Ganesh Man Singh

The Story

Ganesh Man Singh is remembered as one of the most resolute and uncompromising leaders of Nepal’s democratic movement, earning him the honorific titles of “Supreme Leader” and, for many, the “Father of Democracy” in modern Nepal. Born in 1915 at Yetkha, Kathmandu, into a Newar family during the height of Rana autocracy, he grew up in a society where political dissent was criminalized. These conditions forged in him an intense intolerance of injustice from an early age, a trait that would define his entire public life. Singh first stepped into organized politics through the Praja Parishad, Nepal’s first political party. His activism led to life imprisonment, but he famously escaped from the high-security Bhadragol Jail and continued his struggle from exile in India. He was a central figure in the 1950-51 revolution and later served as a cabinet minister in the first elected government under B.P. Koirala. After the 1960 coup, he spent years in prison and exile, remaining an unyielding critic of the Panchayat system. His stature reached its zenith during the 1990 People’s Movement (Jana Andolan), where he unified the Nepali Congress and Left parties to bring down the Panchayat regime. In an act of unparalleled political selflessness, he declined King Birendra's offer to become Prime Minister, recommending his colleague Krishna Prasad Bhattarai instead. Known as the 'Iron Man' of Nepali politics, Singh’s legacy is defined by his unwavering courage and the belief that leadership is about service, not office.