The event has been organized in the collaborative effort of the Embassy of India, the BP Koirala Foundation and Kalakuti (a non profit organization run by Nepali artists dedicated to music research, documentation, promotion and performing arts).[break]
A press statement issued by the organizers mentions that the two day event will feature lectures, presentations, panel discussions along with musical renditions of Melba Devi songs.
The statement further mentions, “Melba Devi Mahotsav will be the first of a series of musical initiatives that will emphasize the importance of the archival and documentation of the musical heritage of Nepal. Entry to the event is free and passes are available at the main gate of the Indian Embassy.
Schedule of the Mahotsav Monday, April 11: Lecture and performance by Vidya Shah, renowned delhi based classical singer, composer, writer and music scholar including a musical rendition of Melba Devi’s songs by acclaimed Nepalese musicians such as Prabhu Raj Dhakal and The Hari Maharjan Duo.
The event will be held at the Army Officers Club, Bhadrakali .
Tuesday, April 12: Panel discussions and presentations by Nepali classical singers Jagat Maharjan Thapa, Prabhu Raj Dhakal and sound engineers Pradeep Upadhyaya and Sunit Ratna Kansakar.
The issue of discussion will be Melba Devi’s life, music and her contemporaries, change of playback technology, and the plight of women with burns. The event will take place at the Patan Museum.
About Melba Devi (1902-1955)
Melba Devi, born in a remote village in Eastern Nepal, was admitted to Rana Prime minister Chandra Shamsher’s court as a trainee singer when she was five years old. Her talent soon made her the favorite singer of the prime minister. By age 21, however, Melba retired from court-singing, got married to a tabla player from the court, and settled down.
A few years later, estranged from her husband and with two small daughters at her side, Melba moved to Kolkata.
There she sang at musical gatherings and gave music lessons to provide for her family. In 1928, she recorded, among others, the famous song, ‘Sawari Mero Relaima’ in 78 rpm disc and became the first Nepali women to record a song.
After her daughters were married off, Melba Devi lived alone. One fateful day in 1955, at 53 years of age, Melba Devi died of burns sustained in an accident involving a cooking stove.
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