By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Feb. 20: Veteran singer and litterateur Jagat Mardan Thapa came up with a new musical album to mark his 84^th birthday on Thursday.

Seven songs, five solo and 2 duet, are included in the latest musical album of the octogenarian singer who has also penned short fictions and a book of lyrics.

Entitled as Ma Makkiyeko Dhuri Khanbo (I, a weakened main wooden pillar of a house), the album's songs are smooth and at the same time energizing. Different musicians have composed music for the songs, which shows that the singer can sing any type of songs as in his young age.

Moreover, the octogenarian singer mesmerized the audience gathered at the launch of his album with live performance of about half a dozen songs, some of them included in the new album.

In his live performance, senior singer Thapa also sang a song with the intro 'Jueli Ratma Ma Kati Parkhe Goreto Herer, Aayenau Timi Yo Mero Dilma Juneli Chharker (I waited for you at a moonlit night looking at the trail, but you didn't turn up to spread moonlight in my heart),' a love song he recorded some five decades ago.

Prem Dhwaj Pradhan, senior singer who presided as the chief guest of the album launch ceremony, lauded singer Thapa as an active and persistent singer and also a creative artist.

"Singer Thapa has been in the music sector for the last six decades. He has been involved in it persistently, tirelessly. It is a great quality and talent to be able to sing in the modern and new music even at this age," renowned singer Praddhan said.

Thapa is an inspiration to many young singers for he can even sing in fast tracks and he has been into music so diligently for so many decades, Pradhan said.

Music composer Shambhujit Banskota and lyricists Yadav Kharel also commended singer Thapa for his continuous and active involvement in music sector.

"Thapa's diligence in this sector can be understood once we reflect the fact that he started learning classical music at the age of 64 and learnt it for 10 years and then got a bachelor degree in classical music from a university" Banskota said.