The Early Life and Literary Journey of Vijay Malla

Vijay Bahadur Malla was born on Ashar 10, 1982, in Ombahal, Kathmandu. He was the second of four sons born to Riddhi Bahadur Malla and Ananda Kumari Malla.

When Vijay Malla was six months old, he moved to Kalaiya with his parents. At that time, his father, Riddhi Bahadur, had been appointed as a Subba by the Ranas and was stationed at the palace of Rajauta in Balewa, Kalaiya. This palace belonged to Rajauta Upendra Bikram Shah, the second brother of King Surendra. Consequently, Vijay Malla lived there with his parents for seven years.

Living in the palace, the Malla family enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle. Thus, Vijay Malla's early life was shaped by royal grandeur. During their stay, Urmila Rana, the eldest daughter of Juddha Shumsher, provided patronage to Vijay Malla. He would often say, 'I considered Urmila Aama as my mother after my own mother.'

Vijay Malla was a lively child, yet he remained simple, civilized, and sharp-witted. Following his interests and the demands of the time, he began his formal education at the age of four. He started by learning the alphabet on a black slate using brown clay dust, a task guided by his father, Riddhi Bahadur Malla.

See also

The Story of Vijay Malla's Father

Who are Vijay Malla and Narendra Raj Prasai?

Vijay Malla's formal tutor was an Indian named Nagina Prasad. Influenced by his tutor, Malla learned to speak Hindi at a young age. By childhood, he was proficient in three languages: Nepali, Newari, and Hindi. He also learned English from a young age.

Vijay Malla began his schooling at Durbar High School at the age of seven. By the age of 13, he occasionally wrote for wall magazines. The school had established various groups for students, and Malla was assigned to the 'Shukra Mandal,' which published a handwritten magazine.

The incident occurred when a Rana's son was placed in Malla's seat, and Malla was moved to another bench. This event ignited a fire of anger within him.

Initially, he served on the editorial board of the magazine, and the following year, he was elected as the editor. Before becoming editor, he had already published his story in the magazine. His story titled 'Dui Pasale,' published in 1995, is considered his first literary work.

During his time at Durbar High School, his close friends included Maniraj Upadhyaya, Gundev Bhattarai, and Nandadev Bhattarai. Malla was one of the most active students in the school. He was known for his fair, fearless, and straightforward nature. He helped dismantle the discriminatory practices between the sons of Ranas and commoners at the school.

The incident occurred when a Rana's son was placed in Malla's seat, and Malla was moved to another bench. This event ignited a fire of anger within him. Malla slapped the Rana's son in front of the teacher who had moved him. The teacher then dragged Malla by the ear to the Headmaster, Sardar Rudra Raj Pandey. The Headmaster ruled that it was not appropriate to punish students for minor quarrels.

Nevertheless, Malla's actions caused a stir in the school, eventually breaking down the barriers between the sons of Ranas and the public. Later, Malla developed a good relationship with that same Rana's son. Having grown up under the patronage and lifestyle of the Ranas, Malla did not view the 'Rana' status as superior.

Vasudev Bhattarai was also one of Vijay Malla's teachers at Durbar High School. Once, while in the seventh grade, Malla was drawing a portrait of Vasudev Guru while he was teaching. Bhattarai caught him, called him over, and asked, 'What are you drawing, Malla? Let me see.' When Malla showed him the portrait, Bhattarai was delighted.

Bhattarai then said, 'Show this to your friends, you rascal!' The class erupted in laughter upon seeing the drawing. Seeing the students laugh, Bhattarai sternly remarked, 'This Malla could become a great artist, do you understand? There is no need to mock him.' Bhattarai always encouraged Malla, whom he addressed as 'Baje' (grandfather).

Vijay Malla studied at Durbar High School from 1989 to 1997. During his time, there was no tradition of taking the Matriculation examination in Nepal.

Vijay Malla was very active in painting during his adolescence. Impressed by his work, his father appointed Chandra Man Singh Maskey as his art teacher. Through his practice with Maskey, Malla refined his artistic skills. However, he did not pursue painting much in his later years. Nevertheless, on Chaitra 3, 2022, he drew a portrait of literary journalist Rochak Ghimire, which became his last formal painting.

Vijay Malla loved drama from childhood. He would set up curtains at home to perform plays for his parents. Regarding this, Riddhi Bahadur Malla once told Pandit Shyamdas Vaishnav, 'Vijay is destined to be a playwright. As a child, he used to set up curtains and play with puppets.'

Vijay Malla studied at Durbar High School from 1989 to 1997. During his time, there was no tradition of taking the Matriculation examination in Nepal. Therefore, he went to Banaras with his brother Govinda Bahadur Malla 'Gothale' to take the exam. They studied there for seven months and passed their Matriculation from Banaras Hindu University in 1999. Vijay Malla was seventeen at the time.

After passing Matriculation, Vijay Malla went to Kolkata with his brother Sharada Bahadur Malla for higher education. However, he did not settle there. Despite this, he stayed for three months due to his brother's affection before returning to Kathmandu.

Both Vijay Malla and Govinda Malla 'Gothale' had a passion for literature. They began studying I.A. at Tri-Chandra College. After one year, their father, Riddhi Bahadur Malla, forced them to enroll in the science stream at Tri-Chandra College. They had no interest in science, so they did not pass either I.A. or I.Sc.

Despite this, they never stopped writing. When Narendra Raj Prasai later asked Vijay Malla, 'Why didn't you focus on your studies?', he replied, 'I do regret leaving my studies. But the proverb that one learns more through experience than through books became a part of my life.' Although Vijay Malla did not attain higher academic degrees, seven scholars have earned PhDs on his works from universities in Nepal and India.