There was a time when C.P. Lohani was a household name in Nepal. The year was 2020 BS and people simply used to enjoy listening to his songs…his voice. He was a master in a true sense.
Since childhood, he excelled in singing classical numbers impressing the older generation with his talent. When he first sang at Radio Nepal on Baal Karyakam, he chose to sing a classical number. He was just 15 years old then.
His father Durganidhi Lohani was a great lover of music and his mother Uttar Kumari used to be overjoyed whenever she heard her child sing. While he was still a kid, he got an opportunity to learn classical music from Chetnath Sharma and under his guidance, he was able to polish up the talent that he already possessed.
He received his formal education at Padmodaya High School (Kathmandu), Adarsha Vidhyalaya (Biratnagar), Bijaya Memorial High School (Kathmandu) and in all these schools he was able to make a name for himself with his singing capabilities. He was no doubt a popular figure then! It was while studying at Tri Chandra College that he reached even greater heights of popularity.
In 2020 BS, he was offered a lead character in the movie titled ‘Maitighar’ opposite Mala Sinha. This indeed was a turning point in his life. After the release of the movie, he even sang a duet song with Mala Sinha.
CP Lohani met Mala Sinha for the first time while shooting for ‘Maithighar’ which took them to various places for the shoots and it was during one of these numerous tours that they started liking each other. In 2021 BS, he received a letter from Mala Sinha. At this point of time, Mala Sinha was living and working in Mumbai. The proprietor of Photo Concern — DB Thapa — passed over this letter to him. Through this letter, Mala Sinha had confessed her feelings for him. He wrote back to her and then on they started meeting often. On Falgun 1, 2025 BS they decided to get married. When they had announced their marriage, the news surprised everyone in Nepal. Mala Sinha gave birth to their first daughter Pratibha. She too has done some Bollywood movies to very lukewarm response. On the other hand, CP Lohani did only one movie but became a superstar with one effort itself. He did continue making music nonetheless. He does not have many recorded songs to his credit but the few songs that has been recorded were more than enough to last him a lifetime.
He was born in Ashoj, 1995 BS in Kathmandu with his nwaran name being Chidambar Prasad Lohani. After completing his B Com in Kathmandu, he went to Delhi to do M Com. However, he couldn’t stay there for long. After appearing in Loksewa examination, he enrolled himself as a section officer at the Bhansa. Later, he also worked at Raghupati Jute Mills and Biratnagar Jute Mills as general manager.
CP Lohani was not only active in singing but was equally full of life doing other simultaneous projects as well. He was an outstanding table tennis player and traveled to Mumbai and China to participate at competitions. For his prowess in this game, he was evn awarded byLate King Tribhuvan, Late King Mahendra and Late King Birendra. In 2022 BS, he sang a song mimicking the voice of a female excellently well which surprised many. During the same competition, he was able to bag the first position for Modern Song organized by Radio Nepal.
Late King Mahendra was one of his ardent fans. Therefore, he was often invited to the palace to perform. In his latter days, he has not been very active in singing. However, at times, he performs at various occasions and programs. Most of the time, he is in Mumbai with his family and is leading a content life.
by
Narendra Raj Prasai
Nepali to English
Translated by
Dipti Sherchan
