Nepali Mahila : Hisila Yami

Central Committee Member, Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)
Member, Constituent Assembly
Former Minister for Culture and Tourism
Born in 1959, in Kathmandu
Hailing from a traditional Newar society, Hisila Yami has become an off-the-beaten-track role model for Nepali women in many ways. Credit goes to her 'rebellious' father and her affiliation with the Maoist party.
She was born on 25 June, 1959, the last of seven children in the upper middle class family of Dharma Ratna Yami in Naradevi of Kathmandu. She grew up in a lavish environment as the last daughter of a large family.
Yami's father, Dharma Ratna, was a political figure and party meetings were frequently held in her home. She overheard a lot from their talks and understood the political situation as well as her father's personal views. But Ratna never tried to politicize his children and instead used to joke that all his siblings were from a Science background, but that he, as a politician, had better knowledge. Indeed, he had written over two-dozen books by that time.
Ratna was very liberal-minded and deliberately kept his children away from religion. He did not bother taking all his daughters through the "Ihi" and "Baray" (religious rites of marrying a girl to a wood apple and closing a girl child to a room to teach her about her body changes), traditions considered a must in Newar society. This was a kind of eye-popping revolution in the conservative cultural setting of the Newar community. Her mother bore the brunt of much criticism and was warned no Newar families would be ready to accept her girls as daughters-in-law as a result. "I can bet my father was more revolutionary in many ways than the Communists of those days," Yami said.
But Ratna preferred not to be labelled a Communist or a Democrat. Instead he was a person who "belonged to everyone, belonged to none". All honoured him, but nobody gave him any position of authority, so, as a result, he was used by the king. "He was a die-hard anti-Rana revolutionist, but his strength fell apart after King Tribhuwan drew his attention."
Yami joined Kanya Mandir High School in her neighbourhood. Her mother passed away when she was only ten years old and her sisters took care of her, especially her youngest sister Timila who was like a mother for her. Yami joined Kendriya Vidhyalaya of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1971. The school taught her the qualities of being dashing, sporty, extroverted and revolutionary, as well as being a lover of culture. "I love sports and live culture. I used to sing a lot. I would have become an artist if I were not married to Dr Baburam," she said in a jolly mood.
A good number of Nepalese lived in Kanpur, but all were very poor and working there as porters or gatekeepers. Yami's sensitive heart lead her to ask herself why it happened only in Nepal that people were not allowed to live a dignified life. The bitter reality of class difference deeply touched her conscience and she was thus drawn to Marxism.
Yami was an average student but possessed talent in cultural and other extracurricular activities. Her sister suggested she study Architecture in order to tap in to her creativity.
She completed her schooling in 1975 and joined the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi to obtain her Bachelor of Architecture. The atmosphere in the college gave her insight into societal hierarchy and inspired a devotion to bridging the gap between the rich and poor.
It was at college in 1977 when she first came into contact with Baburam Bhattarai, who was there to complete his master's degree. She was impressed with Bhattarai as he knew of the pathetic state in which Nepalese were living in the streets and he possessed a great deal of knowledge about her father and his contributions. "Meeting with Baburam was a qualitative leap in my life," Yami said.
They soon became good friends. He saw in her an interest in learning new things and was impressed by her political orientation. They worked together for the Nepali Ekata Samaj, an organization for low-class Nepali people working in different parts of India. Their friendship eventually turned into a marriage in 1981. Local Swami Agnivesh, a leader for the bonded labours movement, helped them marry.
Yami was busy in organizational tasks after the marriage, such as organizing Nepali students in India, mainly through Akhil Bharatiya Nepali Bidhyarthi Sangh, of which, she was general secretary between 1981 and 1982. She had obtained membership of the Nepal Communist Party by that time.
She returned to Nepal with the purpose of expanding the organization. To do this she had to take a professional track. She began teaching at the Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, as a lecturer between 1983 and 1996. Teaching was only a platform to unite fellow left-wing people.
Yami was initially a district committee member of the party and worked as the central chairperson of the All Nepal Women's Association (Revolutionary) up until the People's War was finally waged.
Yami completed her Masters in Architecture from the United Kingdom's University of Newcastle in 1995. "It was a bit difficult but study and work for the movement, but both went side-by-side in my life," she said.
When the party decided to launch the People's War, Yami became a full-time member. She was working for the International and Immigration Department and was a member of the regional bureau in the party. She was also editing the publication of the Camposa. She was made a central committee member in the national congress in 2000. She gained popularity among cadres as Comrade Parvati, a sportive leader who could adjust to any kind of person or situation. Although Yami was not physically involved in the war or military operations, she worked actively during this period and, in such, due credit of the movement's result must go to her.
"It was quite difficult for a husband and a wife to work together for the party. We were more guided by thoughts than sentiments and, obviously, contradictions erupted now and then," she said, adding that despite this, the contradictions lead to a greater commitment to work hard for the party and Nepal.
Yami suffered serious depression when she was first forced to go underground, as she was doing her best in the streets and was a young and energetic activist. She felt party work was shrinking and that she had lost her identity. When mobility was restricted she went first to Pokhara and then India. She was an extrovert and keeping her mouth shut was difficult.
People from society's low class generally join Communist movements and criticize higher classes, both within the party and outside. This may explain why her commitment and loyalty to the party came under question several times, so much so the party took action against her in 2005. Instead of generating prejudice against the party, she concentrated on party literature and waited for justice. The party's Chunwang Meeting finally unified all doctrines and forces. "Question marks are okay. But nobody could chase me out because of my family background. There was no chance of being not accepted," she said.
Women are not easily accepted in politics. Men tend to underestimate women and their contributions, a natural reaction in a country in which a feudal or patriarchal setting governs society. In comparison with others, the CPN (Communist Party of Nepal) - Maoist is considered a party which is liberal to women. "Women are given special rights and more women have come to upper levels of leadership. We honour women militants. But, still, I have to admit that women are not all equally treated in the party. The reflection of feudal thinking is still there somewhere," she said.
The People's War overthrew the monarchy. The Maoists entered legislative parliament and then the government. But they were faced with much opposition. Parties and people were not ready to accept transformation of the Maoists into a political force.
After a decade working underground Yami appeared in public on 18 June, 2003, as negotiations between the government and Maoists formally took shape. Understandably, most Maoist leaders did not possess the skills necessary to face other political forces, international institutions, and the press. Yami, however, had an understanding of different ideologies and an exposure to the international scene prior to the party's formation, which is why she did not have to 'come out of the den'. She felt very comfortable when she met different people and listened to their criticism and expectations.
Yami had been attached to the women's rights movement from the beginning of her political life. Through the All Nepal Women's Association (Revolutionary) she spread messages of women's rights and gender equality, and generated the masses' opinions on the need to fight against the century-old patriarchal ideology. Yami faced criticism from within her party as her way of thinking differed from most. She said, "I have conceived a difference between women's thoughts of yesterday and those held today. These days we have to go to totality. We cannot survive as extremists in the 21st century. So, we need to leave outdated ideology behind and collaborate with men for overall women's emancipation."
She added that many women cannot come out of their homes even though they have the zeal and capacity to do something for society. "In my case, my husband has been very accommodative and supportive to me".
Yami became Minister of Physical Planning and Works in the interim government on 1 April, 2007. Along with her many other achievements, she is often remembered for her political and diplomatic decision to end the deadlock preventing the Melamchi Drinking Water Project to go ahead. Taking control of the situation she tactfully brought the Asian Development Bank to Nepali people's interest and made the donors happy.
After winning the election from Kathmandu Constituency No. 7 in April 2008, she is now a member of the Constituent Assembly. She again joined the government led by Maoist chairman Prachanda on 18 August, 2008 as the Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation. Her radical approach to reform the tourism sector was well recognized. She has also proved herself to be a role model as a well-rounded and fearless politician by bungee jumping at the age of 50.
Yami has now become an advocate of Newa Autonomous Region. She believes we cannot forget our ethnic identity when we restructure the country. "The Kathmandu Valley and surrounding area is undoubtedly the civilization of the Newars. And the new state formation must not overlook this truth. But, she warned, "This does not mean that we can forget the reality today. By giving honor to the age-old civilization of the valley, all should live in this valley in social, religious, cultural and ethnic harmony". She also believes Kathmandu has been overloaded with centralized development and the concept of decentralization of the administrative hub should be introduced, perhaps by relocating the capital.
She has authored and co-authored several books, such as Adha Akash Adha Dharti (1991), Adhikar: Demystification of Law for Nepali Women (1993), Marxbad ra mahila mukti in and People's War and Women's Liberation in Nepal (both 2006).
Yami believes society and the party have given her a lot. "I have not been able to return. Now I should give all (back) - my studies, my struggles and my achievements. I should contribute from all aspects."
Even though she has now left the government, Yami has become more involved in party organization. Still, she believes now is the time for her to review her struggles and achievements. "I once made up my mind to write an autobiography but I could not concentrate. Now, I believe that the right time has come," she said.

Written by Razen Manandhar.
http://web.archive.org/web/20141011002255/http://www.wwj.org.np:80/mahila/profile_hishila_yami.html