Very few of the younger generations of Nepalis who identify this name with the cooperative campaign in Nepal know that he was a political activist, reformer and development activist who lost two of his sons in political struggles, and contributed to the early settlement in Chitwan.
Bakhan and his family were forced to migrate to Chitwan from Pulimarang of Tanahun district as recurring droughts and excessive rainfall in 1955 failed agriculture, disturbed livelihoods, and made life unbearable in the mid-hill region. Many families from Tanahun, Lamjung, Gorkha and surrounding districts migrated to Chitwan, defying malaria, wild animals and dacoits. The fear of malaria was so pervasive that people used to say, 'If one even points a finger towards Chitwan, saying, ‘that is Chitwan, the finger would fall off.
However, in his recent fictional book 'Bakhan', Basanta Parajuli reveals that the death of his younger son created the background for the migration of the Gurung family. Dharma Dhwoj Gurung, who was later announced a martyr by the government, was killed by the army during the Bandipur protests against the Rana autocracy. "Losing a son at a very young age sent me into a state of severe grief. My daughter-in-law Hasta Kumari began to lapse into silence one moment and break down in distress the next. Then the family decided to leave their ancestral residence, Pulimarang, and move somewhere else." Basanta gives Bakhan his voice in the novel.
That 'somewhere' was Chitwan. Braving the extreme heat, wild animals, food and logistic scarcity, and mortal fear of malaria, the Gurung family establishes domicile on the banks of a small stream – Deuti Khola in the eastern part of Narayangadh, which then featured only a few thatched houses. It was common to encounter a tiger, a rhino, an elephant or a cheetah in the surroundings of Narayangadh and Bharatpur during those days. It was equally common to die of malaria – Bakhan's grandson succumbed to the disease.
Challenges were innumerable: the settlers faced severe challenges, particularly in housing and coordination for development. Although small loans were provided, repayment was difficult. Bakhan, with the support from the Rapti Valley Development Project (RVDP), conceptualised a cooperative model to pool skills, labour and capital for mutual benefit, leading to the establishment of Bakhan Cooperative on April 2, 1957. This was the first cooperative organisation in Nepal.
Although the Department of Cooperatives was established in 1954, the first cooperative was launched three years later at a place that was lagging much behind the Kathmandu Valley or any other townships in the Tarai region. The country now has more than 34,000 cooperatives of various natures in several sectors. So, readers might take the historical initiative as just a 'stand-alone' social initiative. Bakhan Cooperatives began with 60 members in Bakhanpur – now Sharadanagar in Bharatpur Metropolis, and outgrown by newer ones in terms of membership base and capital expansion. But its historical importance outweighs its financial scale. Today, a cooperative museum stands on its land.
Basanta chronicles beautifully how this ex-army personnel acted as a bridge between the settlers and the state or the RVDP, which was implemented with the assistance of the United States of America. He mentions that Bakhan himself suggested that King Mahendra roll out a development plan for a greater Rapti Valley. In response, the king implemented the resettlement plan for the entire Tarai region – from Mechi to Mahakali. His love to education resulted in the establishment of schools in modern-day Sharadanagar.
The other-half of Bakhan's personality was characterised by political activism. He was a committed member of the Nepali Congress and participated in the anti-Rana struggle, and also in the armed resistance against the Panchayat System. He paid a heavy price for it - he lost his second son during the armed resistance against the Panchayat System. The government confiscated all of his family's assets and his house was set on fire by the army. He fled to Narkatiyagunj in India and was later joined by his family as well.
But in his eighties, Bakhan was appointed a minister by the king. Despite imprisonment, exile and the confiscation of property, he continued to serve the nation. He later became a member of the National Panchayat and served as Minister for Law, Justice and Land Reform in his eighties. He passed away in 1985 while still in office.
Basanta has chronicled the details of political involvements of Bakhan, hardships the family underwent and the political deviation from the democratic system to the single-party Panchayat system. Armed war to win Bharatpur and Bakhan's underground manoeuvres give the readers a feel of a thriller fiction. Several feature films or documentaries could be produced from the stories told in the novel. It is a sad part of life and the story of the cooperative pioneer that his political contributions remain highly under-recognised. In this regard, Basanta's 'Bakhan' is a treasure as it extensively tells that untold story.
Another strength of the book is the documentation of cultural aspects of Gurung and Tharu communities, as well as the historical tales of Upardang Gadhi, formerly the district headquarters of Chitwan, and the migration of people from mid-hill to Tarai. A chapter in the novel also deals with how Chitwan got its name. The book begins with the final rites of Bakhan as performed by his grandson Chandra Dhwoj Gurung and immediately flashes back to the childhood of Bakhan in Pulimarang. Then the story moves ahead, surprising and perplexing the readers while giving goosebumps as it tells the story of armed struggle, encounters with mighty wild animals and underground politics.
It is a testament to a person's ideals who happened to be a pioneer in multiple sectors – including society, economy, development and politics. After reading the book, a realisation comes that such a person was pushed to oblivion, probably because he quit the democratic Nepali Congress to join the autocratic king in the later days of the Panchayat system.
The book is a creation that falls somewhere between fiction and non-fiction. Most of the events are part of history but Basanta has added fictional flavours to some of them. Simple language and natural flow of the story have made the book readable. For those who want to know the history of cooperatives, the creation of modern Chitwan, political struggles during the Panchayat era and feel the ruthless treatment of the political activists by the army, this book will prove a gift.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily's Friday Supplement on 2 January 2026.
