Astalaxmi Shakya

Astalaxmi Shakya (Nepali: अष्टलक्ष्मी शाक्य) is a politician and former minister of Nepal.

AstaLaxmi Shakya
Born1954
Jhonche, Kathmandu
NationalityNepali
OccupationPolitician, vice president, communist party of nepal (unified marxist-leninist)
Known forMinister of Industry of Nepal,[1] Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare[2]
Spouse(s)Amrit Bohara

Early life and education

Shakya was born in Kathmandu in 1954.[3] She was born on the eighth day of Dashain festival on the day culturally known as Astami, which is how she got her name. She was a second child among eight in a Newar family at Jhochhen, near Hanumandhoka Durbar Square. After the completion of School Leaving Certificate in 1972 she joined a Chinese language class[3] at Basantapur with her friend Sulochana Manandhar, who is now a writer. The two girls were often seen doing quite unusual activities for girls in those days – like riding bicycles or driving cars, swimming and doing physical exercises.

Shakya went to Ratna Rajya Luxmi College for her further education but dropped out from what she saw as "bourgeois education" after four years. She started studying Chinese from which she learned about communism from her teacher Mahesh Man Shrestha, a leftist intellectual and a physician. She was quite impressed by the life and contribution of Mao Tse-tung and read articles on struggles by women activists in China during the revolution.

After having observed Shakya's suspicious activities her parents decided to arrange a marriage for her. With the help of her sister Sunita and her friend Sulochana, she made a plan to quit her home and devote her life for the party. In 1980, she ran away from home to avoid the marriage.[3] After leaving her home, she joined the CPN-ML.[3]

Political career

Shakya and her colleagues in a Chinese language class formed a group of around sixty youths to continue to work to change their society through activities, such as visiting villages to teach the people about communism and publishing booklets on revolutions and communist leaders.[3] Without having connection with any political party they worked for three years. Her profession as a teacher helped her to participate in those activities as she could tell her parents that she would go to villages for her school work.

In 1980, she left her home, pretending to go to attend a feast at her friend's house. Before that her important books and documents had already been carried out. She had collected all her photos which were with her relatives and burnt them. She donated all her belongings, including expensive jewels, to the party and took a vow to obey the party directives. At that time the party in-charge of the CPN (ML) in Bagmati Zone was Amrit Kumar Bohara who later became her life partner.

Soon after she entered into her underground life, Shakya had to face a kind of test to prove that she was not an ordinary comfort-seeking city-dweller but could struggle for others' cause. Her party assigned her to work in Piskar village of Sindhupalchowk district, located in the eastern side of the Kathmandu Valley. She worked in Piskar for two years to establish the party organization. She stayed in the community of Thamis, ethnic minorities who live in the area. While staying there she lived in a cave for three months. She taught villagers reading and writing and about public health.

Shakya spent eleven years of underground life in different places of the country before the multi-party system was restored in 1990. She had stayed in Panga of Kirtipur, in Tokha of Kathmandu as well as in Ilam and Jhapa districts in eastern Nepal. In 1984 she became a district committee member of Jhapa and in-charge of All Nepal Women Association in Mechi Zone. In 1988 she became a member of Mechi Zonal Committee.

Arrest

Shakya was arrested for some times during her underground period. While she was detained in Ilam Jail her father came to see her from Kathmandu after many years. She was released only after the restoration of democracy in 1990.

Party roles

Shakya was given various responsibilities by her party to head Muslim Ittehad Organization, Central Law Department and Parliamentary Hearing Committee. She also played an important role to establish the women organization in her party. In February 1981 she, along with Gaura Prasai, Sushila Shrestha and others, organized a secret conference of women cadres of the CPN (ML) in Hetauda, where All Nepal Women Association was reformed to become more active. In this conference Shanta Manavi was elected as a president.

Shakya was elected as a member of House of Representatives from a constituency in Kathmandu in the 1999 Nepalese legislative election. She also became Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare in the coalition government[4] and Minister of Industry and Commerce.[4]

Shakya was elected Vice President of the CPN-UML party, from the general convention. She has been the SC member of JOMPOPS since its formation in early 2010 and was the first elected Chairperson of the JOMPOPS platform.[5]

Shakya was also elected as a Constituent Assembly Member in November 2014.[5] In 2015, she turned down the nomination of Labour minister to give other politicians a chance to work at the position.[6]

Personal life

In 1981, Shakya married Amrit Kumar Bohara who is now a member of Standing Committee of the CPN- UML.[3] They both applied in their party for marriage and the party decided to grant them permission. She has two children, a son and a daughter. Both spent most of their childhood at her friends' houses, growing up separately in different places.

References
  1. "Minister of Industry Asta Laxmi Shakya of Nepal". ourworldleaders.com. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  2. "1. Interaction and Suggestion Program with Newly Appointed Women Ministers" (PDF). Sancharika.org. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  3. Shneiderman, Sara (17 August 2010). "Creating 'Civilized' Communists: A Quarter of a Century of Politicization in Rural Nepal". In Gellner, David (ed.). Varieties of Activist Experience: Civil Society in South Asia. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN 9789385985812.
  4. "Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership". guide2womenleaders.com. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  5. "Nepal: JOMPOPS SC member Asta Laxmi Shakya elected Vice-President of her party". dipd.dk. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  6. "CPN-UML's Asta Laxmi Shakya rejects offer to be minister again". Kathmandu Post. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
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