Dhakal has traversed a long path to establish himself as a prominent singer of the country Dhakal : Star Singer When a young lad in his pre-teens sang songs of Narayan Gopal two decades ago, many had thought that this boy was a dark horse. So, when Dhakal literally grew as a singer in the public domain, nobody was really surprised. But the degree of success he has attained has taken even his ardent fans by surprise. Two decades ago, when he started singing in a melodious voice, he used to attract a fair number of crowd. Within this period, he has managed to scale new heights. Dhakal, today, has a huge fan following not only among youngsters but also ladies and elderlies alike. Because of his melodious and powerful voice, there are many who compare him with the original master of Nepali modern songs – the late Narayan Gopal. The success he has earned as a singer was because of his struggle since childhood. He did not know that he would one day achieve such success in this field. Born on July 23, 1974 in Nijgadh, Bara, Dhakal is gifted with a soothing voice and a flair for singing. His talent in music got a fertile ground to be nurtured. At his very early age he used to sing songs that would easily catch the attention of many people. Without feeling shy, he used to sing songs in front of his teachers, colleagues and relatives. As a young boy, he had keen interest in music since his childhood. He used to listen to the songs of Narayan Gopal especially. Bhaktaraj Acharya, Deep Shrestha, Prakash Shrestha, are some of his favorite singers. With their songs and inspiration of his teachers, friends and others, he participated in school level contests. Dhakal used to sing touchy songs with melodious voice while participating in ‘Cultural Programs’. The trend of participating in the contests continued and Dhakal earned more shields and awards. ”Hamro Sundar Sansar Thiyo” was his first song to have been recorded. It was composed by Dinesh Subba. The popularity of his first song, profoundly changed his career dynamic. He made progress by leaps and bounds in the subsequent years. With popular songs ‘Orali Lageko Harinko Chal Bho’, ‘Man Paraune Hajar Bhetinchhan’ one after another, he never had to look back. Impressed by the popularity of his songs, producer of Nepali feature film ‘ Jhajalko’ approached him. His first play back song ‘ Jindagile Yasari Dhoka Diyoki’ became even more popular. More and more producers and musicians started approaching him. Within the next few years he was already an established and sought after playback singer. To date, Dhakal has lent his voice to songs in more than 100 Nepali feature films. Although he has sung only around 100 songs as playback singer, Dhakal has sung a large number of other songs. He has already sung more than 800 songs and released 11 solo albums including’ Dhakal Sumadhur Saanjh- 1989, Ashirbad-1994, Aashish-1996, Asha-1998, Dhakal Sumadhur Saanjha-II 1998, Aarohan-1999, Ashirbaad-2000, Agraha-2001, Aadhar-2002, Aashraya-2004, and Aagaman-2006. After about 20 years of his formal entry to the music industry, Dhakal has recently come out with his latest album ‘Agaman’. While inaugurating Agaman at BICC Hall, funds were collected in favor of ‘ Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital ‘. Showing his attachment with social causes, he helped raise more than five lakh to help cancer-struck people. As a prominent singer, he has traveled to 40 districts out of 75 districts of Nepal . Likewise, he had the opportunity to visit various countries like United States , United Kingdom , Japan , Korea , Hong Kong , Brunei , Qatar , Malaysia , Dubai , and so on to show concerts. Apart from singing, Dhakal also tried his hand in acting. As a central character of Aashirbad, a Nepalese musical feature film, he also played in films. But acting does not seem to be his cup of tea. Dhakal, however, is one of those artistes who is busy in advertisement sector also. In recognition to his contribution to Nepali music, Dhakal has been felicitated by several awards and medals. By KABI ADHIKARI (source:www.nepalnews.com)