“That is a very small number compared to the years I’ve been in it”
he says. He reveals why, “I have never sang a song I don’t like. I have
to like the words first, then the music and arrangement.” When asked if
he is a perfectionist, he replies, “one has to like the words and music
to sing it, hoina ra?” That of course cannot be denied. May be not a
perfectionist but he is selective for sure. In addition, being with
Finance Ministry for the last 30 years has also come in the way of
allowing him much time for a concert. His friends, fan and family have
been requesting him for one for years though.
Deepak Kharel, known for his rendition of modern songs defines that
the popular musical term ‘Sugam Sangeet’ does not mean music of a
certain time period but refers to a genre that involves soothing music,
deep feelings, melody that is simple yet is sweet enough to last for
generations.
Kharel, 54, was born in Kavrepalanchok but his parents moved to
Kathmandu when he was 2. Kharel, who now lives in Ghatthaghar, Bhaktapur
with his wife and father has three children, a son and two daughters,
all of whom are abroad. He says, ‘All of them are interested in music
and are good listeners.’ But across all three generations it’s only him
who sings. He was inclined towards music from his childhood days. It
was his college buddies who encouraged him to take a voice test in Radio
Nepal. Encouraged by that he went straight to Damodar Gautam’s
residence back in 2034 BS. Gautam asked him to sing and recorded his
voice in a tape to figure out whether Kharel had ‘miq voice’ or not. He
was impressed with what came out and arranged for Kharel to sing for
voice test. Upon passing the test that year Kharel’s musical journey
formally started. His first song was
‘Tinle geetharu malai bhanera nasamjha’ written by Gauri Newa and composed by Dwarika Lal Joshi. A mere two to three months later his first popular song ‘
Timro tyo hasilo muhar ko’ hit the airwaves making Deepak Kharel a household name.
‘But it was not like today. People knew my name but there was no
television so no one would know artists by their faces’, he remembers
the good old days when singers had to queue up for months to record a
song in Radio Nepal. Ever since the list of his hits have only
increased, ‘
Pratiksya gara meri mayalu’, ‘Badal banayi deu’,
‘Timro har prasna ko’ are some of the evergreen numbers people remember
him for. However, having a full time job has taken its toll in his
singing, which he considers neither profession nor hobby but ‘a practice
of art’. No wonder, in over three decades of his union with music he
has only recorded around 350 songs.
He says he has never discontinued music though, ‘During my job I had
to travel to different districts and back then it was not easy to record
songs, that is why I only could record a couple songs in a year, but I
never stopped.’ In a few years, he envisions taking Nepali Sugam Sangeet
events across the country and abroad. He already has a loose group of
like-minded artists working towards it.
In 2002 he reached many of the younger generations with his song, ‘
Garau ki mitho bhul’
which became equally famous for its music video. He proved two things
with this particular song. First, that he can sing romantic numbers and
second, younger generation do enjoy ‘Sugam Sangeet’. He says, “there
were people who told me that I cannot sing romantic songs, that’s why I
sang one when I liked the words. But personally, yes, I do like
sentimental songs more.”
Music video was his way to responding to the changing demands of the
audience. He believes artists must respect changes brought about by the
time. “But that has to be done remembering where you come from. Keeping
up with time does not mean forgetting the ground below you. If you
create something just for the current time it will not last”, he
cautions. “Matching with time, following new technological development,
and knowing yourself better, that’s what this journey is all about”, he
summarizes.
Kharel is happy about new artists who have kept ‘Sugam Sangeet’
alive. He says, “there are really good artists in today’s generation
like Shailesh Singh, Satya-Swaroop, Shiva Pariyar and many others.”
Till date he has come up with six albums
, Purnima, Deepak Kharelka geetharu, Our Feelings, Bholi kasle dekheko chha, Melodies of Deepak Kharel and Maya Baljechha.
Currently he is working on two albums. A solo album from one of his
favorite lyricist, Bijay Shivakoti, which he plans to release within
this year. He is also working on a devotional album titled
Celestial Note.
He explains, ‘I’m a religious person, not dogmatic though. These songs
are not about chanting names but more philosophical’. A few of these
songs are penned by his mother, who also had keen interest in music.
album producer. He really is a very unpredictable musician.Biju Bajra has been an integral part of the Nepali Entertainment Industry and is a proprietor of his own company, Bajra Creation. 
The trailer ends with the words 'The 2nd Law' and 'September 2012' being shown as the music fades out. 
Pretty Payal was playfully partying and praying for
‘In Transit’ to go precious. Smiling, redden, energized, jumpy was all
the adjectives that came in my mind when I saw her during the launching
ceremony of ‘The Uglyz’s spanking new album ‘In Transit’ yesterday at
Tamas, Thamel.