For starters, the music from Nepal’s medieval times is called the Malashri raga, and its history is long and mostly shrouded in mystery. So far, the exact origin of the festival is impossible to track down, yet as the music is as old as the festival, we can take some hints.[break]
Historical importance
According to Dr Dhrubesh Chandra Regmi, sitar maestro of the Sukarma ensemble, the mala-shri is one of the oldest tunes of Nepali classical music repertoire.
“Most of the wordings, from the most ancient to the most recent ones, are concerned with Goddess Durga, whom people try to gratify during the festival of Dashain,” he reveals.
Moreover, music during ancient Nepal was based on mythologies and lore, the mala-shri is no different. The wordings, much of which has been lost, or interpreted and reinterpreted through time, are based on the lore of the festival: the triumph of good over evil.
“Also, these tunes also have such power over the general public that once they hear its strains, they think the season of Dashain has arrived,” adds Regmi. “So it’s futile to think of using this music on other occasions.”
He adds, “There’s historical evidence that the music was played in the Gorkha Durbar at the times of kings Prithvi Narayan Shah and Pratap Singh Shah, especially at the time of the latter.”
Furthermore, according to Regmi, in 1913 A.D., Mardan Singh Thapa of Gorkha published a collection entitled “Brihat Raga – Mala-shri” through publisher Pundit Bishwaraj Harihar Sharma in Banaras. The collection holds a compilation of a hundred and eight types of mala-shri ragas.The Kathmandu Valley aspects
Though the music of Dashain changes as per the geographical scenarios of Nepal, the population within the capital valley of Kathmandu, especially in the Newar nation, has a special inclination to the music.
Tabla player Surendra Shrestha and sitarist Satendra Bir Singh Tuladhar of the Sur Sudha group enlighten us on the topic.
“In the Newar community, there’s music in almost all occasions. And for Dashain, there’s the mala-shri,” starts Shrestha, “It’s an ancient Pat-manjali raga-influenced music played mainly while celebrating the Dashain.”
“In Newar style, the wordings of the mala-shri focuses on the powers and appearance of the deity Durga,” he adds.
Shrestha also points out a difference in the wordings in the Dashain music in the Newar community. “There are instances when the wordings of the music are used to show the troubles of women in the society,” he states. “The pains and plights suffered by women have an imprint here.”
On the other hand, Tuladhar describes the history of the mala-shri in the Valley.
“From my research, I’ve collected mala-shri raga from during the time of king Jaya Prakash Malla, around 856-888 Bikram Sambat,” he informs. “This justly shows the antiquity of this particular tune.”
He adds, “Traditional instruments like the damaru were used during those times, whereas now all sorts of instruments are used, like the sitar, tabla and almost all classical instruments are included.”
“Even the instruments in the Kathmandu Valley are different,” exclaims Shrestha. “Though they are similar to some Indian instruments, the playing styles differ.”
Current scenarios
Though the mala-shri has a rich and vibrant history, the music has been generalized to a point where it has stopped progressing. Almost all classical Nepali music connoisseurs agree that the mala-shri is one of the most recognized of all tunes, which, also surprisingly, has not changed at all.
Regmi describes the music as “confined to a boundary of sort. It hasn’t evolved much, and most people, especially the youth, merely associate it with the background music in TV and radio programs during Dashain.”
Surendra Shrestha brings out more thoughts on the subject. “Though the music of Dashain is famous, its wording and history are rarely known,” he adds. “Even among us classical Nepali music lovers, it’s hard to find adequate information about it.”
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