If the old adage is true, in the 52 years since Nepal entered the modern era, there certainly have been personalities who were born 'great', even more have had 'greatness' thrust upon them, while very few have achieved greatness. Rishikesh Shaha, who died of lung cancer on 15 November, 2002, definitely belonged to the last category. Politician, diplomat, scholar and human rights activist, he strode the Nepali national stage with a presence as large as his physical self and though there may have been reasons to disagree with him, he was someone who could certainly not be ignored.
Born in 1925 into the 'ruling' house of Bhirkot, one of the few mid-hills principalities then still given nominal recognition by the Nepali state, Shaha's accomplishments had very little to do with his relatively privileged background. It was through sheer force of talent, and sagacity in his later years, that he was able carve a place for himself in Nepal's history.
While I was working in this magazine, we used to describe Shaha as Nepal's scholar-statesman, and I doubt if there is any other Nepali who can share that designation with him. His career graph tells it all. Politically, he had reached the pinnacle at a very young age. He was a founding member of the Nepal Democratic Congress, one of the constituents which later became the Nepali Congress, the party that spearheaded the 1950-51 revolution against the Rana oligarchy to usher in democracy into Nepal.
During the first half of the turbulent 1950s, Shaha was in the thick of things. He became leader of the opposition in the 1952 Advisory Assembly (the 'little parliament') and was embroiled in the hurly burly of politicking that characterised the entire decade. But despite his deep involvement in the unprincipled politics of that period, he had already made a name for himself for his integrity and scholarship.