Pratek Man Tuladhar () (1924–1991) was a

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

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. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possible ...

. Born in

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

into a family of hereditary merchants, he spent his youth in

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

, 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, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, 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 Triratna Man Tuladhar () (1905-1986) was one of the largest People of Nepal, Nepalese traders in traditional Tibet and the president of the Nepalese Chamber of Commerce, Lhasa in the 1940s. Early life Triratna Man (alternative name: Lhandur) w ...

and mother Punya Maya

Kansakar 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. Tod ...

. 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 Tibet (after Lha ...

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 popul ...

besides

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

and

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

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 Nepalis, Nepalese merchants conducted trade between Nepal, Tibet and Ben ...

merchants. The historical trade ended after the

caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

route linking India and Tibet through

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

was shut down by the

Sino-Indian War The Sino–Indian War, also known as the China–India War or the Indo–China War, was an armed conflict between China and India that took place from October to November 1962. It was a military escalation of the Sino–Indian border dispu ...

in 1962. After returning to Nepal, he devoted his time to serving

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. He acted as a translator for Tibetan

lama Lama () is a title bestowed to a realized practitioner of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Not all monks are lamas, while nuns and female practitioners can be recognized and entitled as lamas. The Tibetan word ''la-ma'' means "high mother", ...

s translating their sermons into the local language, besides writing articles on Buddhism for magazines.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuladhar, Pratek Man 1924 births 1991 deaths People from Kathmandu Nepalese merchants Nepalese Buddhists Philatelists Newar-language writers Newar people Nepalese expatriates in China