Miss Panchawala Dasi

Sangita Pradhan Rana was born on 15th July 1962 in Biratnagar, Nepal. However, she spent most of her childhood in India after her family moved there when she was just 2 years old. She was born as the youngest daughter to L.M. Pradhan and Shanti Devi Pradhan, and she has three brothers and two sisters. Growing up, Sangita was a shy, disciplined, and polite child with minimal interest in mischief. Sangita completed her early schooling at St. Joseph School in Darjeeling before moving to Calcutta (now Kolkata) to pursue her higher education at Vishwabharati University, where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. 🎶 Musical Journey and Passion for Classical Music From an early age, Sangita's mother, who had a deep passion for music, encouraged her to join music classes at the age of six. This early exposure laid the foundation for her lifelong interest in music. Her journey into the musical world was further strengthened during her time at Vishwabharati University. The university provided a nurturing environment where many famous Indian singers, including Jagjit Singh and Ghulam Ali, visited to give lectures and perform, which deeply inspired Sangita. It was during this period that her love for classical music blossomed. Sangita often bunked the hostel to attend classical music programs with her friends, further fueling her interest in the art form. The musical environment in her university was instrumental in her decision to take music more seriously. She even chose classical music as her primary subject in college.

Arun Thapa (1952–1999) was a beloved Nepali singer-songwriter known for his soulful voice and emotionally resonant lyrics. Born in Calcutta, India, he moved to Kathmandu as an infant and later studied in Darjeeling before returning to Nepal to pursue music. His career began in the early 1970s, with his first major hit Jati Maya Laye Pani launching him into national fame. Thapa’s music often reflected themes of love, longing, and introspection, inspired by a personal heartbreak during his college years. His compositions blended poetic depth with melodic simplicity, earning him a devoted following. He worked briefly at Nepal Bank Limited before dedicating himself fully to music, recording for Radio Nepal and releasing two acclaimed albums: Arun and The Best of Arun. Despite battling lung and liver ailments, he continued to sing until his passing in 1999. His legacy lives on through his timeless songs, many of which are considered sadabahar (evergreen) classics.

Astha Raut is a singer from Nepal. Her first hit song was a remix song Saal Ko Paata Tapari from a collection album Addiction 2. She received the Hits FM Music Best Female Pop Vocal Award in 2014. Her second song Maya Yo Maya was from the movie Maya's Bar. She started singing at a very early age, since her family background is all musical. Her father himself is a famous folk singer and her mother is a lyricist, so she got full support for her singing career. Aastha sang many songs for nepali movies and is growing as a successful Playback singer. She has released her Debut Album "AADHAR" On 17th Aasad 2070 which includes 7 songs of different Genres.

The band began its musical quest on January 2nd, 2003 playing live gigs in hotels and lounge bars. It was essentially an acoustic blues band before it kicked off as a rock outfit. Lead singer Abhaya Subba is the founder member and manager of the band, while Rinchen Palzar who now plays the lead guitar joined the band in early 2004. Nabin Lama on the guitar was discovered by Abhaya while she was judging a reality show, The Sprite band challenge and he joined the band in 2008. Birat Shrestha on the bass joined the band mid 2009 and so did Ajit Tamang as the drummer. Abhaya had always been featured in well known bands such as Parikrama, Red Skywalkers and Punchtatva but she was getting frustrated with the way most other bands underestimated her song writing skills. What she had been seeking for was a band that would let her express herself fully and have a similar vision. She formed the band in 2003 with younger musicians than her who seemed to be more accepting of her need to write songs and articulate her full potential as a musician. Their first self titled album, released in February 2005, surprised Nepal as they had never seen such a bold female singer ever. It went on to becoming a runaway success and the band managed to carve a niche amongst the youth of Nepal. With their groundbreaking second album, Nayan, hitting the Nepali charts in 2008 their songs managed to embrace a larger listenership that established the band as one of the best that Nepal has ever seen or heard. They have been nominated for several major music awards in Nepal and were awarded the honor of being the Number 1 band of Nepal by Radio Kantipur in 2009. They have performed extensively all over Nepal and are planning a US tour in the near future. They have been invited to major concerts in Hong Kong, Australia and India. Their best is yet to come. They are now in the process of recording their third album and are raring to push the benchmark and to make music a thinking, entertaining and steamy affair.