Dear Friends!
A year ago, while passing through Siliguri, India, I noticed a statue of a woman at a busy intersection. Traffic was moving too fast for me to stop and take a photograph, but something about her stayed with me.
For an entire year, that curiosity lingered.
This time, I returned with one purpose, to photograph her and discover the story behind the Monument .
The statue stands at Eastern Bypass More (Google Maps) one of Siliguri’s busiest crossroads.
This is a city of constant movement. Every day, thousands of people pass through on their way to Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, the railway station, markets, and the highways leading into the Himalayas.
It perfectly fits that Siliguri is called the Gateway to the Himalayas.
Amid this endless flow of buses, bicycles, taxis, and travellers sits a woman, quietly watching over the crossroads.
Many people hurry past every day without ever knowing her name. Yet for generations of Nepali readers, she remains one of the greatest literary voices of the Himalayas.
Every city has monuments to power.
Siliguri has a monument to literature.
Local residents still refer to this junction simply as “Parijat More” Long before GPS and navigation apps, this statue served as a familiar landmark when giving directions around the city a reminder that stories, too, can help people find their way
What makes this statue remarkable is that It is the statue of a woman writer. A woman whose physical world was confined to four walls, at just twenty six years of age, she was struck by severe paralysis. And For the rest of her life, she remained physically confined to a room, but the words she wrote crossed Himalayas, transcended borders, challenged social norms, and earned her an enduring place in literary history.
She is more than a statue.
Her name is Bishnu Kumari Waiba, known across the world by her pen name, Parijat (1937–1993).
Born in the hills of Darjeeling, Parijat became one of the most influential figures in modern South Asian literature.
Her life reminds us that extraordinary talent does not always emerge from great capitals or prestigious institutions. Sometimes it rises from a small mountain town and echoes across borders.
Parijat’s greatness lies not only in what she wrote, it lies in what she overcame.
Pause for a moment and imagine that.
In an era when society often dismissed women and especially a woman living with a severe physical disability Parijat refused to accept silence.
She did not write safe or comfortable literature.
She became a fearless Marxist thinker, an early feminist voice, and a powerful social critic whose writings challenged conventions and questioned society itself.
In 1965, she shattered another barrier by becoming the first woman to receive Nepal’s highest literary honour, the Madan Puraskar, for her celebrated novel Shirish Ko Phool (The Blue Mimosa).(Parijat (writer) - Wikipedia)
Her work was so profound and intellectually compelling that translations eventually found their way into university classrooms across the world, including the University of Maryland.
To truly understand Parijat, however, one must hear her in her own language.
She did not write fairy tales.
She wrote reality.
“प्रेम मर्दैन, यसलाई मार्नुपर्छ…”
“Love does not die; you have to kill it.”
from “A Sick Lover’s Letter to Her Soldier”
And perhaps one of her most quietly powerful reflections on endurance:
“मलाई नसोधे हुन्छ, जुनी काट्नु कुनै गाह्रो काम होइन।”
“You don’t need to ask me… merely passing through a lifetime isn’t a difficult thing to do.”
Today, we often search the world for examples of resilience, unaware that one of the greatest sat quietly at a crossroads in Siliguri all along.
Parijat’s life is a reminder to every woman of the boundless power of a free mind, a lesson to every man on the profound depth of female intellect, every traveller that some of the most extraordinary stories are hidden in the places we rush past and a wake-up call to locals to honour the giant standing at our crossroads.
There is a beautiful irony in her life.
A Proof that while a body may be confined, a free soul and great literature can travel farther than any road.
Update (2026): At the time of my recent visit the statue was still standing at the busy 2nd Mile junction/Eastern Bypass more.
However, redevelopment of the area has been announced, and the monument is expected to be carefully relocated after undergoing restoration.
The Siliguri Municipal Corporation, in coordination with the National Highways Authority of India, has indicated that it will be reinstalled at a suitable nearby location so that this important literary landmark continues to inspire future generations.
Hopefully, Parijat will soon return to continue watching over the city she has become synonymous with.
Next time you pass Eastern bypass more or see her name online remember the rebel from Darjeeling who proved that a confined body can never cage a free soul.
For me, this landmark is now part of my personal list of places that honour extraordinary women whose legacy continues to inspire.
This story has left a lasting impression on me, and I hope it touches and inspires you as much as it did to me.
Thanks for your time and attention 
Warm regards
@SonamW
. It is truly much appreciated 
to the people of Sapporo for pioneering such meaningful initiatives 
Thank you 
