Kandara: The band that ruled the Nepali music scene in the 1990s

As Om Padme Hum is chanted in the background, the colourful lungtars (Buddhist prayer flags) fluttered in the air and the burning incense filled the ambience. In the foreground was the six-foot-tall, heavy-built Bibek Shrestha with a big smile on his face.

Bibek Shrestha is the man with a soothing, magical voice that enthralled the people in the 1990s. People gravitated towards him because of his voice whereas the vagabonds used to lose themselves in his music. Kandara’s songs Bideshiyera Gayin Uni, Phulchoki Ko Dandaima, Timi Pari, Lekaki He Maya, Tagaroma Rumal Rakhi and Hong Kong Pokhara–all used to be played in every nook and cranny of the city as well as in all gatherings and events.