Popular Nepali folk rock band, Nepathya, is hitting the road for its fourth concert tour of the country this time with a message of education.

During the war, Nepathya toured the country singing for peace and reconciliation, but the 'Shantiko Lagi Sikchya' (Education for Peace) tour is designed to raise awareness about education as a foundation for long-term peace in the country.

The band will begin on 3 January from Hetauda, travel through 10 districts and conclude in Gorkha on 21 January (see box).

Nepathya's first tour 10 years ago was at the height of Maoist insurgency. The band wanted to send a strong message to the security forces and the rebels to save schools from violence at a time when classrooms were used as barracks, playgrounds as helipads and football fields for military drills. Nepathya continued touring the country to raise awareness through music about the need to keep politics out of schools, and to promote schools as Zones of Peace.

Nepathya's last tour in 2006 followed the signing of the peace accord. In the subsequent years, Nepal has been relatively peaceful, but bandas and protests remain a daily part of Nepali life and political interference in educational institutions is on the rise.

"It has been five years since we last toured the country and we look forward to sharing the message of happiness and sorrow with our audience once again," says lead singer, Amrit Gurung, "the boys are very excited to be back on the road." Gurung is going to sing his wildly popular 'Resham', 'Bheda ko Oon Jasto' as well as songs from his latest albums Mero Desh and Aina Jhyal.

Like earlier years, Nepathya is collaborating with nepa~laya and local organisations to put up its show. Tickets range from Rs 1000, Rs 500 and Rs 300 and all proceeds will be donated to local schools in each respective area and used to build recreational and educational facilities.

Amrit Gurung

Amrit Gurung is the only remaining original member of the Nepathya band, and is its lead vocalist and lyricist. He is known for blending folk melodies into new pop and rock tunes. Amrit Gurung's songs carry on the tradition of Nepali folk music to sing about the problems of everyday life in order to lessen the burden.

Nepathya's songs have been about the war, of bereavement, of separation, of longing and love. With his John Lennon spectacles, Gurung is a modern minstrel who travels around Nepal singing about reality. Gurung is an avid photographer and has traversed 70 of Nepal's 75 districts, most of them on foot. It is in these lonely travels through remote trails that he composes his songs. Says Gurung: "Being in Nepathya is like being part of a journey. We still have a long way to go."