Pop Pioneer
Bista introduced the western style music in Nepal
By THAKUR AMGAI
In the era of sixties, when Nepal had just opened its door to the world and hippies had just started coming to Nepal, a young Nepali boy with long hair, wearing dingo shoes and western attire would roam in the alleys of Jhhochen trying to resemble the hippies.
Endowed with a melodious vibrating voice and an ability to sing in a wide range, this young boy - Om Bikram Bista, not only enjoyed the company of the foreigners, but got largely influenced by them.
He had little idea that this childhood inclination would change his life and mark his name in the history of Nepali music industry.
The English songs of famous singers and bands like Beatles got into his blood as he befriended the hippies and hung around restaurants of Jhhochhen that always played the English songs.
Little Bista's avid interest in music led him to plea with organizers of 'dabali'- a traditional function of Newar community in which cultural activities are performed, at the mere age of 10. And that was it. His unique talent - the vibrating voice and the ups and downs in the music scale, instantly became known to a wide range of people.
Bista got the chance to practice more music when his father, renowned litterateur Daulat Bikram Bista, brought him a seven stringed guitar and a few spools of English songs back from his trip to Malaysia.
Without a teacher, Bista would try different cords and rhythms in his new gazette and would try to rhyme with the English songs played from the spool. At 13, he wrote and composed and sang a song all on his own.
Bista's songs were completely experimental in those days. At times, when singers followed a traditional track to composing and singing songs, Bista had sung songs with western influence and used modern musical gazettes in them.
As in all new endeavors, Bista, too, encountered friction in continuing with his styles. Many senior singers and musicians accused him of spoiling the Nepali music. But at a time when audience had little choice in music they listened to, Bista's songs were very popular. His popularity increased day by day.
The song 'Ma Maunatama Aljhhiraheko Euta Jiwan', sung years ago is still a very popular song.
Because of the growing popularity, the same singers who had criticized him earlier started praising him and asking his help to use modern musical gazettes in their songs, too.
In the hundreds of songs Bista has sung thereafter, he has retained his identity and his uniqueness is apparent in all his creations.
Bista who is considered the 'guru' of today's pop singers, feels that the essence of music has not got justice in the latter days. What is to be noted here is, his songs that did not fit in any of the existing genres then were termed as ultra-modern songs and not pop songs.
However, ironically, the Nepali music industry has started a tradition to term any songs that do not fit the definition of other genres, as pop songs. Many a times such songs do not have the essence of music in them.
Known as 'Pop Samrat', Bista is the ideal of the most of the pop singers of the country. Whatever track the young generation may be following, Bista holds the credit of beginning the tradition of experimental songs in Nepali music industry.
Bista, however, is not happy that there is no control over the quality of songs these days. "The quality of songs have not improved as much as the quantity," says Bista. In recognition to the contribution to the Nepali music industry, Bista was recently awarded with 'Chhinnalata Geet Puraskar' and also the Image music award.
