Gadul Singh Lama | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1939-06-15)15 June 1939 Gangtok, Kingdom of Sikkim |
| Died | 12 July 2025(2025-07-12) (aged 86) Siliguri, West Bengal, India |
| Other names | Sanu Lama |
| Occupations | Fictionist poet translator |
| Known for | Nepali literature |
| Parent(s) | Chandraman Ghising Phulmaya Ghising |
| Awards | Padma Shri Sahitya Akademi Award Sikkim Bhanu Puraskar Dr. Shova Kanti Thegim Smrithi Puraskar Madan Byakhanmala Puraskar |
Gadul Singh Lama (15 June 1939 – 12 July 2025), popularly known asSanu Lama, was an Indian fiction writer, poet and translator ofNepali literature. He was an engineer by profession. He published three short story anthologies and his stories have been translated into English, Hindi,Urdu, Assamese and Oriya languages.[1] He was a recipient ofSahitya Akademi Award (1993),[2] apart from other awards such as Sikkim Bhanu Puraskar, Dr. Shova Kanti Thegim Smrithi Puraskar and Madan Byakhanmala Puraskar.[1] TheGovernment of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of thePadma Shri, in 2005, for his contributions to literature.[3]
Gadul Singh Lama was born on 15 June 1939 inGangtok, in what is now the Northeast Indian state ofSikkim (but thenKingdom of Sikkim) to Chandraman Ghising and Phulmaya Ghising.[1] After matriculating from the Sir Tyashi Namgyal High School (present dayTashi Namgyal Academy) in 1956 and, getting selected for the education initiative as a part of the7 Year Development Programme of the government, secured a diploma in Engineering from MBC Institute of Engineering,Burdwan in West Bengal, in 1959. Later, he joined the Sikkim State government service as an engineer and served there for 38 years before superannuating as the Chief Engineer.[1]
Lama started writing from his school days and is reported to have been inspired by one of his teachers,Rashmi Prasad Alley, a writer and one of the pioneers ofNepali education in Sikkim.[4] His first article was published inChangya, a local literary magazine.[5] He published his first short story anthology,Katha Sampad, in 1971,[6] composed of stories such asSwasni Manchey,Khani Tarma Ekdin,Phurbhale Gaun Chadyo andAsinapo Manchey, which has since been selected as a prescribed text for the civil services examination of theUnion Public Service Commission.[7] This was followed byGojika in 1981 andMrigatrishna in 1993, the latter winning him theSahitya Akademi Award for the year.[2] He has also written an autobiographical novel,Himalchuli Manitira, a travelogue,Aangan Paratira, a poem anthology,Jahan BagcchaTista Rangit and two translated religious works,Bhagawan Bhiddha Jeewan ra Darshan andGuru Padmasambhava.[1]
Sanu Lama was one of the founders of theBhartiya Nepali Rashtriya Parishad and served as its secretary on its inception. He was a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of theNational Book Trust (NBT) and served as the general secretary of theNepali Sahitya Parishad Sikkim, an autonomous literary organisation under theGovernment of Sikkim.[1] He was associated with the Sikkim Akademi,[5] was a onetime member of the Advisory Board for Nepali literature of theSahitya Akademi and the president of the Himalayan Writers' Forum.[6] Besides the 1993Sahitya Akademi Award, he received awards such as Sikkim Bhanu Puraskar, Dr. Shova Kanti Thegim Smrithi Puraskar and Madan Byakhanmala Puraskar.[1] The Government of India included him in the 2005Republic Day Honours list for the civilian honour of thePadma Shri.[3] He lived inGangtok, the capital ofSikkim, India.[6]
Lama died inSiliguri on 12 July 2025, at the age of 86.[8]
