Balendra Shah, better known as Balen Shah, is now at the center of Nepal’s political spotlight. Once a rapper and civil engineer, Shah is being widely pitched as the next Prime Minister of Nepal after the resignation of KP Sharma Oli amid massive Gen Z protests.
But Shah’s story has a strong India connection. Between 2016 and 2018, he studied civil and structural engineering at Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He completed his MTech in structural engineering with excellent results, impressing both peers and teachers.
Balen Shah: Teachers Recall ‘Brilliant Student’
Shah’s teachers in India still remember him fondly. While speaking with News18, Dr Shreyas AV, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, said, “He was a brilliant student and was part of three Nepali students who were studying structural engineering. Their records were very good.”
He recalled Shah’s performance, saying, “Shah and his colleagues would score 9 CGPA plus. Their project was on earthquake engineering, a concept that was closer to what happens back in Nepal.”
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Dr Shreyas said Shah showed no clear signs of entering politics at the time. “We followed his work after he left. That’s when we saw him turn into a popular rapper and then later, a mayor. We were pleasantly surprised.”
Balen Shah: A Leader in the Making
Dr Sudheer Reddy, Dean of Nitte, also praised Shah. “He was very good in academics, and we observed good leadership qualities. In fact, he had a desire to do something, to contribute to society through political life even at the time he spent with us,” he said.
His teachers called him a “thorough gentleman” who always showed concern for society. Dr Reddy added, “We saw that strain of being a good politician in him here itself, with respect to the student community or otherwise the public.”
Dr S Vidyashankar, Vice-Chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University, under which Nitte comes, said, “We have nearly 200–300 students from Nepal who come to Karnataka every year. The fact that Shah has shone so bright is really remarkable and a matter of pride for us.”
From Rap to Politics
Before politics, Shah made his mark in Nepal’s underground hip-hop scene. His rap songs, especially Balidan (Sacrifice), highlighted corruption, inequality, and poverty. The track gathered millions of views on YouTube and resonated strongly with Nepal’s youth.
Using rap as a tool for change, Shah grew in popularity. In 2022, he shocked the political class by winning the mayoral election of Kathmandu as an independent candidate. He relied heavily on social media and connected with the Gen Z generation.
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