Nai Academy Celebrates Vijay Malla's Centennial

After the establishment of the Nai Academy, this institution has not stopped honoring the luminaries of Nepali literature. In particular, the centennial years of some of them have not slipped away unnoticed. With Nai's conception and management, it has not lagged behind in conducting various programs in their names. Finally, in 2059 BS, the Balkrishna Sama Centennial Festival was celebrated in Nai's format.

Similarly, with Nai's initiative, the Devkota Centennial Festival was celebrated in 2065-66 BS. In the same vein, the first International Nepali Literature Conference was also completed through Nai. With Nai's conception and coordination, the Government of Nepal also formed the Bhanubhakta Bicentennial Celebration Committee in 2071 BS and grandly celebrated that festival at home and abroad.

It is Nai that has conceived the titles 'National Poet' for Madhav Ghimire, 'Global Woman Jewel of Nepali Literature' for Vanira Giri, celebrated the centennial of Dr. Satya Mohan Joshi and conferred upon him the title 'Literary Centennial Man', and awarded Prof. Dr. Basudev Tripathi the title 'Great Critic'. It must be written in history that Nai also awarded each of these four creators five lakh rupees along with the titles.

Not only that, but Nai is also the one that facilitated the conferment of the titles 'National Poet' and 'Literary Centennial Man' from the Government of Nepal. In addition, Nai is also the institution that will celebrate the Shyamdas Vaishnav Centennial Festival in 2081 BS. And in that series, the centennial festival of Vijay Malla was also celebrated by Nai Academy.

The renowned creator of Nepali language and literature, Vijay Malla, was born a hundred years ago. Born in 1982 BS, Malla's centennial festival should have been celebrated within 2082 BS. Nai had hoped that the institution established in Malla's name would celebrate the centennial festival. However, the institution appeared to be indifferent. No program of any kind was seen coming from anywhere during the centennial year of such a distinguished creator.

Therefore, the centennial year of an immortal scholar was about to slip away unnoticed. Nai, i.e., Narendraraj Prasai and Indira Prasai, began to contemplate, reflect, and discuss this matter. As a result, the proposal for the 'Vijay Malla Centennial Festival' reached Nai Academy, and everyone heartily welcomed it.

Vijay Malla is an immortal personality who made multifaceted creative contributions, just like the dramatic emperor Balkrishna Sama and the great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota. Therefore, Nai Academy decided to organize the centennial festival of the renowned playwright, novelist, and poet Vijay Malla. And Nai Academy began to plan various programs in this regard. Or rather, Nai became proactive in mind, speech, and action to celebrate the centennial year of the distinguished intellectual creator Malla.

On that occasion, Nai decided to organize a program for discussion about Malla, a ceremony about his personality and works, to publish books written about him, and to honor those who have done significant work in the study and research of his creative works, as well as in drama and film production, and to promote and enhance his creative contributions with awards and medals. In this context, the critical work 'Feminist Playwright Vijay Malla' by Dr. Sadhana Pant 'Pratikshya' was published, and this biographical work written by Narendraraj Prasai is also a gift of this occasion.

On the occasion of Vijay Malla's centennial festival by Nai Academy, seven creators from Nepal and India were awarded the 'Vijay Malla Nai Centennial Award' with a cash prize of twenty-five thousand rupees each and a copper plate for dedicating significant academic work to the study and doctoral research of Vijay Malla's creative contributions.

The scholars awarded with these prizes were Dr. Rama Shivakoti, Dr. Sadhana Pant 'Pratikshya', Dr. Lekhraj Khatiwada, Dr. Gopal Prasad Gaihre, Dr. Bhagwanchandra Gyawali, Dr. Nityananda Khatiwada, and Prof. Dr. Krishnaraj Ghataani.

On the occasion of Vijay Malla's centennial festival by Nai Academy, thirty-nine distinguished individuals were presented with the 'Vijay Malla Nai Centennial Medal' in a grand ceremony in Kathmandu for their significant contributions to the study and research of Vijay Malla's creative works, as well as for drama and film production based on his creative works.

The literary figures and artists honored with the 'Vijay Malla Nai Centennial Medal' were Anshumala Shahi, Krishna Malla, Prof. Keshav Subedi, Gautamratna Tuladhar, Chandramala Sharma, Chaityadevi, Tika Pahari, Prof. Dr. Dayaram Shrestha, Dr. Durgabahadur Ghartimagar, Prof. Dr. Deviprasad Gautam, Prof. Dr. Deviprasad Subedi, Nagina Joshi, Nagendra Thapa, Narayanadevi Pradhan, Neer Shah, Prem Bahadur Basnet, Bhuwan KC, Madandas Shrestha, Prof. Dr. Mahadeva Awasthi, Muralidhar, Motishobha Shrestha, Rabindra Khadka, Radheshyam Pradhan, Rita Devi Pradhan, Renu Shrestha, Laxmi Shrestha, Laxminath Sharma, Basanta Shrestha, Great Critic Prof. Dr. Basudev Tripathi, Shakuntala Sharma, Shiva Shrestha, Shailendra Simkhada, Santosh Pant, Suvarna Chhetri, Sushma Shahi, Suryamala Sharma, Haribahadur Thapa, Harihar Sharma, and Prof. Dr. Hemchandra Nepal.

Nai Academy was celebrating Vijay Malla's centennial festival with joy and enthusiasm according to its capacity. Upon hearing the news that the program organized by Nai was underway, Malla's younger daughter Professor Dr. Uma Shrestha and son-in-law Kushanarayan Shrestha also developed warm camaraderie with Nai. The contact with the Shrestha couple, who had never met, never seen, and never spoken to Nai, became a golden deed for that festival.

In reality, the devoted daughter and son-in-law also had eternal participation with Nai in that historic festival. The physical presence of Malla's middle daughter Rita Rajbhandari and youngest daughter Nina Khyaenju at the grand ceremony, which included the first day's discourse, created a distinct splendor, atmosphere, and situation. Throughout that day's program, these sisters were seen immersed, lost, and engrossed in their feelings for their father.