Prem Dhoj Pradhan

Prem Dhoj Pradhan (6 June 1938 – 6 May 2021) was a Nepalese musician.[1] He was a singer, composer, and regional playback singer. He sang in the two major languages of Nepal: Newari and Nepali. He was also known as the Golden Voice and King of Romantic Melodies of Nepal.[2][3]

Prem Dhoj Pradhan
प्रेमध्वज प्रधान
Background information
Birth namePrem Dhoj Pradhan
Born6 June 1938
Chautara, Nepal
Died6 May 2021 (age 82)
Sundhara, Kathmandu
GenresNepali, Nepal Bhasa
Years active1944–2021
WebsiteOfficial website

Pradhan was the first musician to perform with a guitar in Nepal and was the first Nepali singer to sing with Indian playback singer Usha Mangeshkar for the movie Maitighar in 1965.[4] In 1985, he sang duet songs with Asha Bhosle for the movie Mayalu in Bombay, India. Pradhan varied his musical style throughout his career and recorded approximately more than 700 songs in both languages combined on Radio Nepal, including live broadcasting and recorded songs.

Early life
Pradhan in his youth

Prem Dhoj Pradhan was born on 6 June, 1938, in Chautara, a small town 28 miles east of Kathmandu, to Ratna Dhoj Pradhan, a businessman, and Pran Devi Pradhan, a musician.

Pradhan's parents separated when he was young, and he went on to be raised by his mother and her family, who imbued in him a love of music.[5] His mother was a talented performer and taught him about music. He also tells a story of listening to classical music for an hour every night with his grandfather at a time when the radio was banned for ordinary Nepalese.[6]

He received a Bachelor of Arts in 1967 from Saraswati Multiple Campus, TU, Nepal.[1]

Musical career

1950s

Pradhan's music career began in 1952 when he attended a voice test at Radio Nepal.[7] The station, which was once permitted only to broadcast political information, began serving in the early 1950s as a platform for Nepali artists like Pradhan, allowing them to sing two songs every month. [8]

Two years later, starting in 1954, Pradhan spent fifteen months studying with the late Ganesh Lal Shrestha. He also, around this time, started performing in Kathmandu with a group of eight other musicians, becoming the first group in the country to perform concerts.[9] And in 1957, together with Tara Devi, he became the first Nepali singer to record a song for Radio Nepal, as opposed to playing live. [10]

1960s

In 1961, Pradhan had to stop singing for two years after undergoing surgery to remove a non-malignant polyp in his left vocal cord. During the hiatus, he adopted the guitar as part of his new style, becoming the first Nepali singer to do so. He began performing again later that year, and he was awarded a prize for the best voice in the All Nepal Modern Songs Competition in 1963 for "Goreto Tyo Gaunko".[1]

After mastering his signature style, he released his first LP records in the autumn of 1963. By the end of 1969, he had recorded 32 songs.[1]

Unable to find a sponsor, Pradhan personally funded eleven out of his sixteen discs. Towards the end of 1964, he recorded eight songs in Nepali and six in Newari.[1]

In November 1965, he was invited by Jaidev to sing with Usha Mangeshkar for the Nepali film, Maiti Ghar.[1]

1970s

In 1970, in his own music composition, he recorded ten Nepali songs in an album titled Himalayan Bouquet from Swinging Kathmandu. In the same year he also recorded bhajan songs (six pieces) under Jaidev.[1]

Death

Pradhan died on 6 May 2021, at Neuro and General Hospital, Sundhara, Kathmandu, after being hospitalized with breathing problems and chest pain.[11]

Honours and awards
  1. Received Narayan Gopal Sangeet Samman from Lunkaran-Ganga CSKM, November 2002 [12][13][14]
  2. Felicitated by Nepal Music Welfare Fund for significant contribution to Nepalese music[15]

References
  1. "Prem Dhoj pradhan". Artist Nepal. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011.
  2. Subba, Abhilasha (6 August 2010). "King of romantic melodies". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  3. Sangroula, Prasun (21 June 2023). "Unforgettable icons: Remembering 22 legends of Nepali music". Online Khabar. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  4. Dhungel, Mimamsha (19 April 2023). "A musical masterpiece". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  5. "Tracing Prem Dhoj Pradhan's long and remarkable career in Nepali music". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  6. "Tracing Prem Dhoj Pradhan's long and remarkable career in Nepali music". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  7. "Tracing Prem Dhoj Pradhan's long and remarkable career in Nepali music". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  8. "Tracing Prem Dhoj Pradhan's long and remarkable career in Nepali music". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  9. "Tracing Prem Dhoj Pradhan's long and remarkable career in Nepali music". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  10. "Tracing Prem Dhoj Pradhan's long and remarkable career in Nepali music". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  11. "Senior musician Prem Dhoj Pradhan passes away". Himalayan Times. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  12. "Fursad.com .:: Prem Dhoj Pradhan's Solo Performance After 41 years ::". fursad.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  13. "गायक प्रेमध्वज प्रधानको निधन". Onlinekhabar.com.
  14. "Prem Dhoj Pradhan to be honoured - Entertainment Magazine from Nepal …". Archived from the original on 23 February 2013.
  15. "Noted musicians honoured". Gorkhapatra. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012.
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