In an orange-walled basement crowded with wires, speakers, splitters and mixers, Saugat Ghimirey sang a rendition of “Sa Karnali” — a popular song by Nepathya, a Nepalese folk-rock band.
Ghimirey’s voice was deep, strong and steady as he harmonized in his native language of Nepali:
स, जौका बारी, गौका पुला कम्पनी
स, पुल बान्दी जया बैनै कम्पनी
स, हास्दैँ खेल्दै दिन काटम्ला कम्पनी
स, घरबार्या न भया बैनै कम्पनी
(Translated to English:)
Sa… the malt field the wheat hay
Sa… the hay bundling Jaya Baini (village girl)
Sa… I wish I could spend time with her
Sa… I wish she was unmarried
Next to Ghimirey stood Praguyn Lugeli, a keyboardist, guitarist Arcen Senchuary and Kausal Tamang, who plays bass guitar and is also a backup singer. In the back of the room sat Joshan Ramdam, who doubles as the band’s drummer and manager.
Together, they formed Samjhana Reminiscence, a local Nepali rock fusion band that combines western rock and heavy metal music with traditional Nepali folk melodies.
While bandmates felt confident after their latest rehearsal, Ramdam, a self-proclaimed perfectionist, identified notes for improvement leading up to their next gig.
“I’m nervous because,” Ramdam, 17, said from his family home in Cuyahoga Falls, “I know strengths and weaknesses of every single one of these guys, pinpointed to the max.
“But I’m confident that we can touch it up by next week.”
The band members enjoy practicing new mash-ups just as much as performing solos. It’s a way for them to spend time together as they develop musical skills. Some members plan to take lessons in the future.
They met at Akron Early College
With the right combination of determination and luck, these musicians will find an audience — beyond Akron — leading to successful careers. Or music will remain a hobby, the passion that brought them all together when they first met at Akron Early College High School through its fall semester talent show, pep band or dance team.
“It was like our spawn point,” said Lugeli, 18, who has played the keyboard for 11 years.
For now, they’re building an audience online and performing at local shows.
“I feel like all of us are family,” said Senchuary, 16, the group’s youngest member. “We all just grew together, and it’s been a real, real good experience with these guys.”
The band has performed at Akron Early College, the Teal Arts Festival in North Ridgeville, the Asian Festival in Cleveland and the Nepali Festival in downtown Akron.
Samjhana’s origin story
Before attending Akron Early College and forming Samjhana Reminiscence (or Samjhana Band as Samjhana means Reminiscence in Nepali), Joshan Ramdam was influenced by his Bhutanese father.
Bishnu Ramdam is a musician and Bhutanese refugee who settled in Ohio in 2014. He brought his son along with his Nepali and Bhutanese fusion band, Druk Fusion Band, where he is the drummer.
Joshan Ramdam later began performing with Chautari Band, a Nepali band that brought him along for shows in Ohio and Pennsylvania in 2021.
“With those two bands, I gained a lot of experience in my early years,” Joshan Ramdam said. “What I wanted to do was combine that skill and collaborate with new people.”
That led to the creation of Samjhana. It all started with the group’s first performance together at Akron Early College’s 2025 cultural fair.
“That is when all of us got together for the first time, played a couple songs,” Ghimirey said.
“After that we just decided to keep on going as a band and we practice every single day and here we are now.”
Including Tomang, 20, a backup singer with no previous signing experience.
“If I weren’t in AEC, I would have never ended up here [Samjhana Band],” said Tomang, who is the eldest of the group but the newest to play music. He picked up bass quickly by asking lots of questions. And he’s still learning through hands-on guidance.
During rehearsals, Ramdam manages in a humorous yet serious manner — including sparking debates on whether to practice multiple takes.
“That was good, that was good,” Ramdam said during a recent rehearsal before telling bandmates to play another song.
