The 6th year celebrations on Oct 9 however did away with the discussions and only witnessed the cultural program in the Auditorium Hall of Nepal Tourism Board at Pradarshani Margh. For centuries now, the members of Gandharva community have been relying on sarangi, a musical instrument to earn most of their livelihood.
Intellectuals, members of the Gandharva community and members of The Mountain Music Project (MMP) had gathered to observe the day organized by Gandharva Cultural and Arts Organization (GCAO). The event was promoted by the MMP, a project that seeks to encourage the preservation of traditional music in rural and underserved communities throughout the world.
Speaking at the event, member of GCAO, Raj Kumar Gandharva informed, “This time due to lack of budget we are constrained to carry out only the cultural event.”
Established in 1994, GCAO has been working to address the problems faced by the community and to ensure human rights, education, socio-economic empowerment and cultural promotion of Gandharvas. “There have been instances where Gandharvas have been termed “beggars,” a bereaved Raj Kumar Gandharva said.
“The younger generation of the Gandharva group can’t play sarangi like their elderly counterparts and don’t understand the lyrics of the traditional songs. In order to raise awareness among the younger generation of the community, we mark this Sarangi Day,” informed president of GCAO, Buddha Gandharva.
Dr. Churamani Bandu who is part of the research team for Nepal Folklore Society (NFS) that studied the Gandharva community of Pokhara highlighted, “To preserve the community and the history it carries, researches should be extended to other different parts of the country where the community has scattered.”
Like in previous times, the cultural program continued to honor a Gandharva artist. This year, Hom Bahadur ‘Honi Maya’ Gandharva was honored as the living heritage of the community. Hom Bahadur is a popular singer cum musician who hails from the western hills of the country and is famous for his song “Honi Maya”.
According to the GCAO President, each year, a Gandharva is honored for his or her contribution for keeping the tradition alive. In previous years, Jhalakman Gandharva, Krishna Bahadur, Khim Bahahur and Lure Bahadur were honored for their immaculate contributions.
In between the thoughts presented by prominent intellectuals and members of GCAO, power packed performances by Chec Bahadur Gandharva, Buddhiman Gandharva, Gopi Lal Gandharva, Akal Gandharva and Gyanendra Gandharva enlivened the 6th year celebrations. Dohori geet and Panchhey baja accompanied the performances by Gandharva artists.
Also part of the occasion was the screening of a documentary “The Mountain Music Project: A Musical Odyssey from Appalachia to Himalaya” filmed by Jake Penchansky. The film which is scheduled to broadcast on National Geographic Channel at the end of this month documents the journey of two traditional musicians, fiddler Danny Knicely and mandolinist Tara Linhardt from the hills of Virginia to the mountainous Nepal.
Sarangi, the music instrument used by Gandharvas and the fiddle used by the traditional minstrel community of Appalachia cultural region of US are look alike music instruments which brings these two different communities together at the start of the documentary.
Use of old photographs of Appalachians, the musical combo of Danny on fiddle, Tara on mandolin and Buddhiman Gandharva on Sarangi in between the exploration makes the documentary a worth watch. The documentary then gradually depicts the amazing connections and parallels between these two communities on their music, tradition, culture and society through the anecdotes of elderly musicians from Nepal and Virginia.
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