An all-day celebration of Nepal’s folk music heritage, Sarangi Day will feature Nepali folklore, especially from the Gandharba caste members who have gathered in Kathmandu from all over Nepal.[break]
Shyam Nepali, a sarangi player who has been involved in almost all of the Sarandi Day festivals, said the main purpose of this day is to promote the traditional Nepali music.
“We should conserve it and also save and promote it because this can help Nepal recognized [musically],” he said.
And the Gandharba Cultural & Arts Organization is just doing that.
The Sarangi Day will be a day-long music festival with performances from musicians who have come from places like Gorkha, Lamjung, Bhojopur, and Pokhara.
Among some of the notable Sarangi players this day are Khim Bahadur Gayak, Hum Bahadur “Honi Maya” Gandharba, Gopilal Gandhari, and Khem Bahadur Gandharba.
There will also be a group from Kirtipur called Saksham that will also be playing.
In addition, the festival will also have workshops and master classes, and a documentary screening by the Mountain Music Project featuring musical collaborations between the Appalachian Bluegrass players from the US with the musicians of Gandharba caste.
Referring to young groups like Saksham and the well known fusion band Kutumba, Nepali said the young generation of musicians is also incorporating folk tunes and sarangi in their music, thus preserving the folk tunes.
“The coming generation can further learn from them,” Nepali said.
And since the socio-cultural barriers that once restricted the Gandharbas to play the Sarangi have faded away, it has given a rise to the number of musicians learning and playing the musical instrument.
Sarangi Day 2010 starts from 2 pm until 11 pm today at the Comfort Zone in Thamel. Entry is free.
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