Amrit Lal Shrestha (25 December 1925 – 2 November 2003), better known as Nati Kaji (), was a Nepali singer and songwriter. Kaji was a prominent music director and singer of his time having composed and sung such evergreen songs as Nepali Hami (written by
Madhav Prasad Ghimire
Madhav Prasad Ghimire ( ne, माधव प्रसाद घिमिरे; 23 September 191918 August 2020) was a Nepali poet and scholar. He was honoured as the ''Rashtrakavi'' (National Poet) by the Government of Nepal in 2003. Some of h ...
).
Early life
Natikaji was a nickname given to Amrit Lal Shrestha by his grandparents, and became the name he is known by throughout the country. He was born in 1925 at
Pulchowk, Lalitpur. He lost his mother at the age of 5 and his father at the age of 10 and so was raised by his grandparents at Gujeshwori where his grandfather was the temple priest. Natikaji died on 2 November 2003.
Career
Nati Kaji commenced his musical venture at age 7 when he started playing the
harmonium at the Gujeshwori Bhajan Mandali. His professional music career initiated when he joined
Radio Nepal
Radio Nepal ( ne, रेडियो नेपाल) is the state-owned Radio broadcasting organisation of Nepal. It was established 2 April 1951. Radio Nepal airs programs on short wave, medium wave (AM broadcasting, AM) and FM broadcasting, FM ...
in 1950. During the 40 years of his service in
Radio Nepal
Radio Nepal ( ne, रेडियो नेपाल) is the state-owned Radio broadcasting organisation of Nepal. It was established 2 April 1951. Radio Nepal airs programs on short wave, medium wave (AM broadcasting, AM) and FM broadcasting, FM ...
, he composed over 2000 songs of varied genres. He is credited for over 15 operas, such as Pijada ko Suga, Kunjani, Prithvi Narayan Shah ka Char Pakchhya.
Marna Baru Garho Hunna, an evergreen song penned by Tirtha Raj Tuladhar, sung by
Phatteman Rajbhandari
Phatteman Rajbhandari (November 28, 1936 – September 9, 2013), an iconic voice in Nepali music, was a popular vocalist and musician of Nepal known for prominent songs such as "Marna Baru Garho Hunna", "Banai Khayo Dadelo Ley", "Yesto Pani H ...
remains one of his best compositions.
Recognition
His awards include Gorkha Dakshin Bahu Pratham, Indra Rajya Laxmi Pragya Puraskar, Chinnalata Geet Puraskar and Bhupal Sangeet Puraskaramong.
Filmography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaji, Nati
20th-century Nepalese male singers
1925 births
2003 deaths
Nepalese songwriters
People from Lalitpur District, Nepal