Phurpa Nyesang

FROM ISSUE # 79 (July 2002) | IN THIS ISSUE
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There are all kinds of people in the music business today. There are singers who are in for the name game and there are musicians who are here for money. Most of them will tell you they are here for a bit of both. But Phurpa Nyeshang is here for neither of them.

If you listen to Phurpa's music, it is not so much different from what we have in the ever growing field of Nepali modern music. The only difference, one that matters, is the fact that his music has a cause. Phurpa is supporting seven children from his home town for their education with the money he is collecting through sponsorship and donation money from the distribution of his debut album Ma.

Phurpa followed his uncle to Hong Kong when he was 12. There he worked with his Uncle's busisness for a few years, learning graphic desinging in a local institute at the same time. Later, he left his uncle's business to join a designing company. In the meantime, he taught himself to read and write in English, and to speak the language of the land - Cantonese. Together with a Chinese and two Nepali friends, he has recently established his own desinging company in Hong Kong. At present the company aims to cater to the Nepali community in Hong Kong, but has a long term goal of entering the larger market.

About two years back, when he came to Nepal for a visit, Phurpa recorded his first album Ma. That's when he came across many children around his home area in Sitapaila who were deprived of education because their parents could not afford to send them to schools. Through the sales of the CD mostly in Hong Kong, he has been able to collect more than Rs 250,000 so far, which he has been using to sponsor the school fees of seven children back home in Sitapaila. The children are the primary level students from different schools in the area. Phurpa has plans to continue supporting them as long as he can.

Phurpa is now leisurely working on his next album, which he plans to release in 2003. He has already collected more than 4000 HK dollars as personal donations from his friends for the album, which he plans to record in Nepal itself.

When asked about the reason behind his noble deed, Phurpa says, "I never did go to any school myself. I taught myself the lessons of life the hard way. That's why I understand the importance of education. I do not want any kid to grow uneducated like myself."