Sushila Koirala

Sushila Koirala (; 1923 – 13 July 2007) was a Nepalese classical dancer and theater director. She was the spouse of B. P. Koirala, the first democratically elected prime minister of Nepal. She was known for her contribution towards Nepali art, theatre, and girls’ empowerment; and for backstopping in democratic activities during the critical and raw era of social change and politics in Nepal.

Personal life Sushila Koirala was born in 1923 in Kapilvastu in Lumbini, Nepal. She married B. P. Koirala in 1936 and went to Biratnagar. She attended and completed school level education there in Biratngar. Later she studied at Banaras Hindu University in Banaras in India. She also studied Bharatnatyam and Kathak, two major forms of Indian classical dance in India. Sushila Koirala was also trained in Manipuri dance. Her husband B. P. Koirala has described her as "young and slim" in his autobiography entitled Atmabrittanta, and has added that she survived kala-azar.

When Sushila Koirala was in Patna in India during the 1950s, she actively worked to establish a performing art institution there too. She and her friends like Hari Uppal collected donation fund by door to door campaign to establish Bhartiya Nritya Kala Mandir there in Patna. They laid the foundation stone for the building of the institution in 1950. The institution was later got fully established and opened in 1963 when Koirala was facing the consequences of political crisis in Nepal.

Theatre group Aarohan Gurukul has named one of its theatre halls in Biratnagar as Sushila Koirala Theater on her honour. She was the first ever theatre director from the city. She had directed the play Ma by Balkrishna Sama in the year 1951.

Honour and accolades In 2007, Sushila Koirala was honoured with the Gangadevi Chaudhari Memorial Honor for "her contribution in women empowerment and awareness".