Chandi Prasad Kafle

Utpal Kandel is a Nepali music composer, teacher, and media composer whose work spans Bollywood, Hollywood, and contemporary Nepali music. He served as Music Producer and Orchestrator for the highest‑grossing Hindi film “Dhurandhar”, and has contributed to major projects including “Bads of Bollywood,” “Kesari Chapter 2,” and “Article 370.” His international portfolio includes a collaboration with two‑time award‑winning Hollywood composer Art Phillips. Now based in Australia, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and has performed at the Sydney Opera House, proudly representing Nepali culture on a global stage.

Bhupendra Rayamajhi is a renowned Nepali musician, music director, arranger, and lyricist with over 30 years of experience in the music industry. His passion for music began in childhood and turned professional when he joined Radio Nepal as a guitarist in 1983, later becoming a music arranger in 1990. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music from Prayag Samiti, Allahabad, India. In 1998, he was appointed Chief of the Music Department at Radio Nepal, where he played a vital role in nurturing and uplifting Nepali music. He retired from Radio Nepal in 2018 and continues to create heartfelt music that connects with audiences worldwide.

Manohari Singh (1931–2010), born in Kolkata to a Nepalese Bhusal family, is celebrated as one of South Asia’s finest woodwind and orchestral arrangers. Though globally known for his work with R.D. Burman, his Nepali heritage and musical upbringing in a Nepali household shaped his tonal sensibility, melodic phrasing, and emotional depth — qualities that strongly resonated with Nepali film composers.His mastery of alto saxophone, flute, piccolo, clarinet, mandolin, and bansuri made him a sought‑after session musician whose sound influenced the orchestral palette of Nepali film music in the 1980s–1990s. Many Nepali composers — especially those working in Mumbai and Kolkata studios — relied on his phrasing style, brass‑woodwind layering, and melodic counterlines as a reference point.Although he did not score many Nepali films directly, his arrangement style, brass band roots, and Nepali musical lineage helped shape the cross‑border sound that Nepali cinema adopted during its modern era. His work as part of the Basu–Manohari duo also inspired Nepali arrangers who studied Indian studio orchestration.

Natikaji, (Amrit Lal Shrestha) born in dec 25 1925 in Lalitpur, Nepal, is revered as one of the most influential music directors in Nepali history. A prodigy from a musical Newar family, he began playing harmonium at age seven and later joined Radio Nepal in 1950, where he composed over 2000 songs across genres. His works include timeless classics like Marna Baru Garho Hunna, Nepali Hami, and Phoolko Thunga Bagera Gayo. He also directed music for more than 15 operas and several Nepali films, including Man Ko Bandh and Sindoor. Known for blending classical depth with emotional resonance, Natikaji earned prestigious honors such as the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu and Chinnalata Geet Puraskar. His melodies continue to shape Nepal’s musical identity, making him a cultural icon. He passed away in nov 22003, leaving behind a legacy that still echoes in the hearts of Nepali music lovers.