Sundar Kumar Maharjan

Buddha Lama is a musically talented young personality. He used to keep peoples spellbound by playing popular folk tunes in flute from his childhood. He came to Kathmandu for his further theoretical & practical courses in flute after finishing his schooling. In Kathmandu , he met flute instructor Jeevan Ale. Then he started both theoretical & practical classes in classical music. During his learning period he came to know from his instructor that no one can make flutes professionally in Nepal and it was hard to get even a perfect scaled flute in Nepal . People had to go to India to get a perfect flute. One day he determined to make flute himself in Nepal and after few years of his study he succeeded. Now world renowned flute-maestro from Nepal like Prem Ran Autari from ‘Sur Sudha' band, Himalayan Flutist Manose Sing, Pancha Lama from Chautari band and other well-known flutists are using flutes made by him. He also supplies his flutes in USA, Japan, Switzerland and other countries. All the effort he puts in result in quality flutes that have a massive and ever increasing demand abroad. He is pleased with this and plans to further improve the quality and as well address a wider market thus helping spread the melodious tune of flutes all around the world.

Pramod learnt tabla at home from his father Pundit Hom Nath Upadhyaya. Drawing inspiration from his maestro father Pramod started playing tabla when he was a toddler and at the age of five he performed at then Royal Nepal Academy (now Nepal Academy) which was his maiden show. His first abroad tour was for the German Unification Day in Germany. He had also an opportunity to learn tabla from legendary Ustad Alla Rakha from an institute named after the Ustad himself in Bombay, India. Incidentally, Pramod also had an opportunity to learn from Ustad Zakir Hussain for three months as the maestro happened to be a visiting faculty at the institute. Pramod is adept in all percussions made of leather. Besides that, he has worked as a recordist in many studios in Nepal. But, his fame is not confined as a musician or a recordist either; he has also lent his voice to many popular songs. Pramod was affiliated to Sukarma since its inception and has been playing in the group for ten years now.

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.

Navaraj Gurung is a highly acclaimed Tabla player based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Let me share some interesting details about him: YouTube Channel: Navaraj Gurung has a YouTube channel where he showcases his tabla performances. One of his notable covers is “Ham Tan” by Ali Ghamsari, where he adds his unique aspect of tabla accompaniment to the melodic structure. Rhythm and Joy: Navaraj Gurung’s extempore tabla performance was shot at the magical Kirateshwor Sangeet Temple in Pashupati. The video captures the spontaneous nature of tabla playing. Albums and Compositions: Over the past three decades, Navaraj Gurung has been actively involved in playing tabla and composing music. He has released 25 albums, spanning genres from Eastern classical music to fusion tracks and tabla solos. His debut album, “Moment,” was launched in 2000. Navaraj Gurung’s contribution to Nepali music is significant, and his mastery of the tabla continues to inspire music enthusiasts worldwide! 🎶🥁