His initial exposure to Chau Dance was at a very
early age when he was in the sixth standard in Shikshashatra High school. His
first guru was Anil Mahato. He had a vast range of interest ranging from Jhumur
song, Nachni Dance and cock fighting. He loved to play football but his love
for Chau was beyond everything else which led him to his destiny. Nepal Mahato
passed his school final examination in 1993.
During his academic years in Shikshashatra his
cultural talents became exposed in front of the eyes of Secretary Ajit Mitra
and Dulal Chowdhury. Under the patronage of Ajit Mitra he began to perform Chau
dance in different programs. He built his troupe in 1975. And in 1980 his
troupe won the competition organised by Academy of Folklore. After his
performance in ICCR Nepal Mahato's fame spread the boundaries of nationality.
His First international exposure was to London in 1982. After Gambhir Singh Murah Nepal Mahato was the second person to internationally spread the traditional dance form of Chau. His main themes were against the distortion of the dance form. For this he received the Padmashree in 1983.Apart from London he performed in Sweden, Canada, France and Switzerland. Nobody can deny his contribution in the world of Chau. In 1994 he became the supervisor of Dr. Ambedkar Folk Art Fellowship. To keep the art form alive and carry forward his lineage Nepal Mahato established a Chau training centre in 1982 in his village where he trained more than 500 artists. In 16th March 2019 Nepal Mahato passed away in a hospital in Kattak at the age of 66 leaving his art to flourish through his students.
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