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Sanjeev Singh Rana, a 39-year-old Nepali pop and contemporary singer completes a decade in the music industry. In all these years, he has always allocated a part of his income to charitable causes. Rana is affiliated with various musical institutions including the National Lok Dohori Association in Tanahu. He is also the joint secretary of the Kathmandu-based National Musician Association. 

 He attributes his passion for music to his mother, who always used to hum songs of renowned Nepali artists like Aruna Lama and Tara Devi. It captivated him and sparked his interest in music. Rana has also always been an ardent admirer of the legendary Narayan Gopal. “I was inspired by him because of which I used to take part in singing competitions during my school days,” he says.  

 After school, he spent seven years training in music. He wanted to hone his skills. And he did. He won the ‘Western Star Singing Competition’ in 2009. Two years later, he launched his first album, ‘Bhavishya’ following which many opportunities started coming his way. Life post the launch was a flurry of concerts and performances at fairs and festivals all over Nepal. He also participated in many international tours.

 Rana is known to have a charismatic presence on stage. The audience is enthralled by the ease with which he performs. Humbly accepting the compliments, he credits Rajesh Pal Rai as his inspiration for interactive stage performances. “I watched Rai perform and saw how engaged the audience was and learned from that,” he says.

 Immersed in musical pursuits, it was only natural that he gradually got more involved in songwriting and music composition. Entering the field independently without any connections, he says, “It was challenging to make a name in the industry but I kept at it and have been able to make a mark.”

 He has achieved a level of recognition and fame but he believes all that can be fleeting if he doesn’t respect his craft. “In an ever-evolving music landscape, staying competitive and remaining at the forefront of the audience’s minds are things you have to work on every single day,” he says.

 Rana reminisces about the days when Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT) services were quite popular. Over 100,000 people chose to set his songs as their CRBT. It was a huge morale boost, one that gave him the confidence to keep making music despite the challenges. Now, the number of views his songs get on YouTube and other social media is how he judges his popularity. “Audience response is extremely important for me. I will keep making music as long as people appreciate my work,” he says. 

Apart from singing and songwriting, he has also been a part of many music videos. In 2012, ‘Dhan Magey Ta Chaina’ brought him recognition and the desire to explore this facet of music as well. The success was followed by other popular music videos, including ‘Maile Maya Layeko’, ‘Ae Mero Maya Fulbutte Jama’, ‘One Two One Two Ma Pani Janchu’, ‘Timle Jastai Dhatna Janey’, and ‘Timro Profile’ among others. 

 His songs, he confesses, are written specifically for events, concerts, and stage performances. The music has folk elements and delves into the realities of love and romance in Nepali society. When creating music, he is determined to establish a connection between the story and the musical tone. So, he doesn’t include his own stories in his songs. Instead, he carefully observes and gathers elements of romance, love, and relationships to tell relevant stories. He believes it will help his work resonate with the audience. In the pop genre, the focus is on providing entertainment. 

 However, he is open to following new music trends and doesn’t want to confine himself to a particular genre. “The Nepali music industry is currently grappling with increasing levels of explicit content and nudity,” he says, adding he remains committed to his core values of producing songs that are emotionally charged as well as entertaining. 

 Rana isn’t only involved in music but has a philanthropic side to him as well. He believes he must support those in need as much as he can. “I want to and have been contributing a part of my earnings to some important causes,” he says. He has been actively involved in charitable works, assisting disabled students in special schools, elderly individuals in local nursing homes, and other marginalized groups facing various health challenges.

 In recognition of his dedicated contributions to the music industry, he has received several awards, including the Sagarmatha Award, Jaya Prapti Award, Quality Entertainment Award, and Natyaswar Award. In the future, aside from romantic pop songs, he wishes to create patriotic songs with impactful messages. He also wants to sing in other local languages to bring about a sense of connectivity between different communities of Nepal while promoting diversity in the music industry.

 For as long as he can sing and perform, Rana says he is committed to entertaining audiences and is determined to establish a legacy of producing songs free from explicit content. He also hopes that his philanthropic pursuits will serve as a model for other artists, encouraging them to engage in charitable work too.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that its attention has been drawn towards the hateful remarks made public in various social media platforms after the demonstrations held by Yuwa Sangh, the youth wing of CPN-UML, and businessman Durga Prasain under the “Rastra, Rastriyata, Dharma-Sanskriti and Nagarik Bachau Andalon.”

The commission said that it on Friday monitored Tinkune area, the venue Prasain had announced to stage a demonstration today, and the area of Bhaktapur-based Durga Prasain’s residence.

During the monitoring, the rights watchdog found the security personnel arresting the people gathered at Tinkune for the demonstration.

The Commission urged the security agencies not to use unnecessary force on protesters. 

While addressing the programs on Thursday, both sides made hateful remarks targeting each other against the Constitution, law and human rights, leading to a clash in Balkhu which left some people injured, the Commission said in a statement.

The Commission said that it has found posters and audio-visual materials along with hateful remarks against high-ranking state officials made public in various social media sites.

The constitutional rights watchdog concluded that these kinds of hateful activities are against Nepal's Constitution, national and international laws and against the spirit of human rights.

Three persons died and one was injured when two motorcycles collided with each other at Sanhaitha-based Nayachowk of Siraha Municipality-19 on Wednesday.

The deceased have been identified as Dinesh Kumar Yadav (25), Ram Briksha Yadav (32) and Mukesh Kumar Singh (19) of Arna Rural Municipality-5, Siraha, the District Police Office, Siraha said.

The motorbike (Sa 2 Pa 4531) heading towards west from east collided head-on with another motorbike (Pradesh 2-01-001 Pa 1850) last night.

They breathed their last during the course of treatment at the Provincial Hospital in Siraha.

Yavaraj Kumar Yadav (15), who was injured in the incident, has been taken to Biratnagar for further treatment.

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake jolted Kathmandu Valley and adjoining districts on Thursday.

According to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre, the earthquake with epicenter in Chitlang of Makwanpur district was recorded at 1: 19 am.