Shanti Thatal
Shanti Thatal is an Indian music composer and singer, known for her works in Nepali film industry. She has more than 200 songs to her credit, including music for several Nepali films. She is the first female music composer of the Nepali film industry.
Personal life
Thatal was born on 4 April 1938 in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India to father Manu Singh Thatal and mother Chandra Maya Thatal. She initially learned music under the mentorship of Shiva Prasad Singh and Bhanu Ghosh. She did her schooling at St. Teresa School, Darjeeling and went on to complete her bachelor's degree in music. Later she moved to Calcutta to learn music at Rabindra [Bharati University]. After returning to Darjeeling, she joined the Himalaya Kala Mandir, a music, arts and drama institute in Darjeeling, and also learnt music from Amber Gurung. The legendary Nepali singer Aruna Lama was her best friend. She considered Gopal Yonzon and Karma Yonzon as her favourite musicians.She also started teaching music at Kendriya Vidhyalaya. After her education, she moved to Gangtok, Sikkim to join a government job. She became a Director at the Culture Department of the Sikkim government. Music remained her passion. Shanti Thatal never married. She now lives her retired life in Darjeeling.