The crowd erupted into chants of “Amrit” after Nepathya performed its song “Jogale Hunchha” at a packed concert in Itahari. The band's frontman, Amrit Gurung, paused to deliver a message of social harmony and national unity.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed many kinds of conflict in Nepal. I hope we will not have to see such things again,” he told the audience. “Just as people from different ethnic groups, religions and communities are sitting together and enjoying themselves here, both on stage and in the audience, let us make our diverse country free from discrimination and live together in harmony.”

Gurung urged everyone to identify themselves as Nepalis first, regardless of their ethnic, religious or communal backgrounds.

The audience responded with applause and raised fists in support.

Encouraged by the response, Gurung said, “Come on, let me now sing you a beautiful jhyauरे song,” before launching into another popular number, “Mai Nache Chhamchhami”, whose lively rhythm drew the crowd into the performance.

After the concert, audience member Jyoti Pokharel wrote on Facebook: “I watched Nepathya's concert. The songs were excellent, but so were the ideas.”

The concert took place in Sunsari, where religious tensions had turned violent a few months earlier, leaving several people dead and triggering unrest in other districts. Nepathya's performance was seen as an opportunity to promote social harmony in the aftermath.

The band's first concert in Itahari drew such a large crowd that tickets for the main ground had sold out in advance. Organisers had to make additional arrangements for spectators in the stadium's stands at the last minute.

As the stadium filled, the connection between the audience and the musicians grew increasingly warm, with people coming together through music.

A few hours before the concert, Koshi Province Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki had met the band.

“I'm delighted to have welcomed and honoured Amrit Gurung and the Nepathya band on behalf of Koshi province during a brief and cordial tea meeting this morning,” Karki wrote on Facebook alongside photographs. “I hold their invaluable contribution to Nepali music in the highest regard.”

Nepathya had recently performed to a packed audience at Paljor Stadium in Sikkim and received an equally enthusiastic reception in Itahari.

For Biplav Dahal, who had attended five Nepathya concerts elsewhere before watching the band perform in his hometown for the sixth time, the experience was deeply emotional.

“Sometimes happiness is so profound that tears come to your eyes before a smile reaches your lips,” he said. “I was so deeply immersed in the music that, for a few moments, it was difficult to compose myself.”

Itahari was the band's first performance in the city. The audience included fans who had travelled from outside Sunsari, among them Krishna Bhujel, who had come from Dhankuta.

Bhujel recalled watching Nepathya 22 years ago, when he was in Grade 6 at Triveni School in Dhankuta. At the time, the band had been working with government schools as part of its “Education for Peace” campaign.

“Over the years, I have felt a significant improvement in the band's performances,” he said.

Sajal Bhattarai, a student at local Kasturi College, said Nepathya's concerts offered more than musical entertainment, conveying messages about patriotism and the importance of contributing to the country.

“Such messages need to reach every corner of the country,” he said.

Local organiser Purwanchal Events said it was delighted to have fulfilled a long-standing ambition to bring Nepathya to Itahari.

“We had imagined a certain turnout, and the attendance matched our expectations,” said organiser Rajkumar Karki. “We were even happier to see the satisfaction on the faces of people leaving the concert.”

Gurung was accompanied on stage by Dhruv Lama on drums, Subin Shakya on bass guitar, Niraj Gurung on guitar, Shanti Rayamajhi on madal and Dinesh Raj Regmi on keyboards.

After Itahari, Nepathya is scheduled to perform in Charali, Jhapa, on Saturday. It will be the band's first concert there, at the Hatemalo playground, with the gates scheduled to open at 4pm.

The band will return to Kathmandu for a short break after the Charali concert.

Following Tihar, Nepathya will perform in Sauraha in Chitwan, Putalibazar in Syangja, Beni in Myagdi and Belchautara in Tanahun before embarking on a series of concerts in Australia.