Another Interview with Amrit Gurung

Interview With Amrit Gurung (Nepathya)
(Appeared on ktmROCKS mag Issue 11)

originally published in http://ktmrocks.com/site/?p=148

Nepathya was formed in 1990 and the three founding members were Deepak Jung Rana (now a Chopper Pilot), Bhim Poon (now settled in Hong Kong) and Amrit Gurung. Amrit Gurung is the current vocalist and has remained as the guardian and the leader of the band. Nepathya has released seven albums (Self titled Nepathya in 1991, Himal Chuchure in 1993, Min Pachas Ma in 1995, Shringar in 1997, Resham in 2001, Bheda ko oon Jasto in 2003 and Ghatana – Incidents of Nepal in 2005) and with each album, the band has evolved, it has transformed and gained a phenomenal momentum.

Here’s an interview with the Nepathya frontman, Amrit Gurung during his practice hours at Nepalaya.

What was the main purpose behind the concerts like “Nepathya for Peace”, “Sundar Santa Nepal” and “Santi ko lagi Sikchya”?

Nepathya has been singing about “maya-pirati” right from the start and we still do. However, when this insurgency problem started in Nepal, our peaceful country suddenly turned into one of the most violent places to survive. There were emergency situations almost every day, people were killing and getting killed day and night. The situation became worse in the villages, especially in the schools. Maoists were capturing the schools – kidnapping the teachers and students. They were doing all sorts of parades in the schools and at the same time, the army also started using schools as their camps. In a place supposed to have an environment of education, it was like a competition of guns and bombs not pens and pencils. The students should have been able to learn about poetry, science and arts, about building a society but they were learning about guns violence and killing people.

A gun might signify a different symbol for an adult, or a politician; that may be right for those people in their own philosophical terms, but what about those kids? Bringing guns in a school full of innocent kids, that’s not right in any terms. That should not have been happened in the first place. Schools are not at all a brutal playground for war.

As human beings and as a group of concerned Nepalese, Nepathya and nepa-laya started doing these concerts touring various parts of Nepal. We started singing for peace and humanity. We started singing songs with social messages, songs that would portray the wrong acts that were happening in the villages. All we wanted to do as a band was to have fun and enjoy music singing songs about “maya pirati” but the environment we were living started to make us think, eventually bringing a change. We still love to sing about “maya-pirati” but we cannot deny that this kind of situation effect an artist directly or indirectly.

It’s definitely not enjoyable to go and chant slogans of peace in concerts than to do programs just for music and fun. It does not feel good because we are not politicians. But somewhere somehow someone needed to make an effort, take a step. Political parties, they were only limited in the Ktm valley. It was obvious that Nepal was like two states. When you were outside the valley, you could not even walk freely, brother. You could not speak. We should be able to speak out about our rights and freedom, just like students should be able to go to school, farmers should be able to work in their lands. There were restrictions everywhere.

When political parties announced any public meeting or any events, there would be hardly a gathering of thousand numbers of people even here in Kathmandu. Outside the valley, not even a single politician could dare do such a thing. But we did it. I don’t proclaim that we single-handedly were able to summon thousands of people in our concerts; all the other artists and musicians who were directly or indirectly involved – they also had equally great contribution in making those concerts successful, in reaching numerous corners of the country and delivering the message of education and peace.

I was just shown this BBC report on Nepathya’s Peace concert in Dang. It was so amazing to see such a mass, people of all ages present in the event – dancing and singing. May be that was the first time in so many years, people of Dang were actually happy?

Yeah, it was amazing. That was our small effort, by contributing some time from our side for peace. We musicians as humans have our duty towards society and that was an initiative – so that people could communicate in real sense. That would contribute in some sense to make a political environment for the people to talk and discuss. If I could talk with you freely and you could do the same thing, then we would figure out the root of the problem. That’s what we wanted to do – just a little spark to ignite people’s passion. We cannot say or evaluate how effective our efforts were. I leave that to you.

“Ghatana” has a very different presentation for the general audience to understand. How did the album “Ghatana” take the shape of such an experimental and explosive form of rock album? I guess this is the first time in nepali music history that a band has recorded a 25 minute long song.

If you view the song from a ‘musical drama’ point of view, this is not the first song of that kind. There are several other songs in the form of radio-dramas or musicals. The main source of inspiration for the album is the ‘Maina Pokharai’ incident. When I read the articles about that unpleasant incident, it provoked me a lot from inside. I visited the place and talked with the locals.

When I started writing the lyrics and composing this song, I was not sure how things would shape up to be. The theme was obviously Maina Pokhara, the melody or the color was inspired by Gandarvas’ version of that ghatana. They also have their own version of the song which is about 10-12 minutes long. In the process, we never had any preconceived idea about how long or short the song should be – there were no restrictions. We went on writing and joining the pieces over a simple beat.

The song came out to be long and strongly dominated by music, because we never wanted to control and direct the flow during the arrangement. There was a total freedom for Hari (Maharjan, guitarist) to play whatever he wanted to play and the same was for our drummer and the keyboardist.

What about other songs in the album?

First, I want to clear out that we never consciously planned on doing this album. We were all traveling to all sorts of places in the country. We experienced so many things, met so many people, saw so many incidents – and naturally, every one of those events affected us in some way. I met one person in Dang and he said, “khaneko ke kura garney hajur, lagauneko ke kura garney kapada ko, basney chaat ko pani kura hoina. Hami ta bihana niskera belka ghara farkina paye hunthyo”. It was a really sensitive matter. If you wanted to understand it deeply, you would know how painful and frightening the situations were. That inspired me in writing the song ‘Joon jhai shitala’. Similarly, another song “Kata laagyou?” – it was about the regular demonstrations in Ratna Park and Bag Bazaar areas – how the business and activities, lives of the residents, tenants, daily wage workers and the shop-owners were disrupted almost every day.

“Ghar ko Kura”, we were playing in Phoenix (Arizona, USA). That place used to be a complete desert but it was developed into one of the finest cities in the world. And then I thought about Nepal, despite being so rich in water, we are the ones living in a desert like condition. I actually became jealous and wrote the lyrics in a bus and composed the song with a baby piano.

How do you go about composing a song? Do you do any actual field research and try to find folk-melodies?

Usually I write the lyrics and compose the songs alone. I used to record and collect new folk songs or tunes whenever I was traveling or hiking and it still inspires me to blend my composition with folk music. And then the whole band sits around and we do the arrangement.

Now, lets get back to some regular questions, how was the band formed, was there any specific vision?

We were young and good music listeners. Till this day, I have never regarded myself as a singer; I am just a good listener. Concerts were rare but we managed to go to almost every concert in Pokhara or in Kathmandu. We used to listen to everything from western rock songs to Nepali Aadhunik songs to folk songs. There were bands like Prism and Kathmandu Cats and we used to come from Pokhara to watch their shows. In my college days, I had never thought about doing music. I had a friend Bhim Pun who was a good guitar player. Then, together with Deepak Jung Rana, we collected our pocket money and started the band just like that - just for fun. I never imagined I would still be doing this, 15 years and seven albums.

There have been numerous changes of band members over the period of 7 albums and 15 years. How do you think Nepathya as a band has evolved?

The day we named our band ‘Nepathya’, we all had decided on one philosophy or a concept that we would always base our music on Nepali folk melodies. That was the ‘guru mantra’ for us. That was our theoretical stand then and it still is.

When the band members kept changing, I used to feel really disappointed. Music was not the reason they left though, they had their personal reasons. It’s ironic that we never had a long term plan for the band but still when the members leave the band, it was really frustrating and the will to continue would be weak. The band actually got on the verge of breaking up in two occasions. But there were always some friends who would inspire and encourage me to continue the band.

The earlier albums like ‘Himal Chuchure’ or ‘Min Pachas Ma’ had songs which could be categorized as ‘village pop’ songs and were mostly about ‘maya pirati’. There were so many ‘hit’ songs as well. Lately in the albums like ‘Bheda ko uon’ and ‘Ghatana’, you have songs that deal with social issues like education, peace, life and rights which are definitely beyond any ‘maya pirati’ matters. Is this a conscious change in the vision of the band?

Nepthya has always been a socially conscious band right from the start even though we sang about ‘maya pirati’. Whenever we went to play ‘bhailo’ and collected some money, we used to donate the money to blood banks instead of going to picnics. After we released our debut album, we did a concert and the money we collected was also donated. And since I travel a lot around villages and read books most of the times, I gradually started to be socially aware.

Nepathya obviously has changed. If you had to compare, what kind of differences would you find between the early Nepathya and the current Nepathya?

If it would have been possible to continue with the founding band members, we all would have been very good musicians and Nepathya would have become a better band, way better. Because we all had one vision and thinking. And because we were all friends since childhood, we could have worked and understood better. When a member changes, it’s a bit difficult to adjust the thinking.

So which Nepathya do you prefer?

For me Nepathya has always been the same. When we started, we were all young and fun loving, the society we perceived was different and we worked differently. Now the way we work is a bit different, other than that it’s the same Nepathya for me. Just like a mother cannot set preference among her children, I cannot favor earlier Nepathya or the present Nepathya. Yes, there has been lot of members changing and in a way, this band has become a platform for so many musicians.

What keeps you motivated to continue Nepathya after all these years? Was there any point in this period that you felt like ending the band?

We never had any money in the early days. There were many friends who have helped the band in many ways. One of those friends, Deepak Jung Rana has contributed a lot in keeping the band alive. Even after he left the band, he was the main source of encouragement for me. He kept assuring me to continue in any condition. I had actually gone back to Pokhara with the intention of ending the band but he brought me back to Kathmandu and then he managed the band financially – he paid for the house rent, bought food for the band and he even gave us pocket money. That’s how we had survived at one point of time.

I don’t suppose that you are continuing because there’s nothing else to do. There’s this general trend we are all familiar with – that once somebody is in this music field, there’s nothing else to do but sing and play and make people dance and earn money. So many are doing it just for the sake of doing it, why are you doing it?

Well I want to tell you that I can do so many other works better than music. Nepathya has never been about earning money. I am an artist and music is the form of expression that I have chosen. Just like a painter’s work depicts certain message, I want to impart that message to the society through music. I believe that all artists must have duty towards society beyond any personal aspiration, especially financial. So I am doing it because it is my passion. Maybe someday, no one will listen to Nepathya’s songs. There’s no obligation and I will not complain at all.

So have you ever kept record of album sales?

No I have never kept it. In the early days, it was a matter of concern among the members but I was never interested. It does not really bother me how the album sales are doing.

What was the first ever concert that you attended?

My first experience of seeing a live band was in Kathmandu when The Prisms were playing. I was just a teenage then. I couldn’t understand much, there was just big noise. But it was exciting.

Do you still go to concerts?

Yes. I might be one of those who attend every concert in Kathmandu or Nepal.

How about Radio, how often do you tune in?

I don’t these days. I used to listen to radio exceedingly much in my school and college days.

So I suppose you do not listen to any other bands that are in the mainstream.

I do. I buy tapes or CDs. Years back, I used to spend a whole month’s salary buying tapes – all sorts of Nepali tapes that were in the shop.

Were there any specific albums that were rock or western influenced?

I cannot say any thing about any specific rock albums but in my opinion, Sunil Parajuli’s “Soonsaan Raat Ma” and “Jagey Jagey Sara Raat” – these two albums released in the 80’s were two of the few albums to incorporate western music with Nepali style and Nepali lyrics. The songs in those albums are arranged in simple drum beats and electric guitars and fused with sarangi sometimes. You must have heard “Aakashai Ma Cheela Udyo Dharti Ma Chaya”. That song became extremely popular. I guess these albums gave a taste of westernized music to the listeners outside Kathmandu valley.

Reasons why Nepathya never sang in English?

When we used to attend concerts, I always used to wonder why Prisms or Kathmandu Cats or Criss-cross never sang Nepali songs. In the stage, they were always performing Dire Straits, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, etc – but never Nepali songs. We used to talk among friends what if those bands sang Nepali songs, it would be so great. By the time we started our band, there were so many other bands and singers who had started singing Nepali songs – Sunil Upreti, Harish Mathema, Bhim Tuladhar and his band the Influence. It was getting interesting on one hand but on the other, our Nepali Folk songs were in a state of extinction among the young generation, especially in Kathmandu and Pokhara. And worst of all, if you listened to Folk songs; ‘Lok Geet’, you would be teased as ‘pakhey’. That was the generation - if you held a certain ‘english’ magazine in your hand; you would be feeling superior, kind of a hero. That was a general environment in youngsters, very pretentious.

So when we started the band, we decided we will always base our music on ‘lok geet’ and sing in Nepali. Why compose songs that are like their (Western) folk songs, why not do our own folk songs? ‘Lok geet’ is in our heart and it will always remain there, other forms may fade away some day. Nobody was listening to pure ‘lok geet’ so we thought if we started fusing ‘lok geet’ and western music, may be the young generation would not completely forget about folk music.

What are you listening to these days, any new bands or artists that you really like?

Among the new artists, I like Lochan Rijal very much. Babin Pradhan is one artist I like from old days, he has a very beautiful voice. And I’m listening to Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Rush. Pink Floyd is the band I always listen to. But since I am collecting a lot of ‘maulik’ folk songs, I also listen to a lot of those songs.

You said you collect songs while traveling; do you record them or write them down?

I record them. You see, I was never meant to be a musician; I’m a complete illiterate musically. I was not even a singer in the band.

Okay, so what did you do? Since I’ve never seen the old Nepathya play live, I am really interested to know what you actually used to play in the band while there were other vocalists.

Originally I was assigned to play bass guitar by Bhim but since I did not have a bass, I played rhythm guitar. After the first album, I fractured my right hand and wanted to quit the band. But no one was willing to let me go.

Does that mean you were not really involved in the band then?

No, I was totally involved. I started managing the band and writing lyrics, sang a couple of songs in every album. I was also like a producer, not the one who finances money, but I looked over the song structures and overall output. From “Resham” album, I started singing, writing and composing songs on my own.

So like I asked earlier, do you think the three albums Resham, Veda ko Oon and Ghatana represent a different Nepathya than the first four?

The arrangement of the songs were done differently but overall the music is similar in my opinion, don’t you think so?

Umm.. I find the music different. Especially this Ghatana album, which is a really explosive rock album in my opinion, compared to earlier pop rock songs.

Well may be that was our age – chanchaley and sweet. And may be we did not know much about playing music. But I want to assert that it’s not because of change in the line up. Since I compose the songs and then the whole band arranges it according to a certain melody or bass line, I don’t find huge changes in the musical style, it’s just the arrangements.
However I want to mention Naresh Thapa; he gave a certain dimension to the band’s sound in ‘Resham’ album. I really miss him as a band member. And while doing Ghatana album, there was a total musical freedom for everyone. And if I was a critic, I would say most of the listeners wouldn’t like this album because there are not many rock listeners, especially outside the cities.

So what can we expect in the next album?

It will not be like Ghatana that’s for sure. I wish we wouldn’t have to record any album like Ghatana again.

What do you mean?

That album is full of so many terrible things. It was such a painful album to do. It’s such a sad album. I feel that many people won’t listen to the album twice because there’s no pleasure in listening to the songs. This is such an emotional album that it would be hard to do another again.

Changing the topic. Nepathya has played quite a lot in foreign countries as well. Is it because you can reach out to Nepalese living outside, is it that you can represent Nepal or is it like an opportunity to visit other countries?

Well, most of the times it’s the Nepali people over there who want us to perform there. But is it an opportunity? No, because Nepal is the most beautiful country in the world. I would not go anywhere else if I want to travel around.

I asked that because there’s a trend here among Nepali musicians – that when they go abroad to perform, they take other people with them and then those people or even the members themselves disappear in that country.

You won’t believe me but that has happened to us. In 1999, we went to Japan and some of the members disappeared after the show. It was really shameful and right after I came back; I decided I would not be in this music scene anymore. I was completely out of music for 2 years after that.

Then later several offers were made to me to come alone with tracks, which I rejected. Because this is a band after all. I will only perform with my band, not sing over some tracks. That’s the reason we have only been able to perform just 78 shows in these 15 years.

About representing Nepal, it’s a different issue. Normally, we or any other bands go out there to play among Nepali community, which is not a matter of representation. You have to be able to play in front of the foreign audience, but only the future holds the answer.

Nepathya played in Holland last year, how was their reaction?

I don’t know if they liked it or not but what I felt was we were different and we sounded like a Nepali band. We have to sound like a Nepali band, that’s one of the basic foundations of Nepathya. There are thousands of rock bands in the world. There’s no point if a band sounds like Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin. That’s what I always say to my band members – we have to sound like a Nepali band. There are numerous guitarists who can play like Hendrix but what’s the point.

How challenging is it, dai - whatever you are doing?

It has never been about challenge. I don’t feel any pressure because I am doing it because I like it. I am not doing it just because somebody wants me to do it.

Interview with Amrit gurung

As published in http://www.cafedenepal.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=79

by shiva on Fri Apr 18, 2008 3:51 pm

What is Nepathya doing these days?
Currently we are focusing on our new album.We are working on the music arrangements and it's almost complete.We are putting in the final finishing touches to the arrangements and we've been editing the music that we are not completely satisfied with.We'll be starting the insertion of vocals from 9th August and we won't take more than a month to complete the album. Besides that we have been seriously practicing our new songs.

"...a musician no matter how and what genre of music s/he follows, first of all they should know where they stand because it affects their music. Those who wish to come to the music field should enter with a clean heart and an open mind..."

What will the music be like in this new venture?
Nepathya is a folk rock band and it has it's own unique style and taste but this time round we intend to incorporate a different kind of music other than what we did last time on 'Ghatana'.Talking about 'Ghatana', there was a lot of 'halla' because of the concept that we had for the album, whereas in this album we have concentrated more on soothing and love related songs.



Your last album 'Ghatana' was a little different. How was the feedback and how was the concept of the album developed?
In the album 'Ghatana', we tried to portray the situation of Nepal in the context of the time. That was something that an artist had experienced first hand. Artists tend to be a little more sentimental and certainly society's environment affect the creation of an artist. Nepathya didn't do the album 'Ghatana' for a commercial purpose; it was based on what we saw and experienced those days. The music was liked by intellectual people and the sales were pretty good with 20/25 thousand copies being sold. We are more than happy if someone likes our music and listens to it and if someone doesn't like it, we have no hard feelings. Artist should have the freedom to express their creation and we always follow that. When we sing songs of 'Ghatana' we don't feel anything while singing but once we finish singing, all of our band members become sentimental because of the sentiments attached to those songs and the messages they carry. So we are very satisfied with 'Ghatana'.

When may we expect your upcoming album in the market and what will it be named?
Our producer is responsible for the production of the album. My job is to come up with the songs and we hope to finish the album and hand it over to the producer by the first week of September this year. After that I'll go for a vacation. Talking about the name of the album, we have thought about it but I don't want to disclose it as yet because we might think of changing it.

We would like to know more about the practice schedule of Nepathya!
We don't have a fixed time for our practice sessions. We can carry on with our practice anytime. It actually depends on the mood of our band members. But approximately we practice 5 days a week for three hours daily.

Nepathya was initially formed as a pop band, what is the reason behind the transformation into rock now?
Initially we were students who came to Kathmandu for their studies and at that time music was just a hobby. We started doing music as a hobby and up to 1995 we were not serious about music as our career. We thought we'll take music as a hobby until we were in collage and later we would move on and do other things for our livelihood and it happened that way. The entire band members went separate ways. I got involved in making documentary. But after sometime all my friends and even my previous band members forced me to continue making music with the band. Finally, I was ready to do music and since I was into rock from my childhood days, I wanted to do music that I strongly believed in. So it's obvious that the music composition of a person reflects the way the person is. This is the reason for the change.

The compositions of almost all Nepathya songs are great. Who does it for you?
Thank you. I do the compositions and write the lyrics most of the time and we all (the band members) together improvise on them later.

Nepathya has a different identity in the Nepali music industry and there are a lot of new and aspiring musicians who wish to follow in your footsteps. How does it feel? Any suggestions for them?
It definitely feels great! What I'd like to tell them is, a musician no matter how and what genre of music s/he follows, first of all they should know where they stand because it affects their music. Those who wish to come to the music field should enter with a clean heart and an open mind. The contribution of an artist is recognized only after his/her death. Artists should be here to give something back to society, not to gain something or to become a star. They are supposed to share their art with the society and it's very important to understand this particular aspect. An artist should be clear about this and it's really amazing to study and understand these things.

Nepathya was never and is still not much in the media limelight, what is the reason?
This is intentional. It's not very important for us to frequently come into the limelight, it's all about doing good things. I'm a loner and that's one of the reasons why we do fewer concerts in comparison to others. Sometimes the media tend to violate personal freedom. Wherever I go, I meet someone who knows me and comes over to have a chat. This is good and makes me feel good too but at the same time, I feel like I don't have the freedom that I want. That is way I don't like to be in media much.

Nepathya has been doing musical tours "Shanti Ko Lagi Sikshya"(Education for Peace) every year for the past four years besides various other charity shows. Where did this idea came from?
Actually we've been doing these kinds of shows for a long time but it was only in 2002 that we started doing it by giving the tours a name. There is an incident how we started that. In 2000 my friend Kiran and myself had gone to Ilam. There in a place called 'Mai Khola' where we saw some kids crying. We asked them what the reason was. They said that just the night before their SLC exam forms were burnt along with their school. We felt so bad about that. Then on the way back we both thought that Nepathya should do a program appealing to all quarters that the schools should be left alone...kept away from the war. Then we started the appeal in the name of "Shanti Ko Lagi Sikshya". We got a lot of support and even during the time of war we didn't have any problems.

For a few years now, Nepathya is working in affiliation with "Nepalaya". How are things going?I'm feel very good about it. The band doesn't have to look after the management and because of that musicians are free and they can concentrate more on their music. We don't have to look after technical things, otherwise even if we needed a string of a guitar then we used to have a problem. The other important thing is the management of monetary matters. If it's not handled properly bad feelings within band members arise. And we don't have that problem either. So it's very important to have a manager to look after logistics professionally. If 'Nepalaya' had not managed our band we wouldn't be where we are today. I'm very happy with our partnership with them!

In the 15 years of Nepathya's existence, we have witnessed numerous changes in the band members. How do you cope with this constant change?
Initially, there may be some difficulties. But within a few days we become close and then we understand each other better and work accordingly. For new comers Nepathya has become a platform. We feel happy to introduce new talents. If our old members were still in the band, for sure the band would have been better musically.

What are the future plans of 'Nepathya'?
These days we have been practicing and are rather 'underground'. Besides the recording of our new album we are doing nothing much. We'll work on plans only when the album comes out in the market.

In your opinion, what are the qualities that a good song should encompass?
The lyrics should be good and the tune must be melodious. The singer should be able to deliver the vocals according to the lyrics and the tune. If this combination doesn't jell well, then the song will have no taste.

You are also into documentaries and photography besides music. what's going on with that these days?
I have a very positive quality within myself, that is patience. I do photography when I'm out on a vacation. And I'm also working on a documentary of 'Ghatu'. The documentary is about how a culture is passed onto the next generation through traditions and it's a narrative music related documentary. I finished the shooting after 7 years and now it's undergoing post production.

How do you define yourself?
I'm clear about myself. I love isolation, I'm close to nature and I like to live as a simple human being.

How do you define life?
You think good and life will be good, may be it's because of that thought I'm here today. 'Artist Ko life Dukhieya life Ho... Yo Pesa Nai Dukhai Dha.'

How interested are you in Politics?
I am very interested. I've been seeing only one thing since 2046 (after democracy), that is - political powers that be and war. Nothing else has changed. If they had mobilized everything correctly then we wouldn't have to face these problems. Nothing is going to change by just sitting inside 'Singha Darbaar'. Here we have two countries, one is Kathmandu and the other one is Nepal. We now need a new generation of leaders, only then we can hope for some change. The country is not going to change by just threatening people.

How do you think our music industry was affected by the political situation of the past?
I've always taken music as a 'Tapasya'. Everyone knows and I don't have to advocate about the effect of the political system on music. If the political system is in proper place, everything goes well, not just music. Let's not talk about it!

What do you do during your 'fursad'?
I love to read books in the evening and I listen to music during the day, otherwise I just take a walk.

Amrit Gurung Ordinary dreams of an extraordinary

By Madhukar Narsingh Rana

As published in ekantipur.com. (the original article is http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=164339)

Only a day after the Terai's political factions declared war on hill-origin settlers, and people were being killed and chased away, the kid who was born in the hills did something that seemed only possible in rhetoric: Amrit Gurung sang for peace and people sang along with him!

The town of Lahan, which was surrounded by the gloom of human dismal, saw fragments of peace in their bedlam of chaos. And no matter how brief it might have been, they experienced something they never thought existed: solidarity! When I asked him during my first interview with him, did he feel fear or not, he charmingly replied, "This is my country and I don't think I should be afraid of my own country."

If there was one word to describe him, I would call him a romantic. His imperialistic ideals are as intimidating as looking in the eyes of a caged tiger. Born on June 1, 1968 in thetiny little town of Kaalbang, Pokhara, Amrit Gurung says, "I was extremely lucky to have been able to experience a vibrantly ordinary childhood of a village. I grazed livestock, ploughed the fields, participated in honey hunting and built a track that's still used by the people of my village."

And if you can call that ordinary, then we have had probably the most banal childhood a child can have. Now the sole guardian of the folk-rock band, Nepathya, Gurung used to be a "backbencher" of the class and it was painting that infatuated him more than music. "I loved colours and always found it amazing how it could express my feelings and emotions," explains Gurung. "However, there are things that happened in my life that were beyond my control and comprehension; I gave away my aspirations to master the art."

With his bags packed and filled with new hopes, Gurung arrived at the then exotic city of Kathmandu. "I didn't know what my plans were but singing was definitely not a part of it."

Amrit Gurung says that he was a "bathroom singer" and always "space filler" and didn't like to front anything. "It's really an accident how I became a singer but I always knew that there was something veiled in my vocals," says he. "And Nepathya happened out of the dreamy passions of our youth.

"It was actually because of Bhim's fervent persuasion that I was convinced that I could do anything in the music field," explains Gurung. It was through the passion of Bhim Pun (who now resides in Hong Kong), Deepak Rana (chopper pilot) and Amrit Gurung that Nepathya was born nearly two decades ago. With them caught up in their careers, Amrit Gurung has kept the fire of their fervent burning with flair and prowess unmatched by any in Nepal.

While most of the ministers and governments were confined to their concrete jungle, Amrit Gurung set out into the dense forests infested with turmoil and terror, where peace was killed, which he believes, "for illogical and irrational beliefs." He went to places even feared by police and army and brought more than 200,000 Nepalis together and gave them a beckon of hope and faith. If music was intended to spread peace and humanity, Amrit Gurung's Nepathya achieved both.

At times when bland apologies were enough to justify the killing of innocents, Nepathya decided to wage their own war against violence and injustice! Their tours, Shantiko Lagi Sikchhya (Education for Peace) and Sundar Shanta Nepal (Travelling Peace Concert), toured the country and opened up slipshod eyes. Nepathya is not only a socially aware band but a voice of our motherland.

Wherever they went, they offered solace, hope and faith. "I grew up in a society where bahuns and chyames celebrated life with jubilance, singing and dancing together. It's sad to see that now after being a democratic country; we're fighting over something that shouldn't have even existed in the first place. And maybe that's why I've been socially aware from my very childhood," explains Gurung. "I also have strong ideals, which I'm not going to compromise in any way and probably this is also why I've always been able to stand up for what I believe in."

However, the activist - by the way, he doesn't like to be called one - prefers to be lost in the bosoms of nature most of the time. "I'm not a misanthrope; it's just that I like being alone at times. I love the feeling of solitude. And as Wordsworth said "My heart too has been broken to some extent by the society."

Amrit Gurung spends months in the mountains and says he has visited most of the Himals surrounding our motherland. "There's something majestic and affectionate about the mountains. I think that the word imperialistic was actually invented only to describe the mountains. But above all, I love the nostalgic feeling that I get when I'm surrounded by the God's magnificence."

Beyond the mountains and music lies the true love of his life. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has a 7-year-old daughter who is the only person in his life who gets away from bothering him. "She's given me something unexplainable in words. I feel a beast has been given a job to protect a delicate flower. And I love that feeling."

Being hot headed and a perfectionist, Gurung prefers to be reserved. But the few people whom he chooses to stick with can see Amrit Gurung in a jovial jubilance now and then. One of his favourite things to do with his friends is to go to Gopal Dai's bhatti pasal at Basantpur. The inebriates' abode where the likes of Gopal Yonjan, Narayan Gopal and Amber Gurung once spent their times conjuring up tunes that changed the nation. "Gopal Dai [the barkeeper] really has some splendid tales to tell about our heroes and booze to go along with it," he flippantly adds.

And he says that he loves Newari food and has travelled all over the Valley to sample their "exotically savoury" tastes. He is very much fond of the local booze and says, "Though I don't drink much, I love to sample the local spirits that are brewed in the backrooms of some Nepali families."

However, he says that it is not the glass of wine but a glass of tea that inspires him. "Many of my compositions were born while talking to local people while sipping a cup of tea. It's them and their lives that inspire and evoke emotions inside me."

He is not some yippie/yuppie/hippie with long hairs. Amrit Gurung has mastered everything that he desired. He still paints, he was a producer in Nepal Television for four years and continues to make documentaries and will probably make a film soon, too, he sings, and his songs are still inspirations to many.

Amrit Gurung is no more different than you or I but he is one of those few extraordinary dreamers who dared to dream for their country and for their people.

Hunger Free Concert..

In collaboration with Action aid Nepal, hunger free concert was held in Kathmandu a year back.. i would have very much liked to attend it but as I dont live in Kathamandu, I was unknown about it till I found an article about in a blog..

This is what Lunatic Calm had to write about it.

Nepathya normally doesnt cut out on the list of artists id love to see on stage, but i was wrong to think of such thoughts. Also, it was a first time for me almost sitting throughout the whole of the gig and that too almost in the end of the hall.
The main cause today was an initiation by Youth Action Nepal, Action Aid, Nepa-laya, and Child Development Youth Network in raising awareness about the problems of Hunger. It was entitled as a Hunger Free concert and event. A rally was started from Peace Mandala to BICC where all the participants got drenched completely, a sign of good starting but still a drag. Anyways, after reaching there , some photo session, chanting, interview and stuff and then started the main highlight.
Having heard Nepathya on some prior albums, i generally do like their music. A blend of folk, blues, rock and some other potpourri comes out as a truly appreciable music. But its a much better treat seeing them live. Their rendition of old Nepathya songs and some classic nepali (patriotic) songs in a type of pink floydesque nature was truly awesome. The crowd pumped up the guys on stage and in turn they played their hearts out and just set the stage on fire. I particularly liked the duet between the Madal and the drums which it seems nowadays has been a Nepathya regular in concerts.
Summarizing it all, it was truly a wonderful musical and visual delight. Their performance shows the Nepali artist have the same flair as international artists, at least some do.

Read this article in its original location.

Well this is Mr Sugam's experience. But all I have to tell is Never Judge a band by the songs played in the Media!! Listen to them play and judge them on your own terms...

Later I found photos of the concert in flickr. Here are they

www.flickr.com More Flickr photos tagged with nepalnepalkathmandu

And a youtube video too!! A short portion of the song Ghatana.
Here is the video

Watching Resham.....

First time i watched resham video was in a tv show in Nepal television.. I cant remember the show name but it was definitely hosted by Shivani Singh Tharu and was Music Nepal produed. I remember Shivani because she is from Nepalgunj and Music Nepal because it was the same company which had brought out the Album Resham. At first It was a live show only.. As Resham was recorded live as they told then, this was the same video and seeing Amreet Gurung singing and his long hair moving around with the tune of the song was definitely entertaining. And moe over I got a chance to see the people who made the song.. so it was always special for me.

But now we have an another video which has some glimpse of the old live recorded video but along with it is a beautiful girl and a handsome guy having a small story related to the song. Nonetheless very entertaining..(maybe I am biased towards Nepathya and it made me think so!!)

U can have a look at this new videobelow. (courtesy Youtube.com)