Pukar Malla

Pukar Malla was born on 23 May 1979 in Kathmandu, Nepal. His father was from the Palpa district in Nepal while his mother was from Birgunj, Parsa. Amidst financial hardships, the couple decided to settle in Kathmandu for the sake of their children’s education. Pukar Malla attended two prestigious schools in Nepal, St. Xavier’s School and Budhanilkantha School.

Malla has said in interviews that his mother wanted him to become a doctor. Whereas he himself aspired to become a cardiologist. He decided to continue his education in the USA so that did not restrict himself to the narrow field of medicine or engineering, and could, thereby, pursue his passions, especially IT, acting, and social work.

Malla moved to the US in 1998 as a student and first joined a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering & Economics at Swarthmore College, a private liberal arts college located in Pennsylvania, USA.

In 2007, Malla completed an MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. From 2009-2011 Malla attended the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and graduated with a Master’s in Public Administration, specializing in leadership, innovation and development. While at Harvard, he was elected as President of the Harvard Graduate Student Government. Malla is a recipient of the Presidential Public Service Fellowship & Don K Price Award for academic excellence and public service.

Nepal ko Yuwa & Run for Nepal

On 13 November 2008, Pukar Malla and his fellow youth activists established Nepal ko Yuwa, a non-profit global Nepali youth community. The organization ran three projects; 1. Run for Nepal: walkathons in different cities globally to network and mobilize individuals and organizations that cared about Nepal and wanted to contribute to Nepal’s development. 2. Daayitwa fellowships: Dawitya encourages Nepali youths to recognize and contribute to social responsibility and connects aspiring Nepali youths to the government of Nepal. Daawitya fellows work with government ministers, MPs and influential youth leaders in Nepal for up to three months. 3. Naya Ghar: a project that encourages community entrepreneurship and supports young entrepreneurs and local innovation.

Personal Life

Pukar Malla married his girlfriend Prativa Pandey on 4 February 2014. Panday holds a PhD, and, as of April 2015, worked for a US-based research institution.

Malla has said that he loves acting and has often played “Romeo” in the stage play “Romeo and Juliet”. He has also done modelling and acted in Nepali music videos. Talking to eNasha, he said of himself:

“I find humility to be one of the most adorable assets in anyone. I like to begin with a big picture. I choose to hold a constant positive attitude, which sometimes gets me into trouble. I listen and wait for my turn. I want to live life to the fullest. I am deeply connected with my family. Nepal is a big part of who I am and what I do.”