‘Edward Scissorhands’ star Johnny Depp once said, “Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can’t.” When there’s music, everything else disappears. For a couple of minutes, we forget the sadness, and enjoy the beauty of sounds. It’s not a lie that everyone is a music fan in this world. People might like different genres but it’s quite surprising when people say they don’t love music. Some people love hiphop, some love pop, others love rock and roll; but all it matters is when they unite as a group:  “Music Lovers”. 

Music is a lifestyle but it requires an artist and also an instrument to play on. Vocals aren’t mandatory but it surely carries the meaning when people sing songs. There are a number of instruments to be played; pianos, guitars, sarangi, flute, and so on. However, guitar is probably the most liked and adored instrument. The love for the six-stringed instrument has never diminished or depreciated. 

There are a lot of companies supporting the artists and preserving music in Nepal. However, only a handful of them are not profit-based. Their main motive is not making enormous profits. Mantra Guitars is one such company. Founded by brothers Anup Sharma and Robin Sharma, the brand ‘Mantra Guitar’ has been helping for the development of Nepali music. They have also been supporting the singers since their inception in 2017. Their main goal has always been changing, connecting and fusing art with music. And from the proceeds, they help singers to start their musical career.

As asked the inspiration behind the product, Robin said that their eagerness to contribute to Nepali music made them go for this product. Robin further commented, “I regularly questioned myself as to how I could contribute in enhancing the quality of music. This question further led to making commitments in leaving no stones unturned to carry out our efforts to make music better.”

Likewise, brother Anup lamented about hardly having companies that support music in Nepal. He adds, “As per my knowledge, there are no Nepali international companies that lend a hand to the beautiful sound. Not witnessing such companies gave us the direction in having one.” 

Since their start in 2017, they have faced many challenges. Before their start, they were scared whether their products will be appreciated by the people or not. Now they think it’s hard to find artists so that they could help. According to Robin; not only around the city area, they are unable to find artists even in the rural areas. “We want to help people to start their musical career but we haven’t been able to do justice to every people in the country. There are lots of underrated artists who don’t have even the simplest of tools to send their songs to us so that we can help,” Robin lamented.

Despite their challenges, the brothers are men with goals. One of their goals is making the brand international by 2019. Despite emphasizing on the word ‘guitar’ in the brand’s name, they look forward to producing various other instruments. “We will soon be making sarangi, madal, bass guitar, drum sets and  many other instruments. Mantra is all about the holistic development of music rather than focusing only on guitars.” Anup added. Likewise, the brothers want to develop their way of selecting artists. Highlighting about development in the selection process, Robin added, “We are organizing an online competition soon. The winners will get a chance to work with us. We will help them record their original song, make the music video and also arranging gigs followed by making PR for the artists.”

These brands along with several other local labels will be part of RadioNagarik 96.5 "Brand Nepal - Go Local" event on December 22 at Tangal Wood, Naxal. Join in and support our homegrown Nepali brands.  Enjoy a weekend of local product choices, music, food and fun activities. For further details check facebook.com/radionagarik96.5.