CK Rasaily

Parashuram Bhandari is a Nepali master of the sarangi. He hails from the former Kingdom of Nepal, a country of dramatic beauty with a rich and appealing culture. His music ranges from the wildly exuberant to the hauntingly delicate, presented with the rhythmic power that is his signature. The sarangi, whose name means "hundred colors," is an instrument with a cello-like timbre, bowed on three melody strings, with thirty-six sympathetic strings underneath, giving it a haunting cello-like resonance and bright reverberating echo. It is best known for its emotional intensity and its uncanny similarity to the timbre and inflections of the human voice. Parashuram is the only sarangi musician in Nepal to play in the North Indian Classical style. He plays Nepali traditional music on the country's traditional sarangi. The Nepali sarangi is a small hand-carved version of the classical sarangi, an instrument equivalent to the traditional American fiddle. Born in the Kathmandu Valley and educated in India, Parashuram studied with guru Pandit Bacchalal Misra of Varanasi and Senior Musician Gopal Nath Yogi. He received his Master's Degree in Music from Prayag Sangit Samiti. An independent artist, Parashuram Bhandari has published the only textbook on sarangi and is the recipient of National music awards in Nepal. He has performed in numerous countries and released two solo CD's among others with the acclaimed musical group Om Shringara Nepal. When home in the Kathmandu Valley, Parashuram performs in Nepal television, radio, and theatre productions.

Dr. Sita Thapa is a Nepali Hindustani classical vocalist, music educator, and academic who has made significant contributions to music education and research in Nepal. She has been serving as a faculty member at Lalitkala Campus, Tribhuvan University, since 2018, where she teaches classical music and mentors students pursuing higher education in music.With years of experience in teaching, performance, and research, Dr. Thapa has established herself as a dedicated educator committed to preserving and promoting Nepal's classical music tradition. Alongside her academic responsibilities, she actively participates in classical music concerts, workshops, seminars, and scholarly activities that encourage the growth of music education and performance in Nepal.As an academic, Dr. Thapa has contributed to the development of higher music education through classroom instruction, research, and mentorship. Her work focuses on nurturing young musicians while promoting the values and traditions of Hindustani classical music within Nepal's university system.

Suraj Nepal, The Esraj player born in Nepal started a love affair with music since his childhood. He grew up listening to folk and religious tunes played during various festivals in Kathmandu. At the age of 10 he started playing madal (A Nepali percussion) and started singing folk songs since his school days. As years passed, his interest in eastern classical music and instruments grew. That’s when he met a musician friend of a relative that introduced him to Esraj and encouraged him to learn the instrument. He learnt Esraj from Guru Santosh Bhakta Shrestha who then was the only person in Nepal to play the instrument. He too was his only disciple. He received a diploma in Esraj and in 2007. Since then he’s won many accolades, performed with many international artists, played many projects, bands and function. He’s benchmark performances include Playing for Change Organization, Varanasi International Ashram, Udaipur Shilpgram Festival, CPI NTOK 2014 Korea and Wumeng Grassland Music Festival China 2016, Inner Mongolia China 2018 & Wilma Israel 2019 etc.

Krishna Man, born in Ashar 1982 BS (1925 AD) in Bandegaon, Lalitpur, is one of the foundational figures of early modern Nepali music. He began his musical career in 2008 BS (1951/1952 AD) by composing for Satyanarayan Dangol’s song “Timrai Khatir Ni Sodhinau Maile Abiral Aansu Bagaye” shortly after the establishment of democracy in Nepal.Around 2016 BS (1959/1960 AD), he recorded two songs in Kolkata, marking his entry into the international music scene. In the same year, he gained significant recognition for composing music for Balkrishna Sama’s acclaimed play “Ma”. He also taught Nepali folk songs to Chinese dancers, earning international appreciation, and received a commendation from King Mahendra the following year.In 2019 BS (1962/1963 AD), he secured second place at Radio Nepal’s All Nepal Modern and Folk Song Conference and received a medal from King Mahendra. In 2020 BS (1963/1964 AD), he was honored again as the Best Composer.He completed a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Music from Allahabad around 2030 BS (1973/1974 AD) and participated in numerous national and international programs. In 2033 BS (1976/1977 AD), he was decorated with the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu (Fifth Class). In 2047 BS (1990/1991 AD), he won first place in modern songs at Radio Nepal. In 2048 BS (1991/1992 AD), he received an appreciation certificate from Ganeshman Singh for his music direction in the film “Aajako Yuwa”.His body of work includes 30 bhajans, 12 Newari songs, national songs, and film compositions released through cassettes and CDs, along with 34 bhajan videos produced for Nepal Television.