This institute is still known by its original name 'Vanasthali' though it’s nomenclature and the whole looks have changed. If not all the first name Vanasthali occupies the second place even in the changed context by love and admiration. Late Prof. Bhuwan Lal Joshi and an educationist late Hon’ble Vijayanandan joshi founded Vanasthali Vidyashram in 1951 AD jointly. This was housed in a two-storied mud building with tiled roof at Balaju, six kilometers from downtown Kathmandu. The first batch of students comes from the founders’ family to be followed by the children of the neighborhood. Classroom size grew gradually, though school education was considered to be a privilege of the wealthy people.
Late Marshal General Hari Sumsher J. B. Rana donated the land. To open a school itself was a great challenging task in those days when less then 1% people were literate in Nepal and the Rana autocracy was hostile to any academic activities. In spite of all kinds of harassments, the late founders were not to be daunted. But late Mr. Bhowan Lal Joshi’s quest for knowledge made him go for universities in the USA where he studied varied faculties of knowledge and become a professor later. In short time his versatile personality won fame, favor and love in the world of men of letters and passed away quietly. Another founder late Hon’ble Vijayanandan Joshi, a pedant and born-teacher remained a source of inspiration to fight the multifarious problems that school had been confronted with. He died of asthma and prostrate gland. The school was virtually crippled by the demise of them. Thus the school was left at the mercy of the amateurs.
