“Thanks to my father, my juvenile mind was introduced to the greatness of music from an early start.”
Her father, Nayan Subba, was one of the first generation of Nepali modern stars of the 1950s in Darjeeling. A rare accordion player and a first guitarist in the Hills in his time, Subba played along with the likes of Amber Gurung, Gagan Gurung, Rudra Mani Gurung. Kishor Sotang, Kapil Subba and many more leading singers and musicians of that time.
Blessed that she was, Abhaya not just listened to take notes but compared Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 7 and 9 at the age of 10. “There are people who believe that I don’t know anything about classical or traditional music, I don’t only know about music but have felt its soul.”
And according to her, our very own Bachchu Kailash (Basnet) and the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky are “some of the few people who can compose godly music.”
Bachchu Kailash and his imperial sounds
“We had his long-playing vinyl record, and my dad played it frequently,” says Abhaya. “And it was a masterpiece. With tight compositions and a beautiful voice; his songs were way ahead of his time.”
Bachchu Kailash came to Kathmandu from his little hilly village in east Nepal in search of fame and fortune. And he got both, and more! Considered as a singer of the royal and aristocratic circles of Kathmandu, he used to sing exclusively for the Ranas, Shahs and other Thakuris; his stage was set in the courtyards and drawing rooms of palaces and mansions. He is the only Nepali singer to have recorded a 33rpm long-playing (LP) record (dual side vinyl consisting of many songs), and that too, by 1966.
“He doesn’t show off his immense talents, and his vocals subtly capture his immaculate melodies and notes subtly,” adds Subba. “He’s the best musician that our country ever has had, and no one can ever match his credos in the future.”
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and his godly music
“Tchaikovsky’s music is one of the few bodies of sounds that you can call moving,” says Abhaya.
The Russian genius is famed for his colossal compositions such as “Swan Lake” and the “Nutcracker Suite”, among other world masterpieces.
“Creation, destruction and reconstruction were his themes,” explains Subba. “It was music at its zenith, and his compositions filled the void within us. Simply put, his sounds are heavenly. Music is the language of God, and Tchaikovsky translated it for us.”
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