Deepak Kharel: Selective & Sentimental

“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.