Balen Shah

Balendra Shah (बालेन्द्र शाह; born 27 April 1990), popularly known as Balen Shah or simply Balen, is a Nepalese rapper, structural engineer and politician.

Shah was born on 27 April 1990 in Naradevi, Kathmandu.

He is the youngest son of Ram Narayan Shah, an Ayurvedic practitioner, and his wife Dhruvadevi Shah.

His parents moved to Kathmandu from Mahottari after his father was posted to Naradevi Ayurvedic Hospital.

His paternal ancestral home is in Mahottari's Ekdara Rural Municipality, while his mother's family lives in Dhanusha.

Shah attended V.S. Niketan Higher Secondary School for his 10+2 studies.

He received a bachelor's degree (BE) in civil engineering from Himalayan Whitehouse International College.

He also received a master's degree (MTech) in structural engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Karnataka, India.

Shah has been a popular figure in Nepalese hip-hop since the early 2010s.

Shah announced his candidacy as an independent and was elected at the 2022 local election, defeating Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Singh and CPN (UML) candidate Keshav Sthapit.

He is the first independent candidate to be elected as the mayor of Kathmandu municipality.

Time included him on their list of "Time100 Next" in 2023.

He released his first single, Sadak Balak, which he wrote while in the ninth grade, in 2012.

He rose to prominence among Nephop fans in 2013 after his appearance on the YouTube battle rap series Raw Barz.

As one of the first moves upon taking office, Shah introduced live telecasts of municipal council meetings, marking the first time such a practice was implemented in the city.

This initiative received positive feedback and was praised for its commitment to transparency.

He also encouraged businesses to allow public access to their restrooms, leading to the emergence of public restroom signs in various private establishments throughout the city.

He has also made pledges in public speeches to safeguard Newa heritage and architecture, along with revitalizing Newa Chhen type buildings in public infrastructure, though their widespread implementation remains limited.

During his tenure, Shah has advocated for the idea of nationalism and has been vocal in critiquing mainstream political parties and the federal government.

He often expresses his views on social media and has been known to avoid engaging extensively with mainstream press after being elected.

Since assuming office on 30 May 2022, Shah has prioritized various initiatives, primarily solid waste management, parking infrastructure, slum clearance, hawker management, and beautification projects.

The management of solid waste in Kathmandu faced challenges even before the mayoral election due to protests from residents living near the landfill, who expressed concerns about its impact on public health.

Balen, the newly elected mayor, made promises to address this issue permanently during his campaign.

After assuming office, he visited the dumping site, Sisdol, to listen to the grievances of the locals.

Balen Shah made it clear that no election victory celebrations would take place until the waste problem was permanently resolved.

He also encouraged the public to segregate degradable and non-degradable waste to facilitate better waste management.

On 6 June 2022, an agreement was reached between the Ministry of Urban Development and the newly elected representatives to commence garbage disposal from 7 June.

However, when garbage trucks arrived at Sisdole, local residents protested, leading to clashes between the police and locals and resulting in the arrest of some residents.

As a consequence, waste collection was disrupted for an additional two months.

Ultimately, on 18 August 2022, following a four-point agreement between the locals and government officials, Balen directed private companies to handle the disposal of all uncollected solid waste.

In accordance with Section 11 (2) of the Local Government Operation Act, 2074, Balen instructed Rajunath Pandey, the chief of municipal police, to initiate the demolition of unauthorized constructions that were encroaching upon public property.

Prior to taking action, a 35-day notice was given to the occupants of these properties, urging them to adhere to the law.

Subsequently, the mayor's office proceeded with the demolition of several structures located in affluent areas such as Hattisar and Durbar Marg, including malls, pubs, restaurants, pharmacies, and other private properties, within the first week after the notice period had expired.

Shah instructed to uncover the Tukucha River by demolishing the private properties built above the river, as part of city beautification and river conservation effort.

The businesses affected by the campaign filed a writ petition in the court.

Patan High Court subsequently issued the interim order barring the Kathmandu city government in the demolition drive.

He made a request to the Nepal Police to ensure compliance with the law and order by removing all police sub-stations constructed on sidewalks without proper authorization from the municipality.

He is currently serving as the 15th mayor of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal.

He had also expressed interest in running for Kathmandu's mayorship in the 2017 local elections but later backed down.

From an early age, Shah was interested in music and poetry.