Shanti Mishra (; 1938–2019) was a Nepali lecturer, librarian, writer and translator. She was the first Nepali female full-time lecturer and first Nepali female librarian. She was the first female librarian of
Tribhuvan University Central Library
Tribhuvan University Central Library ( ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय केन्द्रीय पुस्तकालय, ''Tribhuvan Biswabidyalaya Kendriya Pustakalaya'') is the largest public library ...
. She also served as the founding director of
PEN chapter of Nepal.
Early life and education

Mishra was born on 22 June 1938 (7 Ashadh 1995
BS) in
Jhochhen,
Kathmandu
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, as the eldest daughter to father Janaki Lal Shrestha and mother Krishna Devi Shrestha. She had one younger brother and a younger sister.
She received her IA and BA degree from
Scottish Church College, Calcutta and an MA degree in history from
Calcutta University. In 1959, when the
Tribhuvan University Central Library
Tribhuvan University Central Library ( ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय केन्द्रीय पुस्तकालय, ''Tribhuvan Biswabidyalaya Kendriya Pustakalaya'') is the largest public library ...
was established, she received an opportunity to study library science in USA. She received an MA degree in library science from George Peabody Library School,
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
.
Professional career

She returned to Nepal in 1962. She was appointed as the Chief Librarian of TU Central Library on 1 May 1963 (18 Baisakh 2020 BS). The library was initially at
Tripureshwor and shifted to
Kirtipur in 1967. During a visit by British educationalists in her tenure in 1969, the library was announced as "almost unique in Southeast Asia". The visit was covered by the BBC and the library became a token of pride in the country. She worked in
Tribhuvan University for three decades.
She, with her husband wrote a book on library science titled ''Pustakalaya Bigyan ko Ruprekha''. The book was published in . She then wrote a memoir ''Voice of Truth: The Challenges and Struggles of a Nepalese Woman'', depicting the hardships of a woman in South-Asia. The book was published in 1994. She also wrote ''Tri. Vi. Kendriya Pustakalaya ko Gaurabshali Kahani ra Hamro Sewa'', a book on the history of TU Central library, co-written with her husband. She retired in .
She also served as the Member-Secretary of the International Women's Year Committee of Nepal in 1975. She was one of the signing member for the establishment of the PEN chapter in Nepal alongside prominent writers such as
Greta Rana,
Toya Gurung
Toya Gurung ( ne, तोया गुरुङ) is a Nepali writer and poet. She served as the first female executive member of the Royal Nepal Academy. She headed the poetry department of Nepal Academy from 1994 to 2004. She has published multip ...
,
Ashesh Malla
Ashesh Malla ( ne, अशेष मल्ल; born 1954 in Dhankuta, Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रि ...
,
Bhuwan Dhungana
Bhuwan Dhungana (; born 2 August 1947) is a Nepali writer and poet. She is best known for her short story ''The Thousand Rupee Note'' which has also been translated into English and Urdu. Her first novel '' Parityakta'' was published in 2020.
Ea ...
,
Dhruba Chandra Gautam
Dhruba Chandra Gautam ( ne, ध्रुवचन्द्र गौतम) is a Nepalese novel writer. He has authored over 60 stories and novels most of which addresses contemporary social issues. He is known as ''Akhyan Purush''(towering per ...
, etc. She served as the founding director of the PEN International Nepal.
She also served as Chairman of
Martin Chautari, Advisor to the ''Sancharika Samuha'' (Women Media Group), UNESCO Consultant for the construction of a modern library in
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
in 1985 and the Vice-Chairman of the Rudra Raj Pandey Sahitya Sewa Samiti. Mishra was also an honorary member of the
United Nations Women's Organization and the Active Women of Nepal.
Bibliography
* ''Pustakalaya Bigyan ko Ruprekha'' (; , co-written with Narayan Mishra)
* ''Voice of Truth: The Challenges and Struggles of a Nepalese Woman'' (1994)
* ''A Widow's Gift'' (Novel, 2008)
* ''Tri. Vi. Kendriya Pustakalaya ko Gaurabshali Kahani ra Hamro Sewa'' (; 2018, co-written with Narayan Mishra)
Translation
* ''
Rupamati'' (1999, written by
Rudra Raj Pande)
Personal life and death

She married Narayan Mishra, a co-worker on 8 May 1970 (25 Baisakh 2027 BS). They had a daughter, born in 1971.
She moved to the US for her health treatment in June 2018 with her husband. She was suffering from gall bladder cancer. She died on 15 May 2019 (1 Jestha 2076 BS) in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
.
She is survived by her husband and her daughter.
Honours and legacy
She received the International Library Movement Award from India for her extraordinary contribution to the library sector. In 2010, a fund of NPR 433,000 was established to award Narayan-Shanti Mishra Gold Medal and Shanti-Narayan Mishra Gold Medal to the first place student at the postgraduate level in journalism and library science respectively in Tribhuvan University.
In 2021, her husband donated their book collection worth 3 million NPR to TU Central library. The donated 1670 books were displayed in the Library in the name of the Shanti Narayan Collection.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mishra, Shanti
1938 births
2019 deaths
People from Kathmandu
20th-century Nepalese women writers
21st-century Nepalese women writers
Nepalese translators
20th-century Nepalese educators
21st-century Nepalese educators
Women librarians
University of Calcutta alumni
Nepalese librarians
English-language writers from Nepal
Nepalese women novelists
Scottish Church College alumni
Vanderbilt University alumni