Gopal Singh Nepali

Gopal Singh Nepali (Standard Nepali: गोपाल सिँह नेपाली ) (1926–1963) was an eminent Nepalese poet of Hindi literature and a famous lyricist of Bollywood. His association with Bollywood spanned around two decades, beginning in 1944 and ended with his death in 1963. He was a poet of post-Chhayavaad period, and he wrote several collections of Hindi poems including "Umang" (published in 1933). He was also a journalist and edited at least four Hindi magazines, namely, Ratlam Times, Chitrapat, Sudha, and Yogi. He was born in Bettiah in the state of Bihar. Although he was of Nepali descent, he did not have much of his heritage.

During Sino-Indian War of 1962, he wrote many patriotic songs and poems which include Savan, Kalpana, Neelima, Naveen Kalpana Karo,etc.

Lawsuit

Nakul Singh Nepali, son of Gopal Singh Nepali, has filed a suit at the Bombay High Court against the makers of Slumdog Millionaire, saying that Danny Boyle they wrongly credited poet Surdas for writing the song Darshan Do Ghanashyam. According to the suit, Nepali says his father, a poet, wrote the song.

Gopal Singh Nepali was born in Kathmandu in 1926, but brought up and educated in India at Varanasi and Bombay. He took his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Bombay. He taught as assistant lecturer at Sir J.J. College of Architecture, Bombay and as lecturer in Sociology at the University of Gorakhpur before joining Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi as lecturer in Sociology in 1963.

Dr. Nepali retired from the department of sociology, Banaras Hindu University as professor on Jan. 31, 1986. He was also then holding the directorship of Centre for the Study of Nepal, Banaras Hindu University. He was subsequently appointed professor at the Centre for Himalayan Studies, University of North Bengal (West Bengal), where he worked for two years.

Dr. Nepali was a professor at the Department of Sociology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu.

Further reading