Dharma Ratna Yami

Dharma Ratna Yami (Devanagari: धर्म रत्न यमि) (born Dharma Ratna Tuladhar) (18 August 1915 – 10 September 1975) was a Nepalese social activist, author and government deputy minister known for his radical views on social mores.

He changed his surname to Yami (meaning an inhabitant of Kathmandu in Nepal Bhasa) to avoid confusion with another Dharma Ratna when a Buddhist monk asked them which was which.

Yami was born to father Bhawani Ratna and mother Devi Maya Tuladhar at Asan Kamalachhi (Newari: कमलाछि), Kathmandu. His was an affluent merchant family which was made penniless after the government confiscated their property for failing to fulfill a procurement contract. Yami was schooled at home. In 1930, he traveled to Lhasa and worked in the business house of Dharma Man Tuladhar. In Tibet, he came in contact with Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan; and under his influence and inspiration, he studied books on various subjects and began writing himself.

Returning to Kathmandu in 1937, he joined the democracy movement against the autocratic Rana regime. He was arrested in 1940 and sentenced to 18 years in prison and his property was impounded. Following his release after serving five years, he married Heera Devi Kansakar. On 15 August 1947, both Yami and his wife were arrested for organizing a meeting to mark India's independence from Britain. Yami's wife was freed after a few days while he remained in jail for six more months.

In 1948, he became a founder member of the Nepal Democratic Congress Party which was for overthrowing the Rana regime by any means, including armed uprising. In 1950, it combined with the Nepali National Congress and became the Nepali Congress which launched an armed struggle against the Ranas. Yami was arrested again and spent 16 months behind bars. He was freed in February 1951 after the Rana regime was abolished and democracy established in Nepal.

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