GAYAK PHATTEMAN

The album named "Gayak Phatteman at 70" was Phatteman's debut recorded album.

In this debut record, youth composer Aavaas helped Phatteman to remarry his early Nepali Adhunik styles and the universal romantic sentiments with a strong juxtaposition to the social suffering and angst of Nepal. The influence of the classical devotional ragas resonated in Phatteman's style. Amazingly his vocals had hardly dropped from his yesteryears even at 70.

Phatteman was a very well loved singer and a successful radio artist who was one of the favorite singers to the audience and to many Nepali Adhunik composers and singers with whom he had spent many intimate musical and private moments as professionals and friends. However, the chances of recording a solo album never crossed his path. He kept singing in the radio, the audience kept admiring but times kept changing.

The romantic singer was gradually pushed off-stream for many years in the growing competitive world of hectic and younger recording artists as newer recording hardware and software overshadowed the traditional analogue recording systems, orchestration, concept and artists like Phatteman who were the key artists of the Nepali Adhunik genre.

In 2002 Nepalaya with the effort of composer Aavas rediscovered the artist who was already suffering from numerous health problems and opting an elusive lifestyle. The same year a national musical tour was organised by Nepalaya for the veteran singer to once again blaze out his 'golden hits' to awaken the nostalgic past and the heroic present among his audiences. It was a great landmark for Phatteman's personal history.

He cried amidst an audience of thousands while singing his favorite 'Marna baru garo hunna…' (It is rather easy to die…) at a live concert in Palpa.

The tears proved symbolic. It was a reawakening of a new era. Very soon composer Aavas, driven by Phatteman's unconditional love to the Nepali Adhunik forms and his own quest to revive this genre of music, started writing scores and arranging orchestration for the 'golden singer' and recording it using only acoustic instruments and recording systems.

A rigorous workout between these two musicians for months finally resulted in the production of this debut album which was based on the lyrics of both the underground and known lyricists and poets, some of who were also making a debut entry into the world of song writing.

After the project was complete, Phatteman went back to his daily routine of waking up at four in the morning and taking a ritual walk at Pashupatinath Temple for an hour and coming back to "flirt" with his Harmonium, Sitar and Tabla. In most full-moon evenings, he was found singing Bhajans at Kirateshwor temple evoking the god of performance - earning love and awe from his audiences if not gold, for his golden voice.

Kina Aauncha a song from Phatteman's album was released for Radio Broadcast on 10^th of March 2005.