Kalyan Rimal is known for the tremendous energy that he put in for the development of the music scene in Nepal. He is considered to be not only a fine singer but also an equally great human being. Since childhood, he has been a very humble person and it was from then itself that he had keen interest in music. He introduced himself as a competent singer and a great musician among the music circles in Nepal. However, he couldn’t deliver his talent in music as much as he wished to. Nevertheless, one thing, which is confirmed, is that he is artist par excellence. If only he had not worked at the Nepal Rastriya Bank, Nepali music industry would have benefited more from his contributions.
Since his early days, Kalyan Rimal was into singing. His father used to travel around singing songs and acting in theatres and this had a profound influence in Kalyan Rimal to such an extent that he also started accompanying his father. Later, Narraj Dhakal trained him in classical music. Soon after, he excelled in delivering quality music. The way he sang along with his compositions; they are till date considered to be masterpieces.
He was born on Ashar 1994 BS to Mukunda Nath Rimal and Indira Rimal. His parents had huge expectations from him and from day one itself, they had figured out that their son was going to do something extraordinary without actually knowing on what. He received his basic education at home and it was only when he was eight years old that he was admitted at Sanskrit Vidhyalaya. He was in this school for two years and while here, he studied Nepali grammar, kaumudi and hitopadesh. Soon after, he was admitted at Padma Kanya High School. It was while studying here that he started singing songs whenever he was given an opportunity and developed his skills further.
Whenever Kalyan Rimal used to sing, he made it a point to advocate Nepali culture. He always preferred to sing typical Nepali flavored songs. From 2013 BS, together withSwor Kinnari — Tara Devi — he started learning music under the guidance of Ustad Bhirab Bahadur Thapa.
More than his academics, he had always given more time to his music. Even so, he completed his education till IA and M Music. During the same time, he had even gone to Radio Nepal and had sung a few songs. When he was given a chance to record his first song, he was more than thrilled. This song was composed by him and was an Adhunik song. Initially, at Radio Nepal, there were no such facilities of recoding a song. The songs had to be performed live for it to be broadcasted and Kalayn Rimal belonged to that generation. It was none other than his grandfather Jaganna Nath Rimal who had first introduced him and referred to one of his friends Laxmi Nath Gautam. It was only after this that he was appointed at Nepal Rastriya Bank.
Kalyan Rimal joined the bank in 2018 BS. Due to his connections, his wife Biju Rimal also found work there. He served Nepal Rastiya Bank for tentatively 24 years after which he retired. Until the time he was there, he worked sincerely and dedicatedly. Because of his work, he was not able to concentrate much on his music. However, he sang over 250 numbers as well as composed music for all of them. His wife is also a singer and he often mentions how proud of her he is. He spent hours teaching her on the basic traits of music. On the other hand, Biju Rimal also liked learning from him. They also did some songs together and the number of songs that they have done together have been widely appreciated.
In 2028 BS, in an Adhunik Song Competition organized by Radio Nepal, Kalyan Rimal was able to bag the first position and was awarded with a gold medal. His interests were not only limited to music, he was equally interested in sports. He loved playing Billiards and cricket. In 2028 BS, he won the first prize at a Billiard Championships which included participants from all over Nepal.
He was also actively involved in social services. It was during this time that he became friendly with Kiran Kharel. Later, his daughter Situ got married to Kiran Kharel’s son Suman Kharel. In numerous Kiran Kharel numbers, Kalyan Rimal has been responsible for the compositions. He initiated the establishment of Nabin Kala Mandir with the main objective of safeguarding Nepali culture and tradition.
Due to the tremendous positive musical environment at home, his two sons Nabin and Prawin have also established themselves as capable musicians. On the other hand, Situ is also one of the most prominent female singers in Nepal today with a couple of successful albums already under her belt.
by
Narendra Raj Prasai
Nepali to English
Translated by
Dipti Sherchan
