By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Gopi Narayan Pradhan, a renowned city- based teacher of Nepali and a poet, who passed away on Friday at Nazareth Hospital is fondly remembered by his colleagues, friends, students and well wishers in the city.
A Sahitya Akademi Award winner 2011, he was a lively person and was committed to teaching till the very last day of his life.
Principal, St Anthony’s College Father I Warpakma,said, “He was an excellent person, a renowned author, a great personality and a very warm educationist who taught with love. He was very friendly with his students and was very much loved by students and teachers.”
“He retired from this college after serving for 35 years. But he still continued to teach in a sanctioned post thereafter in the college for another eleven years,” said Father Warpakma adding he was in service at the time of his death. The college staff visited Mr Pradhan during his hospitalization and in his funeral.
National Award Winner and Member, Nepali Sahitya Parishad (NSP) SP Adhikary said that Prof Pradhan was the founder president of NPS since its inception till date. “It is an irreparable loss and the vacuum cannot be filled. We writers and poets are indebted to him since he always encouraged us and lead us from front,” said Mr Adhikary who was a student of Prof Pradhan. “He used to tell us that we should know our mother tongue and one who does not know his mother tongue has no right to say that we are a teacher or poet,” he said recalling the words of Prof Pradhan adding that the whole Nepali community is bereaved with his demise.
Pradhan was born in January 7, 1935 in Darjeeling. After his MA he taught Nepali and was a teacher of Gorkha Secondary School, Upper Shillong. A great poet, he had under his belt, Esto Bhul Kurecha (1978), Biborton (2000), Akasle Pani Thau Fozirahicha (2007) among many others.
He received the Sahitya Akademi Award 2011 for Akasle Pani Thau Fozirahicha.