damaged house  after earthquake  we discovered collection of letters  of my father who had written to my elder sister while she was still in the medical college in India in 1975 after my mother’s death. Reading those letters  we siblings broke down and went speechless for many days. In one of the letters he described " you seven children became motherless, I lost the best companion, a very supportive wife and a best mother". I had always repented leaving behind letters including my father's which I had nicely preserved in my hostel room of IIT K GH. Some articles written by my father's friends in Smriiti Grantha book too had described the pathetic condition of my father after the loss of my mother.

 

This earthquake disaster also helped me in re-establishing old connections including the IIT K community. Facebook, Group mails and other social media brought us back together, helping us to reflect our past student days. Reunions like the Silver Jubilee, the 40th Reunion, etc. are certainly helping us in connecting with our past and helping us share experiences of natural disasters like the earthquake, landslides including our professional experiences etc.

 

Keeping the Torch Burning

To honor the lifelong sacrifices of my beloved parents — Dharma Ratna Yami and Heera Devi Yami — who devoted themselves to establishing democracy and justice in Nepal, we siblings came together to carry forward their mission.

We founded the Dharma Heera Memorial Academy (DHMA) — not just as a tribute, but as a living institution to empower future generations. DHMA is a social organization rooted in Women’s upliftment, child education, minority empowerment and youth and women’s skill development. Our work especially focuses on equipping marginalized communities with the tools and confidence to thrive in a democratic society — through training, awareness programs, and hands-on support.

When the devastating earthquake struck Nepal in 2015, DHMA quickly mobilized to deliver relief, rescue, and recovery support to affected communities. In parallel, I personally contributed through the Nepal Mandal Relief Committee, coordinating urgent supplies and support to areas with minimal government presence. These moments reaffirmed our commitment: service is our inheritance, and social justice is our compass. Our parents lit the torch of freedom — and it’s now our responsibility to keep it burning. Through DHMA, we aim to transform pain into purpose, memory into movement, and grief into growth. We invite like-minded institutions, especially in the field of STEM, education, gender equity, and heritage preservation, to join hands with DHMA — in Nepal and beyond.

Relationship between IIT Kanpur and Nepal

Foundation and Growth:
• IIT Kanpur and IOE Pulchowk (under Tribhuvan University, Nepal) have had a formal
partnership since 2003, renewed multiple times through Memoranda of Understanding
(MoUs).
• The MoU framework includes student and faculty exchanges, joint research, graduate
admissions, workshops, and collaborative projects.
Current Status (as of 2025):
• Latest MoU signed in 2021, valid for 5 years (till 2026).
• 10 students per year from IOE Pulchowk eligible for semester exchange, short-term
projects, or MTech/PhD admission at IITK.
• Areas of focus: aerospace, robotics, disaster tech, energy, and AI.
• Several IOE students have undertaken short-term internships or research roles at IITK
since 2021.
Impact:
• Direct access for Nepalese students to advanced labs and academic mentorship at IITK.
• Exposure to Indian R&D systems and integration into international research communities.
• Growing alumni base of IOE graduates at IITs contributing to cross-border knowledge
exchange.

2. Probable Future Collaborations

Academic and Research:
• Co-supervised PhD programs between IITK and IOE.
• Establishment of a Joint Centre of Excellence on UAVs and Disaster Resilience.
• Collaborative research projects on climate, remote sensing, and hydropower using
drone and AI-based monitoring systems.
Innovation & Incubation:
• Satellite Startup Exchange between SIDBI Innovation & Incubation Centre (SIIC, IITK)
and Nepal’s startup hubs like Incubation, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Center.
• Hackathons and joint tech challenges for South Asia (Indo-Nepal-Sri Lanka-Bangladesh
cooperation).

Capacity Building:
• Online/offline faculty development programs, pedagogy workshops, and lab-training for
Nepalese institutions.
• Jointly developed engineering MOOCs (NPTEL–MOE Nepal collaboration).

Projects That Could Be Run Through the Embassies

Indo-Nepal STEM Bridge - Outreach programs by IITK for schools
and colleges in Nepal (aerospace,
robotics, AI)

Nepal-India Disaster Response Lab - Joint simulations and tech deployments for landslides, floods, UAV-based SAR

Indo-Nepal Research Fellowship - Annual research visit grants for Nepalese students and faculty to Indian
IITs

Heritage-Tech Digitization of Indo-Nepal shared- heritage sites (AI + AR/VR)

Joint Youth Innovation Program - Bi-national student exchange and entrepreneurship mentoring

India and Nepal share open educational borders, with thousands of Nepali students enrolling annually in Indian institutions (mostly through ICCR, SAARC quotas, or direct
entry).

Indo-Nepal academic collaboration can act as a model for broader SAARC-level cooperation, focusing on:
o Cross-border disaster risk reduction
o Shared energy and water resources research
o Innovation for mountain ecosystems
o SAARC Youth Tech Summits and Digital University Networks

 

Unleashing the Collective Power of Pan-IIT Women for Global Development

As a proud alumna of IIT-Kanpur, I believe that the Pan-IIT Alumni Association and the Pan-IIT India network hold immense untapped potential—especially when it comes to mobilizing women alumni to contribute meaningfully to the world’s most pressing challenges.

These two associations together can provide a strong, unified platform to elevate the voices, experiences, and expertise of female IIT graduates who have proven time and again that they can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with men in fields as demanding as engineering, technology, governance, and disaster management.

All Pan-IIT members, especially female alumni, should come forward and share their life journeys, innovations, and lessons learned, to illuminate and inspire global societies. These stories are not just personal victories—they are testimonies of resilience and transformation that the world needs.

 

Cross-Border Synergies: Nepal and India as Natural Partners

Consider, for instance, the water and disaster management sectors. The nature of problems—ranging from climate-induced water scarcity to inefficient resource regulation—is remarkably similar in India and Nepal. Women professionals and alumni from both countries can collaborate to develop regulatory instruments, management structures, and monitoring tools that are locally grounded but globally informed. This includes Co-developing permit systems and clearly defined water rights like establishing technology-driven waste control mechanisms, setting discharge standards and pollution thresholds, leveraging AI, geospatial mapping, and drone technology for disaster response, ensuring community participation through sensitization, education, and inclusive consultation. Women leaders, when empowered through technical and institutional platforms, play transformative roles in resource governance, disaster response, and policy innovation.

Pan-IIT for Resilient Futures

Pan-IIT’s strengths—intellectual capital, professional networks, and institutional credibility—could be channeled to create joint Indo-Nepal platforms for action-oriented research, policy reform, capacity building, and startup incubation in STEM-based sectors. I would be honored to serve as an interface between Nepal and the Pan-IIT ecosystem, facilitating knowledge exchange, collaborative innovation, and co-investment in areas that uplift communities and protect the planet. Let us turn the shared legacy of IIT into a force that redefines what inclusive, ethical, and human-centered innovation can achieve—across borders, across sectors, and across generations.

Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Rasuwa Gadhi: A Wake-Up Call

Nepal recently witnessed a GLOF incident in Rasuwa Gadhi, a border area with China, caused by the breach of a glacier lake on the Chinese side of the Himalayas. The floodwaters surged across the border into Nepal, damaging roads, hydropower infrastructure, and endangering local settlements. This incident highlights the transboundary nature of climate disasters in the Himalayan region — where the actions or environmental shifts in one country have immediate consequences for neighboring nations.

What is a GLOF?

A Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) is a sudden, destructive flood caused by the failure of a natural dam — usually made of ice or loose debris — that holds a glacial lake. When the dam bursts, it unleashes massive volumes of water downstream within minutes or hours, sweeping away anything in its path.

Why It Matters for Nepal and the Region

Rasuwa, Manang, Mustang, and Solukhumbu are among Nepal’s highest-risk GLOF zones. Climate change is accelerating glacier melt, enlarging glacial lakes, and increasing dam instability. Most high-altitude lakes are unmonitored or under-monitored, with inadequate early warning systems. Nepal lacks cross-border disaster response protocols with China, despite shared watersheds.

 

What Needs to Be Done – A Pan-IIT & Regional Tech Response

As a member of the IIT-Kanpur alumni network, and a long-time promoter of AI and STEM. education in Nepal, I propose a multi-pronged response Real-time Monitoring, Deploy satellites, drones, and IoT sensors to monitor glacial lakes and ice dynamics in high-risk. zones like Rasuwa. AI-Driven Early Warning, Develop and deploy AI-based GLOF prediction systems, integrating hydrological, meteorological, and glacial data for real-time alerts. Cross-Border Collaboration of Nepal, China, and India need shared protocols for glacier monitoring, disaster alerts, and humanitarian response. Technical institutes like IITs and Nepal’s NAST, IOE, and Tribhuvan University should co-develop regional Himalayan disaster frameworks.

‍STEAM & Climate Resilience Education

Build school-level curricula in high-risk zones that prepare students — especially girls — with climate science, critical thinking, and AI ethics to lead future resilience efforts.  Urgent Policy Ask Nepal must declare GLOF zones as climate emergency regions, Establish a Pan-IIT–Nepal AI for Disaster Resilience Task Force prioritizing transboundary environmental diplomacy

Rasuwa District in Nepal, home to the Langtang Himalaya range, is one of the country’s most climate-vulnerable zones. In recent years, communities in this region have witnessed accelerated glacier melting, increased frequency of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), and disrupted mountain water systems—posing grave risks to lives, livelihoods, and the fragile mountain ecosystem.

Why Rasuwa Matters

The Langtang Glacier is receding rapidly—more than 30 meters per year in some areas. Melting glaciers feed unstable glacial lakes, increasing the likelihood of sudden catastrophic floods, such as the 2015 Langtang Valley avalanche and GLOF triggered by the earthquake. Agricultural cycles, water supply, and biodiversity in Rasuwa are already being disrupted. These are not isolated incidents but part of a larger Himalayan climate crisis that affects Nepal, India, Bhutan, and China—the entire Third Pole region.

Why Pan-IIT and Tech Communities Must Step In

This is not just a climate issue—it’s a human security and resilience challenge. We urgently need data-driven, AI-powered, and community-sensitive approaches to understand and mitigate glacier-related risks. As an IIT-Kanpur alumna and STEM educator, I urge the Pan-IIT Alumni Network, especially its women leaders, to mobilize expertise in Remote sensing, satellite imaging, drone-based monitoring, AI-based modeling for early-warning systems, Cross-border Himalayan environmental research, Policy engagement to shape science-informed climate adaptation and Women-led climate tech startups and community resilience training

Nepal urgently needs technical partnerships with global alumni associations like Pan-IIT, UNESCO Women in STEM programs, and regional science bodies to deploy ethical, context-aware technologies in places like Rasuwa.

Women in STEAM: Leading Climate Resilience

Women from Himalayan communities are the first responders and last defenders of natural resources. They carry the knowledge of local ecosystems and are deeply affected by water scarcity and disasters. By empowering women with STEAM education, digital tools, and participation in disaster-tech governance, we prepare the region not only to adapt but also to innovate.

Let’s convene a Pan-IIT Indo-Nepal Working Group on Glacier Monitoring & Climate Tech, AI for Himalayan Resilience and STEAM Education for Girls in High-Risk Areas like Rasuwa Together, we can transform crisis into cooperation and melting glaciers into catalysts for collective action.

Modern technology, especially when coupled with AI, can make a significant contribution to disaster management. Aided further with technologies like drones, sensors and geospatial mapping, which can collect valuable real-time data, machine learning algorithms can help us with the optimal deployment of limited rescue resources. The post-disaster reconnaissance, identification and prioritization of affected areas, real-time tracking of individuals, etc. can all be feasible. Nepal needs to share the strengths of  Pan-IIT to explore and implement such ventures together. I wish to interface for such a cause to share experiences and help both the countries.

 

My Heartfelt Thanks to IIT-Kanpur Days

 

I am very grateful to the administration of IIT-Kanpur for having given permission to offer space for five years in the girls’ hostel for Hisila despite having the IIT-Kanpur regulation of not allowing children to stay in that hostel. I was so lucky to be in an environment at IIT-Kanpur where IITs of India gave the best to the cream students of the nation. The best part that happened to me, as I perceive, is to have the visionary political leaders in India who thought about establishing such elite institutes, and the sacrifices the highly paid professors made. Many left foreign universities and lucrative jobs to build elite institutes which produced the next generation of national and international leaders.

 

I must say the best period of my life was the time I spent at IIT-Kanpur. Those years were very difficult, tough and trying because of a highly competitive academic environment. However, that environment transformed me completely. The peer group was very superb. Hisila always says "IIT-Kanpur days were the golden period of my life." I too have a very special place in my heart for IIT-Kanpur. Since the rest of my sisters had been to IIT K also, we all continued to enjoy talking about memorable moments of the campus environment during our get togethers. My days were life shaping. I learnt the art of analysis and assimilation of knowledge. That was a place where some teachers could be real mentors whom you could confide in, even your deepest insecurities. We had so much freedom in our campus without having the fear of being judged, curbs, restrictions and rules. I firmly believe that the deep relationships I have with my IIT-Kanpur friends, especially the Girls’ Hostel friends and the faculty members are because we had no urban affairs to be influenced by in order to distract us from being together in the campus. For the students of IIT-Kanpur, this had created a sheer difference compared to the other elite academic Institutions of India which had closer access to the city centers.

 

The reunions gave me this opportunity to be back and socialize more, helping me discover what I missed during the IIT-Kanpur student days, especially the fun part. I do recall Prof. Usha Kumar asking the boys in the class "Why is there so little interaction between the boys and the girls in IIT-Kanpur?". I suppose because of the typical Indian and Nepalese culture that has a taboo against the association of boys and girls and the  way the girls were brought up in the societies during those days and the segregation that starts in childhood. This probably was the similar case with the other IIT-Kanpur girls of those days.

My profile 

I was educated in the Indian Institute of Technology ( B. Tech. Electronic Engineering( 1975 batch), Kanpur, India and M.Sc. from  De Montfort University, Leicestershire, UK 1995 in Information Technology with specialization in Systems Engineering. I also underwent one year of training on Systems and Communication Infrastructure at Philips, Holland sponsored by UNDP. My service to Nepal is a unique combination of a national-level policy planner, a pioneering educator in Information Technology and Computer Engineering, an industrial administrator, an entrepreneur and a social reformer working for upliftment of women, child-education and youth employment.  I pioneered and initiated new educational programs in Nepal. My efforts to improve technological infrastructure culminated in the first ever Computer Engineering program in the history of Nepal at the Institute of Engineering under Tribhuvan University, which became the foundation of current growth in engineering and technology in Nepal.

 

Pioneering Contribution in ICT sector

 

Considering the political situation and the state of education in 1979, it required significant effort and persuasion of higher administration and ministers to invest in the technological future of Nepal. As a national-level policy planner, I worked for one year as a Member of the ICT Advisory Board under the Prime-minister's office.  As an educational policy planner, I served as a member of the Academic council and the Research Council under   University Grant Commission, Nepal.  I also worked as a governing member of the Nepal Engineering Council for three years. I also served for three years as an advisory board member of Rural Telecommunication Fund Board, Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA).

 

Experience: Combination of policy makers , innovator, entrepreneur,  and social activist

More than 40 years in ICT

Professor Timila Yami Thapa was educated in Indian Institute of Technology ( B. Tech. Electronic Engineering( 1975 batch), Kanpur, India and M.Sc. from  De Montfort University, Leicestershire, UK 1995 in Information Technology with specialization in Systems Engineering. I also underwent one year of training on Systems and Communication Infrastructure at Philips, Holland sponsored by UNDP. Her service to Nepal is a unique combination of a national-level policy planner, a pioneering educator in Information Technology and Computer Engineering, an industrial administrator, an entrepreneur and a social reformer working for upliftment of women, child-education and youth employment.  I pioneered and initiated new educational programs in Nepal. Her efforts to improve technological infrastructure culminated in the  first ever Computer Engineering program in the history of Nepal at Institute of Engineering under Tribhuvan University, which became the foundation of current growth in engineering and technology in Nepal.

 

Pioneering Contribution in ICT sector

Story

Considering the political situation and the state of education in 1979, it required significant effort and persuasion of higher administration and ministers to invest in the technological future of Nepal. As a national-level policy planner, I worked for one year as a Member of the ICT Advisory Board under the Prime-minister's office.  As an educational policy planner, I served as a member of the Academic council and the Research Council under   University Grant Commission, Nepal.  I also worked as a governing member of the Nepal Engineering Council for three years. I also served for three years as an advisory board member of Rural Telecommunication Fund Board, Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA). From 1996-08, I was also in charge of looking after promoting the software industry in the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) where I worked as an executive board member (1996- 1998 ). I am currently also serving as an Immediate Past President, IETE (Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, India), Nepal chapter. I have also contributed to policy level decisions on formulating strategies for IT parks.

I have served Nepal through a unique combination of being a national-level policy planner, a pioneering educator in the area of information technology and computer engineering, an industrial administrator, an entrepreneur, and a social reformer working for the upliftment of women, child-education and youth employment. I have pioneered and initiated new educational programmes since 1979. My efforts to improve technological infrastructure culminated into the first-ever Computer Engineering programme in the history of Nepal at the Institute of Engineering under Tribhuvan University.

As a national-level policy planner, I have worked for a year as a Member of the ICT Advisory Board under the Prime-minister’s office. As an educational policy planner, I have served as a member of the Academic Council under the University Grant Commission (UGC) , Nepal. I have also worked as a governing member of the Nepal Engineering Council for three years.

Educator 

As an educator, I served in the Engineering  faculty, Institute of Engineering (IOE)  of Tribhuvan University, Nepal, since 1979 until my retirement (2015) first as a professor in the Electronics and Computer Engineering Department; and later as the Assistant Dean when I managed four state-owned and ten affiliated Engineering colleges. I taught Electronic Engineering courses from 1979 till 1997 and Computer Engineering courses in that department from 1998 till 2015 at Institute of Engineering IOE, under Tribhuvan University. I also worked in Pokhara university for four years designing course-curriculum of BE Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, BCA, BE in Information Technology. I also served as a senate member at Pokhara University. I also worked as a Senate member for two years at Pokhara University. 

I am the owner of a Software company Designco Nepal founded in 1991. At that time, well-qualified human resources in the IT area were not available and opening a software company was very difficult due to the lack of resources and the domestic market.

I handled complex software projects of  Canadian projects, Aeroequip company, Germany project, Himal Cement, Nepal Electricity Authority, Nepal Telecom, Nepal Water Sewerage Corporations(NWSC)  and KUKL, Jyoti Group, etc.

After I returned from India to Nepal in 1979 I started initiating activities  with Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce Industry ( FNCCI),  Ministry and Education Ministry making the concerned authorities aware of the emerging global scope of the IT industry based on my experiences in India. I also initiated the dialogue and awareness program on  IT Park in the history of Nepal organizing a series of interactions with prominent leaders and business people including president of FNCCI.   I was a CAN executive committee member then. The ministry was looking for experts to represent in international forums. Computer Association Nepal was the only association who could lead then, however the people in the leadership position of the association had no background to read software industry with sound technical background. The concerned authorities in the decision making structure in the government had no idea of this emerging field and had no resources.

A CAN Infotech exhibition was also initiated that also provided more exposure along with the further exposure in the International Software Industry exhibition at Hanover Germany 1996, 1997 and 1999  and I contributed  in formulating  IT policy and initiating the concept of  IT park. I also convinced the Education ministry and concerned stakeholders to invest in opening Computer Engineering at IOE and expand the volume of intake of graduates with the help of private sectors.

Social reformer

As a social reformer, I have been actively involved in the social work in child education and women’s empowerment including inclusion issues of ministries for disadvantaged communities by organizing many activities through NGOs. I worked as Chairperson of Women Agency Research Nepal (WARN)(2019- 2022,  currently working as an advisor), Life member of Women In IT(WIIT), Executive member of Jestha Pradhyapak Samaj Nepal promoting ICT, Executive Member of  Senior Citizens Samaj, Bhurunghkhel promoting ICT among elderly citizens, Nepal, Member of Senior Professional Engineer, CIDC, India. Life member of Management Association Nepal (MAN) presented papers on ICT related gender based policy, Nepal Engineer Association (NEA: Advisor in Women’s committee promoting ICT sector), Life member of HEADS Nepal, Life Member of Women in Science and Technology (WIST ) promoting ICT sector,  Member of  Women chapter of Nepal Chamber of Commerce giving them awareness program in ICT, Member of AOTs Japan, Former Service Chair of Rotary club of Mount Everest  in charge of promoting ICT sector also, Member of Lalitpur Cultural Centre (LCC). Computer Association Nepal (CAN : Past executive member), Life Member and Heads Nepal. Former Chair Person of IETE (Nepal chapter) 

I am also the owner of magazine ATHMARCH to reach out to the rural masses specially focusing on Women empowerment in the areas of women friendly service sectors and developing startup companies. My published matters and articles in my blog site and LinkedIn focus on ICT for the development sector. The YouTube, Twitter and Instagram and Facebook page is helping me reach out to the urban and rural masses in Nepal and abroad.  I care deeply about giving voice, tools to everyone to share and bringing the community together to engage them in the development of the nation. I care a lot in bringing change in the lives of people. Equal opportunity is just the slogan of the politicians. more than four billion of the people have no internet so hoping to give equal opportunity is difficult. I have a passion for empowering women and helping people to get connected.

I have also served as Chairperson of the Board of Nepal Upatyaka Khane Pani Limited (KUKL), Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) is a public company registered under the Nepal Government’s Company Act 2063 and operates under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) modality. According to KUKL’s Articles of Association, the company has the objective to undertake and manage the water supply and sanitation system of the Kathmandu Valley.

Contributions in Technology Policies

I played the influencing roles :

National Technology Governance

•Served as a Governing Board Member of the Nepal Engineering Council, contributing to national-level decisions on engineering standards and technology education.

•Held a 5-year tenure as Board Member and later Chairperson of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), overseeing a workforce of over 1,400 employees and helping modernize its operational systems.

2.Telecommunications and Rural Connectivity

•Served on the Advisory Board of the Rural Telecommunication Fund Board under the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), advising on rural digital inclusion and infrastructure development.

3.Strategic Leadership in IT Policy & Industry Formation

•Played a key leadership role as an Executive Member of the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN), helping to lay the foundation for Nepal’s IT industry in its formative phase.

•Spearheaded the strategy to establish Nepal’s first IT Park, organizing high-level consultations with business leaders, including the President of FNCCI, and galvanizing support through CAN Infotech exhibitions.

4.International Exposure & Policy Advocacy

•Represented Nepal’s emerging software industry at the International Software Industry Exhibitions in Hanover, Germany (1996, 1997, 1999), facilitating global exposure and learning for Nepalese stakeholders.

•Contributed to the formulation of Nepal’s early IT policy and the institutional vision for the IT Park.

5.Institutional Development in ICT Education

•Successfully advocated with the Ministry of Education and stakeholders to launch the Computer Engineering program at the Institute of Engineering (IOE), laying the academic foundation for Nepal’s IT talent pipeline.

6.Ongoing Professional Engagement

•Currently serving as the Past President of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE), Nepal Chapter, continuing to influence ICT discourse in Nepal and the region. I am currently working as Vice President of Rotary Club of Mount Everest promoting AI, Robotics, Cyber security, Mental health etc

From 1996-08, I was also in charge of looking after promoting the software industry in the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) where I worked as an executive board member (1996- 1998). A CAN Infotech exhibition was also organized that also provided more exposure.. I also convinced the Education ministry and concerned stakeholders to invest in opening Computer Engineering at IOE.

 

Key Achievements in ICT  

 IT Industry Pioneer

Played a foundational role in establishing Nepal’s IT industry by developing complex software systems for major institutions such as Nepal Telecom (NTC), Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Water Supply Corporation, and Jyoti Group—at a time when technical resources were extremely limited.

Academic Leadership in ICT
Championed the launch of Nepal’s first professional academic programs in Information Technology. Provided strategic guidance to national policymakers during curriculum design and implementation—often under severe resource constraints and at personal risk.

Mentorship & Industry Building
Actively supported early IT professionals and startups, helping nurture and expand Nepal’s IT ecosystem during its formative years through mentorship, collaboration, and ecosystem development.

Public Awareness & Digital Outreach
Successfully launched community-focused ICT initiatives that created significant awareness among youth, parents, and elderly citizens through websites, social media, and NGO partnerships—bridging generational digital divides.

Global Collaboration for National Development
Collaborating with the Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) professional diaspora to accelerate cutting-edge ICT projects in Nepal. This includes efforts to enhance education quality, foster local innovation, and globally scale Nepal’s IT industry for national development.

Personal achievement on ICT (value addition and performance against the industry)

More than 40  years of professional experience in the ICT sector.

I was educated in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT K. ) ( B. Tech. Electronic Engineering), India and M.Sc. from  De Montfort University, Leicestershire, UK 1995 in Information Technology with specialization in IT Systems Engineering. I also underwent one year of training on ICT communication Systems  at Philips, Holland sponsored by UNDP. My service to Nepal is a unique combination of a national-level policy planner, a pioneering educator in Information Technology and Computer Engineering, an industrial administrator, an entrepreneur and a social reformer working for upliftment of women, child-education and youth employment.  I pioneered and initiated new educational programs in Nepal in 1994. My efforts to improve technological infrastructure culminated in the  first ever Computer Engineering program in the history of Nepal at the Institute of Engineering under Tribhuvan University, which became the foundation of current growth in engineering and technology in Nepal.

Pioneering Contribution in ICT sector, Considering the political situation and the state of education in 1979, it required significant effort and persuasion of higher administration and ministers to invest in the technological future of Nepal. As a national-level policy planner, I worked for one year as a Member of the ICT Advisory Board under the Prime-minister's office.  As an educational policy planner, I served as a member of the Academic Council under   University Grant Commission, Nepal(UGC).  I  also worked as a governing member of the Nepal Engineering Council for three years. I also served for three years as an advisory board member of Rural Telecommunication Fund Board, Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) in initiating ICT policy and policy for ICT infrastructure for the government for the first time in the history of Nepal. From 1996-08, I was also in charge of looking after promoting the software industry in the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) where I worked as an executive board member (1996- 1998 ). I am currently also serving as an Immediate Past President, IETE ( Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, India), Nepal chapter promoting ICT.

As an educator, I served in the Engineering faculty, Institute of Engineering (IOE)  of Tribhuvan University, Nepal, since 1979 until my retirement (2015) first as a professor in the Electronics and Computer Engineering Department; and later as the Assistant Dean when I managed four state-owned and ten affiliated Engineering colleges. I taught Electronic Engineering courses from 1979 till 1997 and Computer Engineering courses in that department from 1998 till 2015 at Institute of Engineering IOE, under Tribhuvan University. I also worked in Pokhara university for four years and was in charge of designing and implementing course-curriculum of BE Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, BCA, BE in Information Technology. I also worked as a Senate member for two years at Pokhara University. 

 

I am the owner of a Software company Designco Nepal founded in 1991. At that time, well-qualified human resources in the IT area were not available and opening a software company was very challenging due to the lack of resources and the domestic market. I have been successful in developing a large pool of professional experts through technically challenging IT projects.

I handled complex software projects of  Himal Cement, Nepal Electricity Authority, Nepal Telecom, Nepal Water Sewerage Corporations(NWSC)  and KUKL, Jyoti Group including a project from Germany (1996).

I also helped in developing Human Capital by designing and implementing the course-curriculum for BE Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, BCA, BE in Information Technology to support the initiating the strategy of developing the first IT Park in the history of Nepal organizing a series of interactions with prominent leaders and business people including president of FNCCI. I was in Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) as an executive committee member then. We were the founder members of CAN Infotech exhibition. I ventured into leading Nepal in the International Software Industry exhibition at Hanover, Germany 1996, 1997 and 1999 in order to initiate high degree courses in IT and help contribute  in developing the IT industry in Nepal. I was also successful in transforming Electronic Engineering students of the Institute of Engineering from 1994 into the IT area. and convincing the Education ministry and concerned stakeholders to invest in opening Computer Engineering at IOE and scaling up into encouraging the private sector education sector.

I have been successful in remote ICT Services through publication of many articles in print media and my website www.timilayamithapa.com, Videos etc  from Timila Yami Thapa website YouTube channel, Timila Yami Thapa LinkedIn and Timila Yami Thapa Facebook page. I have been able to make a big impact in rural communities through online channels. Many ICT related articles are published in local magazines (Please refer to the articles enclosed in google drive links.

Please visit my Facebook page

YouTube channel : Timila  Yami Thapa

LinkedIn: Timila Yami Thapa

YouTube Channel : Timila Yami Thapa

Public Exposure and Global Reach (Width and depth in the global market through publication, journal, presentation, awards and leaderships)

I won ICT award in the year 2020 from private sector

I won ICT award in the year 2023 from Nepal Government

Lifelong Achievement award in ICT sector from NAST

 

My involvement in CeBIT, Hannover Germany, ‘ 96, ‘97 and ‘99 and High Tech center, Yokohama, Japan, international program in Vietnam, Philips Holland  has contributed in boosting the IT industry in Nepal. My academic program of the leader of Computer science, IIT Kanpur,  De Montfort University, Leicestershire, UK and  Philips Holland have greatly benefitted Nepal in  developing the IT industry.

My program on "We have talents' ' in Nepal has worked well through various international programs. I am connected internationally to new start-up youth schemes. My expert service at a multinational giant organization like Huawei is helping grow ICT talents in the international and local market. As a member of Senior Professional Engineers, CIDC, India, I have contributed in bringing benefits to professional development of Engineers of Nepal. I have served as Senior Professional Engineers, CIDC India, Research Associate IIT Kanpur, High Tech Centre, Yoko Hama, Japan,  South Korea, UNIDO. My effort at  CBI Netherlands in the years  ‘ 96, ‘97 and ’99 and Philips Holland has given me a rich background for developing programs on IT  industries, innovation and talent generations in Nepal.

I have also shared my experiences with policy makers of ministries from High Tech Centre, Yokohama, Japan. My contributions from APO, Japan and South Korea under UNIDO have impacted the IT industry in Nepal. Presentations in CBI Netherlands ‘ 96, ‘97 and ’99 had opened up new horizons in Nepal for the first time. I have made an impact through large numbers of ICT related articles published in various media, magazines, YouTube channels, TV interviews, Blog site articles, and articles in LinkedIn. These media are helping me reach out to policy makers, the rural ends of Nepal and abroad.  My ICT related articles have benefited policymakers, researchers and Digital Framework Nepal implementers. My ICT related technical presentations at Vietnam, Japan,  India, South Korea etc have benefited concerned stakeholders locally and globally. https://www.timilayamithapa.com/blog-category/4

My technical presentation at national and international level IAS Bangalore, IIT Kanpur has contributed bringing in regional and international experiences.
I led workshops in the area of Creative storytelling and filmmaking.

 More details are available in the following link : https://www.timilayamithapa.com/blogs/view/146.html

 

The Senior Engineering community of Nepal had arranged a two hour interview (Engineer KO Katha ) of mine. The community who interacted in the comment box in this interview  are already launching activities with people of rural communities, communities in urban areas and global communities.

 

I worked for three years in a research project at IIT Kanpur on simulation projects 1976 to 1979.

In the year 1980 I led the software technical team in the power System Planning Group of Canadian Water and Power Resources development Project, Canadian International Water and Energy Consultants in Kathmandu Nepal.

 

In 1981 I initiated a new innovative software project at Nepal Rastra Bank. The hardware was supplied through Bhaju Ratna Engineering and sales. The work was very challenging as clients were not familiar with automation then.

These programs helped me in providing policy decisions in the ministries.

 

Very complex software solutions for large scale organizations like Nepal Telecom, Nepal Electricity authority, Nepal Water supply Corporations Himal cement etc under a very scarce resources challenging environment.  Product details   are provided in my CV and company profile of my IT company (1991 till date) along with a list of certificates from clients.

I have also enclosed the letters from the ministry regarding my active involvement in the development of the IT industry in Nepal. I have made an impact in the policy decision places through my published articles and presentations. I had done elaborate studies of ten top industries of Nepal in 1999 for submitting to the Ministry of Industry and presenting in an international program which was later published in international proceedings of Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Japan 1998  details of which are provided in a list of documents in google drive for reference.

This document provided good guidelines for the Nepal government through the lenses of policies of private sectors for ICT policy interventions in 1998.

I also worked on a software project for Aeroquip, Germany in 1996.

I have contributed for three years to the Rural Telecom Fund Board (RTDF) of Nepal Telecom Authority (NTA) in the preparation of policy documents of ICT for urban as well as remote locations of Nepal for the first time in the history of Nepal. I have also worked in the IT council under  the leadership of the PM of Nepal. 

Knowledge Integration (Excellence in product, process innovation, policy contribution)

I worked for three years in a research project at IIT Kanpur on simulation projects 1976 to 1979. In the year 1980 I led the software technical team in the power System Planning Group of Canadian Water and Power Resources development Project, Canadian International Water and Energy Consultants in Kathmandu Nepal. 

In 1981 I initiated a software project at Nepal Rastra Bank. The hardware was supplied through Bhaju Ratna Engineering and sales. The work was very challenging as clients were not familiar with automation then.  

Very complex new innovative software solutionsor scale organizations like Nepal Telecom, Nepal Electricity authority, Nepal Water supply Corporations Himal cement etc under a very scarce resources environment.   

 

 

Initiatives to Build Capacity for Future Growth & a Robust ICT Ecosystem

Digital Transformation Awareness and Stakeholder Engagement

I have organized awareness programs through seminars, webinars, and digital platforms focused on:
- Strategic Planning of Digital Transformation
- Mastering Innovation, Technology, and Education for Growth under the AI revolution
My outreach actively involves government stakeholders, academia, youth, and private sector leaders to ensure cross-sectoral alignment.

Global Knowledge Exchange and Diaspora Collaboration

During my visits to Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and the UK, I consulted with international experts and Nepalese ICT professionals abroad to explore:
- Transferable best practices in AI readiness
- Public-private partnerships for skills development
- Policy frameworks that foster innovation
This global engagement supports Nepal’s strategic positioning in emerging technology domains.

Policy Advocacy through Publications and Online Media

Through published articles, blogs, and website content, I have consistently advocated for:
- Implementation of the Digital Nepal Framework (2019) in rural and marginalized regions
- Expansion of digital public infrastructure
- Adoption of advanced digital technologies and services

Academic and Legal Infrastructure Development

I am actively involved in:
- Online MBA programs in IT management at Pokhara University
- Promotion of digital literacy, cybersecurity awareness, and countering cybercrimes
My articles address critical areas such as:
- Robust legal frameworks for data protection and cyber law
- Recognition of Internet as an essential service
- Subsidized international bandwidth, high-speed broadband, and resilient digital networks

Technical Leadership in Conferences and ICT Networks

Chaired the technical session on ICT at the international NRN conference (2023) with representation from 59 countries, held at Soaltee Hotel, Kathmandu.
Continued active collaboration with NRN tech professionals to:
- Co-develop international ICT projects
- Promote Nepal’s ICT talent globally
- Align diaspora contributions with Nepal’s national ICT priorities

Cross-Sectoral Innovation: Agriculture, Energy, and AI

Participated in the Green Hydrogen Energy Conference in New Delhi, 2023.
Advocating for an integrated Agriculture-Energy Policy in Nepal to:
- Lower energy costs through renewables

 

Social Responsibility (Successful institutionalization of social responsibility practices and involvement in ICT related organization)

Life member of Management Association Nepal, Vice President of Rotary club of Mout Everest, Chairperson DHMA

Special focus

Global Engagement, IT Policy Leadership, and Pioneering Contributions

I traveled to the UK, Germany, Switzerland, India, and Austria to gain firsthand insights into the evolving global IT industry under the rapid advancement of Generative AI. During this time, she connected with international experts and professional Nepalese working abroad in the field of IT. Her global outreach further strengthened her long-standing collaborations with the Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) community. She chaired the ICT conference organized by NRNs from 59 countries, held at Soaltee Hotel, and continues to play an influential role in promoting Nepal’s IT industry both locally and globally.

A trailblazer in IT education and policy in Nepal, Timila was the first to initiate formal academic IT programs in Nepal and was responsible for presenting the government’s first comprehensive report on the state of IT industries and digital transformation in the mid-1990s. She proposed and advocated for the creation of 'Institutions of National Importance' to support high-quality education tailored to global opportunities and challenges.

I was the first to represent Nepal’s technical capabilities internationally at events such as CBI in Rotterdam and Hannover Expo in Germany during 1996, 1997, and 1999. Her contributions include advisory services to the Rural Telecom Development Fund Board under Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), and successfully executing major software projects funded by ADB, French and German grants at NTC, NEA, NWSC, and Himal Cement.

An early IT entrepreneur, Timila founded one of Nepal’s first software companies in 1991, playing a key role in training early cohorts of IT professionals. She has influenced national ICT policy while serving in the Prime Minister's IT Council and has maintained strong academic collaborations with her IIT Kanpur peers. Her coordination with IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi contributed to launching BE, ME, and PhD programs at IOE, Pulchowk, under Tribhuvan University. My youth-focused movement, “Nepal Has Got ICT Talents,” has inspired generations, leading Nepali youth to victories in international IT competitions.

 

Digital Advocacy, Ecosystem Building, and Diaspora Engagement

I have been a tireless advocate for Nepal’s digital transformation, championing initiatives that accelerate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through digital tools, marketing, and inclusive outreach. Her digital acceleration programs have empowered youth communities, enhanced civic engagement, and inspired widespread digital awareness.

In a groundbreaking move, I am also encouraging senior citizens to explore data science and digital storytelling, creating intergenerational value by capturing historical narratives, evidence-based legacies, and public memory in digital form.

My most recent initiative is the launch of a national awareness program under the banner of the 'Digital Framework Nepal' which seeks to prepare stakeholders—NGOs, INGOs, academia, businesses, policymakers, and researchers—for the wave of AI. This national project engages strategic interest groups including the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), business consortiums, international development partners, and the ICT Awardees community, to co-develop a responsive policy and innovation ecosystem.

I am emphasizing the importance of strengthening laws, regulatory frameworks, and alliances to make Nepal’s IT sector globally competitive. I actively disseminate my views via policy platforms, social media (YouTube, Facebook), FM radio, and TV, receiving encouraging feedback from the public and experts alike.

I have consistently stressed the need to engage diaspora communities in nation-building. Drawing from the success stories of IIT Kanpur alumni and the Indian model of revenue generation through alumni networks, I am mobilizing Non-Resident Nepalese (NRNs) to contribute to Nepal’s foreign exchange and development projects. Her unifying leadership has helped activate collective action among diverse stakeholders in the AI era.

 

 

Urgent Call for Education Reform and Nation Rebuilding

There is an urgent need to improve the quality of education in Nepal, especially in the context of global technological disruption. Timila Yami Thapa played a pivotal role in bringing professors from IITs to support the upgrade of the Institute of Engineering (IOE) into a postgraduate and PhD-level institution. Her experience with IIT networks positions her uniquely to mobilize the Nepalese IIT alumni community and initiate a collaborative strength-sharing effort with the Pan-IIT Alumni of India.

This initiative aims to catalyze systemic transformation by involving civil society, the government, and private sector stakeholders in nation rebuilding. Through dialogue with eminent policymakers, industry captains, and third-sector leaders, Timila envisions Nepal’s accelerated leap into the AI era and digital economy.

Advocacy for Institutions of Special/National Importance

I have long championed the need for a special Act under the banner of 'Institutions of Special Importance,' supported by a dedicated national budget. This Act would focus on human capital development in high-revenue-generating sectors, particularly IT and engineering. She has consistently briefed ministries on how Nepal’s IT industry has been stunted due to the absence of such enabling legislation.

The concept of Institutes of National Importance (INI) refers to premier public institutions that serve as crucial engines for producing highly skilled professionals. INIs should be granted special recognition, greater autonomy, and sustained funding by the Government of Nepal.

There is a need for comprehensive National Strategy on Human Capital Development to position Nepal as a global IT hub. This includes launching new policies, strategic institutions, and future-proof education programs aligned with national needs and innovation. Without a clear local vision, Nepal risks becoming a dumping ground for outdated foreign technologies.

Nepal should review heavy taxation policy for Nepal-based IT companies in order to make them competitive in the region. There is an urgent need for a good policy on incentives with adequate investment in digital infrastructure.  The government should mandate that technology is evaluated with a Nepali perspective to ensure its suitability for the country's unique context.   There is a need for a team  of THINK TANKS  for coordinating  IT professionals with concerned stakeholders for supporting each other. The sector is attracting international clients, leading to an increase in the country's exports of IT products and services. This creates new career opportunities in international business, trade, and export management. The development of the IT sector is driving innovation and digital transformation across various sectors, such as healthcare, education, tourism, and finance creating new career opportunities for individuals promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and contributing to the overall economic growth of the country.  

There are more fairs and exhibitions, facilitating reciprocal visits by leading software and IT companies to attend symposiums and seminars hosted by Nepali authorities in collaboration with international institutions. I participated in the International CeBIT IT fair in Hannover thrice in the late 1990s in order to initiate the IT industry in Nepal. Close contacts should be established with the major suppliers in neighboring countries to develop subcontracting opportunities and links to their markets. 

 

The revenue from Nepal's e-commerce is expected to increase annually.  The telecom sector is also a major employer, with the potential to grow Nepal's job market in the form of skilled workforce requirements for technical work, installation, and maintenance. Private sector should be encouraged to work in collaboration with the public sector.

International awards, Infodevelopers ICT awards, National ICT award institutions along with Computer Associations of Nepal (CAN), Nepal Association of Software & IT Services Companies (NASIT), boot camps, NAST and training programs have helped ICT Human Capital flourish the IT sector.

With the implementation of special act for Human Capital Development supported by adequate investments in education, training, and infrastructure, Nepal's IT industry is poised to create up-and-coming employment opportunities in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, computer security, automation, computing, Internet of Things (IoT), software development, IT infrastructure, digital marketing, data analysis, and cybersecurity in the near future. 

I made strong, persistent efforts to introduce Biomedical Engineering as a transformative interdisciplinary program in Nepal—by working with IOM Maharajgunj, IOE Pulchowk, and even NAST leadership. Over the years, I have repeatedly initiated high-level dialogues to start a Biomedical Engineering program in Nepal—one that integrates the expertise of The Institute of Medicine (IOM), Maharajgunj for medical and clinical knowledge, The Institute of Engineering (IOE), Pulchowk for engineering and design excellence, and the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) for scientific and research support.

I envisioned a joint interdisciplinary program where IOM Maharajgunj provides medical and anatomical foundations. IOE Pulchowk delivers systems design, embedded electronics, robotics, and AI and NAST supports cross-disciplinary research and innovation incubation. This is not just about creating a course—it’s about positioning Nepal as a regional leader in Biomedical engineering field. I held multiple meetings with Deans, senior professors, and administrators across these institutions. I also met with the Vice-Chancellors of Tribhuvan University and NAST. But despite global demand, proven models, and my strong proposal for collaboration, I encountered bureaucratic resistance, fragmented leadership, and, above all, a lack of vision.

Nepal urgently needs affordable, locally developed medical technologies—from diagnostics and imaging to prosthetics, implants, and telehealth systems.

Nepal needs bold leadership to declare Biomedical Engineering a strategic national priority, mandate collaborative curriculum development between IOM, IOE, and NAST, Create Institutions of National Importance to fast-track frontier education in health-tech, AI, and biomedical innovation and learn from global examples—India’s PAN IIT , AIIMS, and BIRAC have shown what’s possible with vision and coordination.

I made consistent efforts to initiate a Biomedical Engineering program in Nepal by building bridges between Nepal’s premier institutions and Indian institutes of excellence, particularly IIT Kanpur—my own alma mater.

I reached out and worked with professors at IIT Kanpur to explore a collaborative model, where Nepal’s IOE and IOM could co-develop a program aligned with international standards. We discussed faculty exchanges, research collaboration, and potential student mobility for joint biomedical innovation projects. Unfortunately, despite mutual interest from the academic side, the program could not move forward due to lack of leadership commitment from Nepal’s institutional heads, no strategic vision or facilitation from Tribhuvan University’s top leadership, and absence of inter-ministerial or cross-institutional policy mechanisms to support such interdisciplinary, cross-border programs.

 

Driving Innovation in the IT Sector

But the potential remains huge—not only for education and health, but also for Nepal’s IT industry and economy. Biomedical Engineering integrates Embedded systems,AI and machine learning, Signal processing, Big data in health, 3D printing and bio-simulation, Robotics for surgery and rehabilitation etc etc. This creates new demand for skilled IT professionals, startups, and tech developers—shifting Nepal from an outsourcing economy to an innovation economy. With proper vision, Nepal can lead cross-border biomedical innovation in the Himalayan region, Join global forums on affordable health-tech and partner with Pan-IIT networks, UNESCO, WHO, and ADB for grants and innovation labs.

Despite repeated efforts to launch a collaborative Biomedical Engineering program in Nepal—through partnerships between IOE Pulchowk, IOM Maharajgunj, and IIT Kanpur—the initiative has stalled due to institutional inertia and lack of vision.

 

Advocating for Inclusive STEAM Education at the Grassroots

I am actively promoting STEAM education—Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics—at the school and ward levels, recognizing that it is not just a global trend but a critical need of our time. In today’s fast-changing world, where artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping every sector, education must go beyond textbooks. It must ignite creativity, imagination, critical thinking, and collaborative problem-solving. These human strengths are essential for preparing future generations to ethically and effectively partner with intelligent machines. Importantly, STEAM education must be inclusive—accessible regardless of a child’s income level, age, gender, or background. Every child deserves the tools to thrive in the digital era and to become a confident creator, not just a passive consumer. Whether it’s nurturing curiosity through science experiments in rural classrooms or integrating arts with coding projects in urban schools, STEAM education can unlock the full spectrum of human potential. It is not just about economic progress—it is about empowerment, dignity, and agency. We must act now to strengthen STEAM education at the grassroots, ensuring that our communities—especially the underserved—are not left behind in the innovation economy.

Building Problem-Solvers for Nepal’s Future

Nepal is living through what we may call a seismic zone—earthquakes, floods, landslides, and the daily risks of living in a young, fragile mountain nation. These disasters are not occasional—they are part of our geography and reality. That’s why it is no longer optional to prepare our children to become future problem solvers. We must help them develop critical thinking, creativity, and resilience—the skills needed not just to survive, but to lead in times of crisis.

In this era of Artificial Intelligence, our children must be trained to partner with machines, not just use them. They need to understand how to use technology ethically, safely, and creatively—to protect communities, predict disasters, and design smarter solutions. My goal is to ensure that regardless of income, gender, or geography, every child has access to knowledge that empowers them to think, question, and innovate. Let’s prepare our children not just to face disasters—but to solve them. Let’s raise a generation of ethical, local innovators—because Nepal needs minds as strong as our mountains.

 

The Legacy of Limited Education in Nepal: A Personal Reflection and National Call to Action

Until 1950, education in Nepal was deliberately restricted for the general population. This exclusion was especially severe for women, rural communities, and marginalized groups. The legacy of that era still lingers today. Many of my peers—individuals now in their 70s and 80s—were denied even basic literacy. We were deprived of the opportunity to learn, to question, to participate fully in civic and economic life.  As someone who lived through that period of exclusion, I carry the weight of an interrupted national potential. I saw firsthand how families were trapped in cycles of poverty not by lack of intelligence or motivation, but by the sheer absence of educational access. Many in my generation continue to struggle with the fundamental skills—reading, writing, critical thinking, and digital literacy—that today are considered basic human rights.

This educational vacuum did not merely withhold academic degrees. It stripped people of confidence, civic voice, and the tools needed to navigate a fast-changing world. For women especially, the impact was even more severe. Denied education, denied public life, denied independence—many were forced into silence, invisibility, and dependency. And yet, this painful history also fuels a sense of purpose. It has become my life’s mission to reverse the injustices of the past through advocacy for lifelong learning, digital inclusion, and education equity. I believe deeply that education is not just a right; it is a force of liberation. Today, in the age of artificial intelligence and rapid digital change, the generational education gap has morphed into a digital and cognitive divide. Those who were once denied formal schooling are now digitally excluded, facing disinformation, cyber risks, and increasing social isolation. This is not merely a technical issue—it is a continuation of historical inequality.

 

That is why I advocate for policy frameworks that do more than protect the digitally vulnerable. We must include older citizens—especially women—in shaping the digital future of Nepal. We must recognize their resilience, their wisdom, and their right to learn, engage, and lead, regardless of age. Let us build a Nepal where no generation is left behind, and where the power of learning belongs to everyone—for life

 

Bridging the Generational Education Gap in the Digital Age: A National Imperative

 

Because Nepal’s education system was historically inaccessible to the general public until the democratic opening in 1950  and this systemic exclusion has created a significant intergenerational education gap, now deepened by the rapid pace of digital transformation. Their inclusion in digital policy-making strengthens social cohesion, enhances public trust, and ensures that digital systems are rooted in Nepali values and realities.

 

As Nepal advances initiatives like the Digital Nepal Framework, AI Strategy, and Cybersecurity Legislation, there is a failure to include older generations — especially senior female citizens — in policy design, consultation, and protection frameworks presents ethical, cultural, and strategic risks.

In the digital era, the legacy of educational exclusion has become a digital and cognitive vulnerability, exposing senior citizens to misinformation and political disinformation, online scams, phishing, and identity theft, digital exclusion from e-governance, healthcare, finance, and social services and social isolation and declining trust in public digital systems. Senior women, in particular, remain invisible in policy spaces despite being key cultural anchors, informal caregivers, and knowledge-bearers in Nepali society.

Nepal cannot afford a digital divide that mirrors — or worsens — historical injustices. Protecting and empowering older generations, especially women, is not charity; it is smart, just, and strategic governance. Older adults are disproportionately targeted by digital fraud and misinformation campaigns. National digital policies are youth-centered, leaving behind a significant part of the population. Elderly women, doubly disadvantaged by past gender norms and lack of access to education, remain unrepresented in national dialogues on ICT, AI, or cybersecurity. Exclusion of elders from digital systems weakens intergenerational trust and transmission of values.

Our institution DHMA is advocating for establishing a functional Senior Citizens’ Digital Advisory Council under the Ministry of Communication & Information Technology (MoCIT), with representation from women’s groups, rural communities, and provincial bodies including appointment of Elderly Representatives in Cybersecurity, Data Protection, and AI Ethics Councils, especially women leaders from local communities. Senior citizens should be defined as a protected digital category in the upcoming Cybersecurity Bill and Data Protection legislation. Media campaigns should highlight the resilience and wisdom of older generations and encourage their role as co-creators of digital culture, not just passive users integrating oral histories and lived experiences of senior women into civic education and digital storytelling platforms. We must not only protect older generations from digital risks — we must meaningfully engage them as stakeholders in our digital future. The same resilience with which they survived an education-deprived era can be harnessed now to help Nepal thrive in the AI age. Let us recognize their value — and build a truly inclusive, intergenerational, and ethical digital Nepal.

 

1 My background 

2 Parental Disagreements & Social Taboos

3 Lots of Irritating New Things in India
  .
4 Early Years in IIT-Kanpur, My Grief and My Burden
5 My Batch mates and I

6 Girls Hostel and Social Norms
7 Competing with the Nation’s Best
8 Looking after my younger Sisters at IIT-Kanpur 

9 IIT Kanpur: A Portal of Transformation for Our Whole Family

10 Six daughters and a mother’s revolution
11 IIT Kanpur: A Shelter, A Struggle, A Silent Revolution

12 Financial Burden and Hardships
13  Inspiring Persons during IIT-Kanpur Stay

14 The Memorable Day – My Father’s Visit to IIT-Kanpur and a missed lecture

 
15 My Greatest Sorrow
16 My Greatest Lament
17 My Greatest Satisfaction
  18My Contributions to Nepalese Society

19 A Woman’s Journey in Male-Dominated Corridors
20 From IIT Kanpur to Nation-Building in Nepal
  21 A New Horizon: Global Exposure and Higher Learning

22 Standing with the People - Following the Tradition of My Parents
23 STEAM Education as Legacy and Mission: Collaboration between the Yami Family and IIT Kanpur
Women and the Society
24 2015 Earthquake brought IITK Family Back to Me
25 Keeping the Torch Burning
26 Relationship between IIT Kanpur and Nepal
27 Projects That Could Be Run Through the Embassies
28 Unleashing the Collective Power of Pan-IIT Women for Global Development
Cross-Border Synergies: Nepal and India as Natural Partners
29 Pan-IIT for Resilient Futures
30 Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Rasuwa Gadhi: A Wake-Up Call
31 Why Rasuwa Matters
32 Why Pan-IIT and Tech Communities Must Step In
33 Women in STEAM: Leading Climate Resilience
34 My Heartfelt Thanks to IIT-Kanpur Days

 
35 My profile
36 Pioneering Contribution in ICT sector

  37 Experience: Combination of policy makers , innovator, entrepreneur,  and social activist

38 Pioneering Contribution in ICT sector
39 Educator
40 Social reformer
41 Contributions in Technology Policies
42 Key Achievements in ICT  
44 Personal achievement on ICT (value addition and performance against the industry)
45 Public Exposure and Global Reach (Width and depth in the global market through publication, journal, presentation, awards and leaderships)

46 Knowledge Integration (Excellence in product, process innovation, policy contribution)
47 Initiatives to Build Capacity for Future Growth & a Robust ICT Ecosystem
Social Responsibility (Successful institutionalization of social responsibility practices and involvement in ICT related organization)
Special focus
48 Digital Advocacy, Ecosystem Building, and Diaspora Engagement
49 Urgent Call for Education Reform and Nation Rebuilding
50 Advocacy for Institutions of Special/National Importance
51 Driving Innovation in the IT Sector
52 Advocating for Inclusive STEAM Education at the Grassroots
53 Building Problem-Solvers for Nepal’s Future
54 The Legacy of Limited Education in Nepal: A Personal Reflection and National Call to Action
60 Bridging the Generational Education Gap in the Digital Age: A National Imperative