He had released his first album shortly after he retired from 30 years in administrative service. [break]
Encouraged to come up with an album at this ripe age because of the appreciation he got from audiences for his first album “40 Barsa Aghi 40 Barsa Pachhi”, his first album also inspired him to learn classical music.
He devoted nine years of his life after retirement to learn music with musician Prabhuraj Dhakal and finished his diploma in music. In addition to the album, he also released his short-story collection “Palash ko Phool”.
The album and the book were released Lainchour Banquet in the presence of big names in literature and music amid a huge crowd. Before he could be asked what inspired him to dedicate himself to music this late in life, Thapa credited his son Mohit Mardan Thapa for his support and encouragement.
He began learning music with the spirit of a young man and came up with his second album a decade after the release of his first collection. Prabhuraj Dhakal and Krishnahari Baral launched “Manko Shanti” and “Palash ko phool”.
“It is difficult to understand music without learning classical music,” says Thapa adding, “It’d be like trying to learn English language without the least knowledge of grammar.”
He is worried about young generation choosing music as a career without any knowledge of the classical music. “Nowadays we don’t see youth learning classical music,” says Thapa, adding, “This will not enable us to compete in the international music scenario.”
Thapa had recorded a song “Maya lukai lukdaina” in 2019 at His Master Voice, Calcutta, India. The song had become quite popular at that time.
For Thapa learning music is like practicing meditation. He is of the view that Nepalis are far behind in the international music scenario even though many of them have beautiful voices. “There is no habit of working hard,” argues Thapa.
He also dislikes the trend of refining ones voice using computer and other advanced technologies. “We should work hard to acquire the computer-refined quality in our voices,” opines Thapa.
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