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Pratek Man Tuladhar ( ne, प्रत्येकमान तुलाधर) (1924–1991) was a
Pratek Man Tuladhar ( ne, प्रत्येकमान तुलाधर) (1924–1991) was a Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
ese trader and philatelist
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is pos ...
. Born in Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Nepal, Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
into a family of hereditary merchants, he spent his youth in Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhas ...
, Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
, where they owned a business house.
During his stay in Tibet (1939–1960), alongside his main occupation of conducting trade between India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, Nepal and Tibet, he developed an avid interest in collecting photographs, postage stamps and coins.
Tuladhar also corresponded with penpals around the world. As a rare letter writer from Tibet, his name became renowned worldwide among philatelists. His letters bearing Tibetan stamps delighted his foreign friends, and today they have become major resources for collectors specializing in Tibetan postal history.
Biography
Pratek Man was the eldest of the three children of father Triratna Man Tuladhar and mother Punya MayaKansakar
Kansakār () or Kasāh (कसाः) is a Nepalese caste group belonging to the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. In Sanskrit, Kansakar means bronze worker, and their traditional occupation has been metal working and trading. Toda ...
. His grandfather was the celebrated trader and philanthropist Dharma Man Tuladhar. His younger sister, Tara Devi Tuladhar, was a social worker.
Pratek Man went to Lhasa for the first time in 1939 to join his family business house Chhusingsyar, one of the largest traders in Tibet at the time. The firm maintained branches in Gyantse
Gyantse, officially Gyangzê Town (also spelled Gyangtse; ; ), is a town located in Gyantse County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in the Tibet region ...
and Phari
Phari or Pagri (; ) is a town in Yadong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China near the border with Bhutan. The border can be accessed through a secret road/trail connecting Tsento Gewog in Bhutan () known as Tremo La. the town had a popu ...
besides Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...
and Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
in India. Tuladhar returned after nine years and married Jagat Shobha (1933–1981). He went to Lhasa again in 1952 and returned to Kathmandu for the last time in 1960, after spending a total of 17 years in Tibet.
Tuladhar was among the last of the traditional Lhasa Newar
Lhasa Newar (alternate name: Lhasa Newah) () refers to the expatriate Newar traders and artisans who traveled between the Kathmandu Valley and Tibet from centuries ago. These Nepalese merchants conducted trade between Nepal, Tibet and Bengal, Ind ...
merchants. The historical trade ended after the caravan
Caravan or caravans may refer to:
Transport and travel
*Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together
**Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop
*Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals
*Convoy, a group of veh ...
route linking India and Tibet through Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligu ...
was shut down by the Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...
in 1962.
After returning to Nepal, he devoted his time to serving Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
. He acted as a translator for Tibetan lama
Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hig ...
s translating their sermons into the local language, besides writing articles on Buddhism for magazines.
References