Dhawal Shumsher is India’s damaad: Daughter Shivangini Rana

KATHMANDU: Nepal MP Dhawal Shumsher Rana’s daughter, Shivangini Rana, has described her father as “India’s damaad”, pointing to a network of deep personal, educational, and royal family ties between their household in Nepal and families across India. Rana has been in jail since Saturday for his alleged role in the pro-monarchy protests in which 2 people, including a journalist, were killed on Friday.

Speaking to TOI, Shivangini said she studied at Mayo College Girls’ School in Ajmer, graduating in 2007. Her mother, Pratima Rana, studied at Loreto schools in Kolkata and Shillong and later attended Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata. “We’ve lived across India — in Calcutta, Shillong, Ajmer. India is home in many ways,” Shivangini said.

The family's personal links span several Indian states. “My eldest aunt is married into the royal family of Dumraon in Bihar. Another aunt is married to the Kawardha royal family in Chhattisgarh. Pradyot Deb Barman, the erstwhile maharaja of Tripura, is my uncle,” she said.

Shivangini’s grandmother is Padma Raje Scindia, the eldest daughter of Jivajirao Scindia, the last ruling maharaja of Gwalior, and Vijaya Raje Scindia, one of the founding members of the BJP. Her grandmother’s sister is Vasundhara Raje, the former chief minister of Rajasthan and senior BJP leader. “My mother’s maika is in India. That makes my father India’s damaad,” she said with a smile.

Dhawal belongs to Nepal’s powerful Rana dynasty, which held absolute power as hereditary prime ministers from 1846 until the democratic transition in 1951. The dynasty’s rule began with Jung Bahadur Rana, who rose to power after the Kot massacre and maintained a close alliance with British India throughout his reign.