The Nepalese community of the ACT region celebrated Bhanu Jayanti (birthday) on Friday 12th July 2024 at Shantiniketan Hall of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre (HTCC) in Florey.
The celebration was organised by the Nepali Kala, Sanskriti Taha Sahitya Pratishtha Canberra (NKSSP-CBR). The celebration was attended by around 300 Nepali audiences and guests, including His Excellency Kailash Raj Pokharel, Nepali Ambassador to Australia, and his spouse Mrs Basudha Nepal Pokharel, Deepak Raj Gupta, Senior Advisor to the ACT Chief Minister, Dr Krishna Hamal, Chairman, Federation of Nepalese Community Associations of Australia (FeNCAA), Prakash Mehta, Former President of the Hindu Council of Australia (HCA) and Lakhan Sharma, President of HTCC. The celebration commenced with the lighting of a Lamp by the Nepali ambassador and a welcome
speech by Yagya Adhikari, President of NKSSP-CBR.
Bhanu Jayanti is an annual celebration of the late Bhanubhakta Acharya, one of the great Nepalese poets, who was honoured with the title of “Aadi Kavi of Nepal”. It is celebrated around the globe by the Nepali communities with various cultural events, poetry recitations and seminars on the contribution of the late Bhanubhakta Acharya to developing and promoting the Nepalese language.
Bhanubhakta, son of Dhananjay Acharya and Dharmawati Devi, was born in a simple 
Brahmin family in a remote village of Nepal, called Chundi Ramgha of Tanahun District, on Bikram Sambat 29 Aashaadha 1871 (July 13, 1814). Bhanubhakta is best known for his invaluable work of translating the epic Valmiki Ramayanam from Sanskrit into the Nepali language in Shardulvikriditam chhanda, making it easily understandable and easily recitable to the general population of Nepali speaking background. His work played a significant role not only in promoting the Adarsha of Lord Ram among the Nepali language speaking population but also in strengthening the Nepali language in Nepal, Darjeeling and Sikkim. Besides the translation of Ramayan, Bhanubhakta is also well known for his other famous short poems, mainly Ghansi, Badhu Shiksha, Bhakta Mala and Amaravati Kantipuri Nagari.
