SATV, Kathmandu, Sept. 15 - Folk singer Prakash Dutraj has started a new musical journey from his birthplace, Myagdi, with the aim of presenting folk music with modern arrangements and live instruments.

A concert was held in Beni on Saturday under the banner ‘Dutraj Prakash and Lineup’. Dutraj and his band performed at the event organised by the Myagdi Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the open-air sports ground in Beni.

Dutraj was born in Arman of Mangala Rural Municipality-5, Myagdi, and spent much of his childhood and teenage years in Beni. He said he had dreamed of becoming a musician in Beni and was happy to launch his new musical campaign from his birthplace.

He said the band was not simply a new musical group but the realisation of a dream he had nurtured for around 14 years.

“This is Nepal’s first folk music band,” Dutraj said. “I have started this campaign from my birthplace to reach audiences through a new approach to folk music by bringing together musicians and technicians from different genres.”

His popular songs include ‘Manmaya’, ‘Ghar Kata Ho Bainiko’, ‘Rimai’, ‘Resham’, ‘Chhaina Ra Maya’ and ‘Aina Jhyalaima’. His songs, which combine traditional folk melodies with stories of rural life and the emotions of Nepali society, have made him popular among young people.

The 12-member band includes instrumentalists. Myagdi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Subin Shrestha said the concert had strengthened Dutraj’s plan to make folk music more lively and effective through live instrumentation.

“From now on, musical performances will be presented with the band and live instruments rather than backing tracks,” Shrestha said.

The band has started preparations for musical tours in different parts of Nepal. Dutraj plans to take traditional Nepali instruments and folk music to audiences in Nepal and abroad in a new style.

The programme was originally scheduled for August 31 on the occasion of Janai Purnima but was postponed due to floods in Rasuwa. It was held in Beni on Saturday, September 12. Tributes were also paid to those who lost their lives in the Rasuwa floods.

Audiences from Myagdi, Baglung and Parbat attended the concert.

Myagdi child artiste Kriyeshan Rokamagar also performed at the event and was later honoured by the Myagdi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.