Kesar Lall ( ne, केसर लाल; 15 July 1926 – 26 December 2012) (alternative name: Kesar Lall Shrestha) was a Nepalese folklorist and writer. He has published more than 50 books of stories and poetry. He wrote in

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

Nepal Bhasa Newar (), or Newari and known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nep ...

and English.

Early life

Kesar Lall was born in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Nepal, Province , subdivision_name1 ...

to father Jagat Lal and mother Bal Kumari

Shrestha Śrēṣṭha ( new, श्रेष्ठ) is a Nepalese surname meaning "noble” or "great” in Sanskrit. Shrestha is one of the eponym surnames used by those belonging to the caste of Shresthas who prior to the unification of modern Nepal ...

. His father ran a school at his home in Māsan Galli (मासं गल्लि), and was popularly known as

Jagat Lal Master Jagat Lal Master ( ne, जगतलाल मास्टर) (1902 – 19 January 1967) (alternative name: Jagat Lal Shrestha) was a Nepalese educator and writer. He advocated the teaching of English and ran a school at his home, risking stat ...

. This was one of the few places that provided a modern education in

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 ...

in those days as the

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histor ...

government discouraged the establishment of schools. Kesar Lall received no formal schooling. He learnt English from his father and taught himself to write composition by studying varied text books.

Writing career

Kesar Lall began his writing career in 1945 by writing articles in English for Indian magazines. In 1953, he published his first story entitled ''Bhutucha'' ("Short girl") in Nepal Bhasa in ''Nepal'' magazine. He published his first book of folk tales entitled ''Lore and Legend of Nepal'' in English in 1961. Kesar Lall is best known as a storyteller who exposed Nepal's folklore to the world by collecting, translating and publishing tales told in various Nepalese communities. He traveled across the country, listening to stories and taking down notes in longhand later at home because he said people were shy speaking in front of a tape recorder. He was also a poet and his poetry has been described as being simple and poignant. While continuing to write, Kesar Lall pursued various jobs. In 1951, following the overthrow of the

regime and the installation of a new government, Kesar Lall secured a position as assistant private secretary to Prime Minister

Matrika Prasad Koirala Matrika Prasad Koirala ( ne, मातृका प्रसाद कोइराला ; 1 January 1912 – 11 September 1997) was the Prime Minister of Nepal for two terms from 16 November 1951 to 14 August 1952 and again from 15 June 1953 to ...

. He also worked for

BP Koirala Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala ( ne, विश्वेश्वरप्रसाद कोइराला; 8 September 1914 – 21 July 1982), (Nepali: 1971 B.S. Bhadra 24 - 2039 B.S Shrawan 6)better known as B. P. Koirala ( ne, बीपी ...

when he was home minister. Kesar Lall joined the US Embassy in Kathmandu in the late 1950s as advisor and translator where he remained until his retirement in 1985.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lall, Kesar 1926 births 2012 deaths People from Kathmandu Nepalese male poets Newar-language writers Nepali-language writers Folklorists 20th-century Nepalese poets 20th-century male writers Nepalese folklorists