Shree Amber Gurung ( ne, अम्बर गुरुङ) (26 February 1938 – 7 June 2016) was a Nepalese composer, singer, and lyricist. He composed Nepal's

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

, "

Sayaun Thunga Phulka "", or "" ( ne, सयौँ थुँगा फूलका, ; "Made of Hundreds of Flowers"), is the national anthem of Nepal. It was officially adopted as the anthem on 3 August 2007 during a ceremony held at the conference hall of National P ...

Early life

Amber Gurung was born in

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, where his father and former soldier in the British Indian Army, Ujir Singh Gurung, served as a policeman from

Gorkha district Gorkha District ( ne, गोरखा जिल्ला ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the 77 districts of Nepal, which is the fourth largest district (by area) of Nepal and connected historically with the creation of the modern Nep ...

, Nepal. His mother encouraged him to sing and compose as a child, and he taught himself to play Nepali, Indian, and Western instruments. He studied at Turnbull School, Darjeeling, where he fell in love with music while singing Bible

Hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

Career

In the 1950s, he formed an association with Nepali poet Agam Singh Giri.He has wote over 100 song. He became the headmaster of Bhanu Bhakta School, founded by Giri, and pioneered the Art Academy of Music. He recorded his most famous song "Nau Lakh Tara" (a song about the sufferings of the Nepali diaspora in India) in the early 1960s, written by Giri. His students included musicians and singers such as

Gopal Yonzon Gopal Yonzan, also spelled Yonjan, (26 August 1943 – 20 May 1997) was a Nepali lyricist, singer, and composer. He was known for his patriotic Nepali songs. His voice range allowed him to sing songs of every genre of Nepalese music. He belongs ...

, Karma Yonzon,

Aruna Lama Aruna Lama (9 September 19454 February 1998) was an Indian-born Nepali language singer from Darjeeling. She is popularly known as 'Nightingale of the Hills'. She sang hundreds of Nepali songs, including some for Nepali film, and left an indelib ...

, Sharan Pradhan, Peter Karthak, Indra Gajmer, Jitendra Bardewa and Ranjit Gazmer. He worked as the Music Chief of Folk Entertainment Unit, Government of West Bengal, Darjeeling from 1962 to 1965. He was barred from singing or recording songs outside the unit. He later moved and settled in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

, Nepal, in 1969. On 1 January 2014, he was given the title "Mahan Sangeetkar" by Himalayan Tones Music Academy of Hong Kong. Organizing "Amber Gurung Ratri", Dinesh Subba. Gurung composed

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

’s new

, ''

'' in 2007. He was invited by Nepal's

King Mahendra Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव; 11 June 1920 – 31 January 1972) was the King of Nepal from 13 March 1955 until ...

to return to Nepal to establish and chair the music department of the newly founded Nepal Academy of Arts in 1968, where he served as Music Director for nearly 30 years. He was appointed the founding Chancellor of Nepal Academy of Music and Drama in 2010.

Death

Amber Gurung died on 7 June 2016 at the age of 78. At the time, he was suffering from diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

References

External links

Articles By Ambar Gurung published in Kantipur

Nepalicollections.com – Amber Gurung's Song

Amber gurung Ratri – Alopalo.com

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gurung, Amber 1938 births 2016 deaths Nepalese musicians Nepalese Buddhists People from Gorkha District People from Darjeeling People from Kathmandu Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu National anthem writers Jagadamba Shree Puraskar winners Gurung people Musicians from West Bengal Nepali-language singers from India