About Pratiman Chand Bohara

Born in a small village called Aglung, in the neighboring district of Gulmi, the late Pratiman Chand Bohara had a remarkable career. He was a freedom fighter in the democratic liberation movement of 1950 and later was appointed governor of the Pyuthan region. He commanded a liberation troop in and around the area of Palpa and Butwal district and worked to defend the newly liberated regional government.

In addition to being a man with a military career and civil administration, he was passionate about socio-economic causes and local development. He engaged himself in various forms of development work that included road building, establishment of the first high school in the region, and always believed in decentralization, self-reliance, and community development through local resources and volunteerism.

He saw fundamental flaws in overly centralized administrative system and regional neglect, and warned of a growing resentment with consequences. His view to integrate the Hill and the Terai people for common welfare and national integrity was far ahead of his time.

He expressed his far-reaching visionary ideas in the form of letters and diaries, which were discovered after 50 years. The summary of the letters and memos was published in Kathmandu Post and Kantipur. This became an inspiration for a biographical book on his life.

PN Foundation's Humble Beginning

The inspiration for the NM Foundation began with an event involving the grandchild Sudeep Chand Bohara's brief appearance on a local kid's news program in 1999. Ten years old Sudeep, selected for a "Kids on the News" program in Albuquerque New Mexico, expressed his pride in his family heritage and spoke proudly of his governor grandfather Pratiman Chand Bohara.

Inspired by this event, his parents Alok and Sujata Bohara began to dig up the geneology of the Bohara family, and started cataloging Pratiman's old writings. Various reading sessions with the visiting family members such as, Vijaya KC, Deepak Bohara, Prashant Bohara, Rup Khadka, Joel Garrett and Jenny Garrett in Albuquerque began to arouse a collective interest among the Bohara clan for a need to document a book on Pratiman's legacy. A summary article, published in the Kathmandu Post by Alok Bhara, became a basis for a book project on Pratiman Bohara's life history. Eventually the idea of a Foundation was born to perform social work to advance the legacy of Pratiman Chand Bohara.

The following clip shows Sudeep Bohara's 30-second news clip.

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