KATHMANDU

After two years of Covid-imposed hibernation, Nepathya is ready to welcome New Year with a bang. Nepathya's first public concert post-Covid is scheduled for Damak on April 14, Thursday (1st Baisakh 2079). The open-air concert is to be held on the grounds of Saraswati Higher Secondary School, more popularly known as 'Itabhatta School' amongst locals. Earlier, Nepathya had performed on the same ground to an audience of over four thousand in 2018.

This will be the fifth Nepathya concert in the town, fast burgeoning into a trade and art hub in Eastern Nepal as per a press statement released by Nepathya. "We've made all arrangements to live up to the grandeur of the Nepathya concert as is expected by the audience," quoted Kiran Krishna Shrestha of Nepalaya saying, who manages the band. "We also have a new release on the show, which will be Nepathya's New Year's gift to its admirers."

Two years earlier, in February, 2020, Nepathya had performed at Bhrikuti Mandap to raise funds for a public school in Dolakha, which had collapsed during the 2015 earthquake. After a two-year-long hibernation since then, the Damak performance will be Nepathya's first open-air concert after the pandemic.

"As the world went into hibernation, I retired to my ancestral village on the rather remote hills of Kaski," revealed Amrit Gurung, the band's leader, and vocalist. "During this time, I devoted myself to farming. This period was very profound and revealing to me - it helped me understand the level of ecological deterioration and its dire effect on human life."

Gurung, meanwhile, continued practicing music throughout his two years of solitary life. "We are very fortunate that the scientists discovered anti-viral vaccines in such a short period," he adds. "Slowly, the time has come for us to recalibrate into our normal lives."

The concert, he says, is also a tribute to the spirit of celebration and renewal that a new year brings. The band will perform some of its classics, while also releasing an entirely new song, especially for the Damak audiences.

The concert is being jointly organized by Nepali Touch and Dhrubatara Sporting Club, which is celebrating its 13th year of establishment. "We've prioritized safety and ease of the audience on the day of the concert," says Raj Goswami of Nepali Touch.

The physical tickets for the concerts are available at the local counters of Damak, Kakadbhitta, Birtamode, Urlabari, Itahari, Pathari, Letang, Dharan, Biratnagar, Gauradha, and Dudhe. Additionally, online tickets can be purchased directly from www.thuprai.com/nepathya. According to the local organizers, the tickets are priced at one thousand rupees.

The concert will open its door to the audience at 4:45 pm in the evening.