JHAPA, JANUARY 21
Once a care giver of inmates' children, Indira Ranamangar has become the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.
A resident of Salbadi from Ward No 11 of Arjundhara in Jhapa, Ranamagar, has two schools and 10 child care centres under her guardianship. In the centres, as many as 2,000 children of inmates from various districts such as Jhapa and Palpa are receiving care and education at Ranamagar's initiative.
Fifty-two-year-old Ranamagar is the youngest child born to Pratap Ranamagar and Manmaya Ranamagar in 1970. She began taking care of inmates' children in two rented rooms in Kathmandu 22 years ago.
The deputy speaker was inspired by renowned litterateur Parijat, who had given her protection when she moved to Kathmandu for studies, Ranamagar got enrolled in Grade IV at the age of 12 in Maharanigunj Primary School, Arjundhara, according to her elder brother Jagat Ranamagar.
Deputy Speaker Ranamagar holds an MA degree in Sociology. She has a daughter.
She also worked as a volunteer at a humanitarian association run by Parijat. She found the children of prisoners in a sorry state when she visited a jail along with Parijat.
Following this visit, Ranamagar set up Bandi Sahayata Nepal (Prisoners' Aid Nepal) in 2000 and operated child care centres in Jhapa, Palpa, Kathmandu, and other places.
According to Ranjit Pariyar, principal at Junkiri Basic School run by Ranamagar in Jhapa, she set up two schools to educate prisoners' children.
It has not been long that Chairperson of Bandi Sahayata Nepal Indira Ranamagar joined politics. She had not been a party member till the formation of Rastriya Swatantra Party.
When RSP Chairperson Rabi Lamichhane urged her to join politics from social service, Ranamagar was reluctant in the beginning. After she was persuaded by the RSP chair, she joined the party.
She was elected member to the House of Representatives under PR election from the RSP. In her very short political journey, she has become deputy speaker of HoR.
In 2005, Ranamagar got the prestigious Ashoka Fellowship, and the 'Asia People's Service' award in 2009. In 2014, Ranamagar got the prestigious 'World Children Honorary Award'.
BBC News Service included her in the list of world's creative women in 2017.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 22, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
