Inter-Caste Love story of Madan Krishna Shrestha and Yesoda Subedi

The love story between the comedy actor Madan Krishna Shrestha and his wife Yesoda Subedi is very interesting. That is because, inter-caste marriages was a taboo in that time. The love affair between a brahmin girl, Yesoda and a Newar boy, Madan Krishna was a no-starter. But, they decided get married and moved to a rented room in New Road. That was in 1974.

It was the Day Of Indra Jatra of 1974, Madan Krishna and Yesoda decided to leave their parental home and get married. Madan Krishna borrowed the marriage suit from his friends and they went to Suryabinayak Temple to get married. After a private and hurried marriage ceremony, they rented a room in New Road for Rs. 60 a month to live. Although none of the family members helped them in marriage, Madan Krishna’s friends helped them a lot.

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The shirt Madan Krishna wore at the marriage was borrowed from his friend Mohanlal. The tie was borrowed from Ram Shrestha. Another friend, Mangal Narayan helped in painting the new room the newly wed couple were moving to. Another friend, Pradip Shrestha, owned a store at Maha Boudha selling mattresses and duvets. Pradeep gifted the couple with these essentials.

When a relative (a cousin in relation, Ishwarilal Shrestha) forced Madan Krishna Shrestha to meet his father, “We both cried in each other’s embrace,” Shrestha remembers. “At last, my father’s progressive side won the battle against tradition.”

Madan Krishna’s father decided to marry his son again, in a official ceremony according to Newar traditions. He invited family and friends. Decorations were put up and invitation cards were printed. Madan Krishna remembers, “The invitation read ‘My dear son Madan Krishna Shrestha and Yasodha Maiya are…’ even though my father knew she was a Subedi. I still feel bad when I remember this.”

In 2012, Yasodha was diagnosed with rectal cancer, in last stage. Madan Krishna says, “I was shattered. I wanted to give her the best possible treatment.” On that day Madan Krishna cried alone for hours.

Madan Krishna says, “She cares for me a lot. I am always polite towards her. She respects me a lot. I think you need mutual respect for marital bliss. I respect the fact that she left her family to come and live with me and start a new family. There is a popular saying, Nepali women even love their dogs from their birth place. I feel really bad when she couldn’t meet her dad in his deathbed. Yasodha worked at Sanchaya Kosh for 40 years and on the day of her retirement she had said that she would go wherever I would go. But she cannot go anywhere after her illness. I cannot imagine my life being complete without her.”

I wish Yesodha to gets better soon.

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