After the revolutions of spring 2006 against the monarchy, Nepal sought to replace its pro-monarchy anthem with a new one in a public contest. The winner, Pradeep Kumar Rai (writing under the pen name व्याकुल माइला (Byakul Maila)) was selected from 1,272 submissions. During the submission process, Rai and his family were interviewed several times to prove he was not a monarchist, since he one edited a book of poetry that contained a submission from the king.
The new anthem was officially declared on August 3, 2007. Despite the lyrics speaking of diversity, peace, and unity, the anthem is seen as highly tied to the Maoist government that controls Nepal, whereas some of the Maoists themselves want a more revolutionary anthem.
Special thanks to: Erwin Hoheisel for providing some of this information and the Romanized Nepali lyrics and English translation.