Leadership Lessons from Nepathya

Nepathya – a Nepali band that does not only make great music but has inculcated great practices into their being.

About 15 kilometers away from Pokhara, the lead singer of Nepathya band, Amrit Gurung, walked me through the village that he was born in and the agricultural practices he is engaged in. I had just finished reading Nepathya–Lokpriya Yatrako Sansmaran, a popular travelogue that chronicles the journey of the band over years – from the years of struggle, the split, and the challenges that the band overcame to become one that thinks globally and aspires to bring a global mindset to Nepali music. The book, written by Girish Giri, has sections in Amrit Gurung’s voice that are fascinating to read. I have followed the band for many years, interacting with the members of the band and the people at Nepalaya that manage the band. The book is a must read and provides many perspectives and lessons, but for me here are four:

First, think global. Nepathya performances are known to start on time and the production is immaculate. They have been able to perform at global venues around the world. From technology to visuals to crowd management, they have nailed it. This is a major lesson to learn for many Nepalis who think that if it is a Nepali show, it can go the Nepali way — not starting on time, getting bogged down by sound system challenges, and having the crowd go berserk. The book documents how this came to be – how they learnt lessons to go global.

Second, it is about discipline. I have learnt a lot from Amrit and have always been inspired by his way of doing things. There is no substitute for discipline, practice, and hard work. With him, whether it is farming or doing music, there is always a sense of a non-defeatist attitude with the desire for constant improvement. That is what sets one apart. I have learnt from him about how you stay focused before events, avoid distractions, and perform to beat your past. For instance, in his eight precepts, he talks about nammatine-naatinne – don’t get drunk, and don’t panic. He is a great model to understand how to manage success and one’s celebrity status while learning from failures and moving ahead.

Third, it is about learning, travel, and exposure. Amrit conducts a lot of research on music and has brought many types of Nepali music sung in different parts of Nepal in a format that is popular. He is all about respecting the people who do music and learning from people engaged in literature. I never forget the story of him going to watch Mick Jagger perform in Mumbai in 2003 as part of a Rolling Stones concert. Mick was 58, perhaps 25 years older than him then. Watching Mick Jagger, Amrit made up his mind to sing like Mick till late. Besides this, he is also an example of my belief that a week’s travel is a semester of MBA. One can learn a lot from getting exposed to different situations where one can learn what to do and what not to do.

Fourth, it is about collaboration. During planning or rehearsals, I have been able to witness great teamwork between Nepathya and Nepalaya. Behind the scenes of a concert, there is Kiran Krishna Shrestha of Nepalaya ideating on strategies, and Arpan Sharma bringing in much needed knowledge about crowd, publicity, and beyond. One can easily get a glimpse of this in the book, which has been very open about not only present collaboration but also about discussing challenges during the split of the band multiple times and lessons to learn from these trying times. With 25 years of collaboration, Nepalaya and Nepathya are definitely a case study on how to work together.

One of the greatest qualities of Amrit I admire is his positive thinking, and that is what makes our conversations interesting. He is there to make new music; travel to another part of Nepal to research on a folk tune; travel to another part of the world to play the music he is good at; and inspire young people to go do good music. The list is endless. Never in these years of association have I heard him talk ill about people, including people who have hurt him. He believes in moving on and focusing on what can be done better. He has been able to live a simple life with the fame people die for. For instance, he writes in the book about how people stopped their tractors to take a selfie with him and then gave him a lift in the same tractor as he was walking to a village in the hills. He also talks about the need to have compassion towards your critics, else, you will get stuck and cannot move on.

The book is really a treasure trove of experiences and knowledge that people should engage with. I hope an English edition will come out that will take this story to the world. Meanwhile, I have been also been encouraging Nepalaya to convert the final part of the book, about Nepathya’s eight precepts from life, to something that will be useful for the young Nepalis who have been disillusioned at times with social media exposure, and unwanted and unwarranted competition. There is a lot to learn!