Veteran artists Hari Prasad Rimal died at the age of 93 at his residence today. Ninety-three-year-old Hari Prasad Rimal — the first singer of Radio Nepal, was a prolific actor of both stage and screen. He also directed numbers of drama and written number of lyric.

Since last four years, he has been confined to his room because of his health. He was surviving an oxygen concentrator.

As his health was deteriorated, he spent most of his time in bed. He survived on semi liquid food. Late Rimal has wife, two sons and two daughters.

As his health deteriorated, he was out of touch with media and people. He had sang numbers of famous songs such as Mero Mann Tukra Bhayera, Fagat Ek Nazaar Ma, Jaau Hami Baadal Paari and Fagat Ek Nazaar Ma all outhit.

He also acted in Nepali movies like Aama, Maanko Baandh, Pariwartan, Ke Ghar Ke Dera and Santaan among others. Late Rimal has contributed to cinema and music. His contribution to Nepali theatre is equally important.

Born on September 20, 1925 at Lagantole, as the third child to Ghana Shyam Rimal and Mohan Kumari Rimal, the childhood days of Hari Prasad were filled with fun. His family was a family of artistes. Father Ghana Shyam was a singer while his brothers Gopal Prasad Rimal and Krishna Prasad Rimal were poet and dramatist respectively.

Hari Prasad’s father used to work in Dev Shumsher Rana’s palace. During that time plays were staged in the palaces occasionally and Hari Prasad was a regular visitor there. He used to go there with his brothers and sisters.

“Till I was nine years old, my sisters used to carry me for the shows. But after my bratabandha at the age of 11, I often used to go alone. I was supposed to have become a mature person after the ceremony (bratabandha),” he recalls. Then, only the “nautanki (theatre groups) from India would stage plays in Nepal”. Watching their performances, Hari Prasad had become confident that “we could also do such acts,” said Rimal in his rare interview with Sabitri Dhakal in The Himalayan Times.

Moreover, Hari Prasad took up direction too. A Newari play — Chhagurat was his first drama as a director and he has some 50 to 60 other plays under his belt as a director.

“Once we were staging a play — actor Pushpa Nepali in the role of a dead female was lying on the floor, and I had to cry on the death of that character. The wig Nepali had put on to disguise as a female, suddenly fell off and the audience burst out laughing. To control the situation, I helped Nepali put on the wig and we started acting emotionally,” Rimal told to his rare and last interview published in The Himalayan Times.

Hari Prasad was interested in music since his early child hood.With number of his family members including his father, uncle, he became the first singer of the country at Radio Nepal when he recorded the song Mero Mann Tukra Bhayera Aakhaako Baato Bahanechha written by writer Shankar Lamichhane in 1950/51.

He worked Radio Nepal as a program presenter. His other songs include Jaau Hami Baadal Paari, Fagat Ek Nazaar Ma, Pawanle Phool Laai, Bina Baadal and Aashu Bahaau among others.

Courtesy: Youtube

Photo Courtesy: Balkrishna Thapa Chhetri/THT