‘I am not afraid of death’, the centenarian Satyamohan Joshi once said in a meeting with Ratopati. Maybe that’s why he managed to live longer than normal people, i.e. to the age of 103 years. Joshi, who was born on 30 Baisakh, 1930, had said about his death in Ratopati’s ‘Mero Jeevan’ column 4 years ago, i.e. on 24 October 2075, ‘Death is inevitable. It is a regular contingency. I am not afraid of death. Joshi, who believed in visions, was not afraid of death but wanted an easy death, died at Kist Medical College, Lalitpur at 7:09 am on Sunday.
Joshi’s tragic death has caused an irreparable loss to Nepali literature and culture. Senior writer Sriom Shrestha Rodan says that there is no one who has contributed as much as him to folk literature and folk culture. Yes, it may take several years for an ideal personality like him to be born.
In the Newari culture, Joshi was considered as an ‘encyclopedia’. There are very few people who have as much knowledge about Nepali culture as he can connect mountains, hills and plains.
His death will leave a big gap in Nepali language, Nepali literature, Nepali art, Nepali culture. He was the only person revered by Nepalis all over the world. He was an ideal man of Nepal not only in terms of knowledge, but also in behavior, sincerity, respectful behavior towards everyone, etc.
Lately, ‘Satyamohan Joshi Folk Literature Building’ has been built in his residence. Joshi himself had handed over the land for the construction of that building to the Loksahitya Parishad. A building has been built there. A currency museum, a ticket museum, and a museum of paintings have been built.
Rodan says that the paintings that have almost disappeared in that building are being made by experts for the last two years. Even though it has reached its final stage, Joshi’s death left it incomplete.
“If it had been completed, it would have become a model painting for the whole world,” says Rodan, “a tantric painting was being created in it for the study of painting.” A few days ago, Rodan was told this while taking a team of Bangladeshi writers.
Recently, Lalitpur Municipal Corporation has published four books called ‘City of Traditional Dance, Drama and Music’ by Joshi. Apart from this, he has published 10 works of management and research, five plays, two poems and five story collections and about 50 works in Newari language.
Joshi, who especially likes to study the rural environment, went to different villages of Nepal and wrote a book called ‘Lok Sanskriti’ after collecting Virhi songs. This book Received first Madan Award in 2013.
Similarly, he also studied and researched the currencies used in Nepal since the Lichchavik period in modern Nepal. And he wrote the book ‘Nepal Rashtriya Mudra’. Through this, he received Madan Award for the second time in 2017. While staying at Nepal Pragya Pratishthan, he went to Sinja, the birthplace of Nepali language and studied Nepali language culture and published the book ‘Karnali Folk Culture’. It also won the Madan Award. In this way, he has become the only person in Nepali literature who has received the Madan Award three times.
In recognition of his contribution to Nepali language, arts, culture preservation, culture preservation, promotion and development, Suprabal Gorkha Dakshinbahu famous Trishakti Patta, Adikavi Bhanubhakta Award, Kathmandu University University awarded him Honorary Scholarship, Nepal Government honored him with Ujjal Kirtiman Rashtradeep.
Joshi spent most of his life in study and research and with the experience of holding an important post of the nation, he was a living history. Joshi, who never tired of studying the culture of Nepal, had the ability to answer immediately if he had any doubts about the culture.
According to Girish Giri, the author of the autobiographical book ‘Satyamohan’, Satyamohan was an exemplary personality who was brought to different areas of the nation and received by our generation. He believes that he is the person who can directly tell the history since 1977.
Joshi always enjoyed his Nepali identity. Even in public events, he was always dressed in Nepali dress, suruwal and hat. There are many examples of people who did not leave their identity not only in their country but also in foreign travel. It can also be understood that he had a deep love for his nationality.
He was equally interested not only in Nepali dress but also in Nepali cuisine. Simple Nepalese food, dal, vegetables were his favorite food.
Joshi was not so successful in living for 103 years. The secret behind it is his fitness. Even in his old age, he used to walk inside the house every day. People used to think about how to stay healthy. Pir did not worry about anything.
He had a special interest in studies. He also has a library in his own house. There is an account of how many books he studied. This is also explained by the fact that there is no account of the books in the private library of his house.
He could not be so happy with the current technology. Therefore, although the Lalitpur Metropolitan Corporation provided mobile phones with SIM cards, they did not use them. Since he does not use mobile phone, many people used to go to his house to contact him. He used to watch television sometimes. News was his priority.
He used to live in Bakhumbahal, Lalitpur, which was built during the Malla period. Where there used to be a Buddhist monastery. His father bought this land after the king died before completing the Buddhist temple. His dream was to see Nepal become green. He wanted to see the happiness and prosperity of all Nepalis. For which he even said that a book like ‘My Country, My Mission’ should be written.
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