Book on Fatteman launched

Kathmandu, June 5: An anthology of articles and memoirs on late singer and musician Fatteman Rajbhandari, Samjhanama Fatteman, was launched Sunday.

The book is edited by Pradhumna Joshi and published by Basu Shashi Smriti Parishad, and contains 71 articles by various personalities from literature, music industry, media and other walks of life.

Fatteman had given his voice and music to more than 400 songs – ranging from hymns to modern, folk and patriotic songs.

“Fatteman was a foundation pillar of the modern Nepalese music. He could sing for hours without showing any fatigue even during the last days of his life. Along with other singers like Ratnadas, Natikaji, Aruna Lama, Ambar Gurung and Shiba Shankar played an instrumental role to popularize Nepalese music and songs among the common folks,” writes veteran songwriter Kali Prasad Rijal.

His playback voice in ‘Prempinda’, ‘Banai Khayo Dadhelole…’ was a great hit. He was awarded with more than a dozen of national awards for his superb voice and contribution he made for the development of Nepalese music and singing.

‘Rato ra Chandra surya…’, ‘Yesto pani hudo raichha…’, ‘Marna baru garo hunna…’, ‘Sannani ko galaima…’ and ‘Kasto maya laiyachha…’ are his greatest hits which are still popular among various age group of Nepalese audiences.

Memoirs of three generations of Nepalese music industry in terms of Fatteman has been organized in a single book which has made the publication worthy for collection.

It will be a good resource for the researchers and Fatteman’s fans.

Fatteman died of cancer at the age of 77 in 2013. He started his career at Radio Nepal at the age of 25.

Launching the book amidst a ceremony in the capital, chancellor of Nepal Academy of Music and Drama Bhakta Shrestha praised the efforts of Basu Sashi Smriti Parishad to bring out the book and said that such initiatives helped to document the history and preserved important events for the future generations.

The book is priced at Rs. 400.