Thousands attend musical programme on second day of Eid al-Fitr

Thousands of Nepalis flooded to an electric music show at Asian Town on the second day of Eid al-Fitr.
The programme was organised by SAS Creation in association with Kalyan Ghimire and was called Dhurmus-Suntali Night, after the TV names of comedian duo Sitaram Kattel and Kunjana Ghimire, the main attraction of the event.  
The programme saw scintillating performances by Nepali movie queen Rekha Thapa, reality TV dancer Nirmal Tamang, Bhojpuri dancer Seema Singh, actress Rani Chatterji, folk singers Muna Thapa and Raju Gurung, stand-up comedian Raja Rajendra, and singer-musician Tanka Budhathoki.
The Struggle Band, led by vocalist Santosh Pariyar, kicked of the event with their rendition of the national anthem and two Hindi movie songs.
Rise Band, led by vocalist Nabaraj Shrestha, then covered a popular Nepalese contemporary song by late Ambar Gurung. This was followed by a dance performance by 10 performers, dancing to remixed tunes choreographed by Jerry Rai.
Eleven-year-old Shai Ujwal Koirala performed a song from his own album, which he also released on the occasion. Koirala is in Qatar with his family. After receiving applause, Koirala stepped down the stage to give a brief comment: “It was my first performance at a community programme, but response from the audience made me feel like I was a regular [at such events].”
Bhojpuri dancer Seema Singh performed two dances on Bhojpuri and Nepali songs. Singh, a familiar face for Nepalis in Qatar, has performed more than seven times here. She is one of the most popular actresses and dancers in Bhojpuri film industry, and has acted in over 500 music videos.
Another Bhojpuri pride, Rani Chatterji performed three dances back to back. She is an Indian film actress from Mumbai and is better known for her roles in blockbuster Bhojpuri films.
Folk singer Raju Gurung performed three of his songs. It was his second trip to Qatar and has already performed in seven countries.
Muna Thapa performed two songs. Her songs dealt with the common man’s melancholies. Thapa is also a philanthropist, who was engaged with the victims of the Nepal earthquake last year and this was her fourth performance in Qatar.
Stand-up comedian Raja Rajendra cracked jokes about Nepali and Hindi songs. Part-time TV and silver screen actor, Rajendra was entertaining the audience in Qatar for the fourth time.
Singer-Musician Tanka Budhathoki performed two songs and two dances. Budhathoki has recorded over 300 songs and directed more than 200 music videos.
Visiting Qatar for the third time, Budhathoki said he feels inspired by the encouraging crowd.
Reality TV dancer Nirmal Tamang performed twice, on a Nepali and then a Hindi song. Tamang, first runner-up of popular Dance India Dance Season Five, said this was his first performance in Qatar and was “historical.” Indian by citizenship, Tamang has a large fan base in Nepal.
Rekha Thapa, the queen of Nepali film industry, performed two songs. It was her fifth performance in Nepal. Having starred in over 250 films, she was in Qatar to support the Dhurmus Suntali Foundation. She produces and directs movies through her own production house and has won multiple acting awards. She recently founded the Rekha Thapa Foundation through which she will carry out social services.
The show-stoppers, Dhurmus and Suntali performed an elaborate comic act. They transformed effortless into different characters, satirising Nepali politicians. They also highlighted the plight of Nepali youth, forced to migrate abroad.
Dhurmus and Suntali are the names of TV comedian duo Sitaram Kattel and Kunjana Ghimire, and it was their second time in Qatar. They also urged the audience to help their country rebuild from the devastation created by the earthquake last year.
The comedy-duo is involved in multiple social welfare projects. For instance, they helped build a model village of 22 houses in Kavre district and helped distribute goods to earthquake survivors through their Dhurmus Suntali Foundation.