Songs and servitude

Published On: March 2, 2019 03:32 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane


It seems lost on comrades that Pashupati Sharma is just trying to tell a story of dominant political and social issue

It’s the season of flowers and fruits in the wild. The bloom-to-green-fruit stages of ‘aiselu’ (raspberry) and ‘kafal’ (bayberry) fruits are complete. They are demanding an unconditional caressing of the sun to increase their hues and lusciousness. They are getting more and more nervous due to increased attentions paid by the passersby. They are flushed with excitement about their impending journey to the tongues via the lips of the bucolic lasses and lads. 

They have already started swinging to the tune of the puff of air. They are ready to dance with abandon when ‘koili’ (koel) and cuckoo birds start singing full- throated, and the spring breeze starts flirting with the foliage while the newly-bloomed rhododendron flowers smile afar. Their excitement is contagious.

What if the lasses and lads do not come to the wild herding cattle and reaping grass? What if they come but do not hum or sing? What if they are not enamored of the ripe raspberries and bayberries? What if koili and cuckoo birds do not sing? Of course, it won’t happen and shouldn’t happen. If it happened, that would be the end of unfiltered joy and glory. 

 Music is the food for soul. Songs are meant for hearts, not minds. Some people start singing after falling in love. Others start singing even after break-up. Koili’s songs are melodious whereas nyauli’s are melancholic. But no songs are superior or inferior. There is no such thing as progressive or regressive song either.  

I have listened to songs of deprivation, exploitation, class struggle and rebellion. These songs are tinged with melancholy and aimed at bringing about a revolution or encouraging people to join forces against the oppressors. But I don’t understand how the songs that are overtly melancholic and covertly negative can be the source of inspiration. In my opinion, they promote hatred and, animosity. The strength gained through hatred is far inferior and short-lived than the strength gained through love.

We have to be aware of the difference between melancholic and sentimental songs herein. What is melancholic is not sentimental. And what is sentimental is not always melancholic. Narayan Gopal’s evergreen songs are sentimental (not melancholic). They appeal to heart. What is close to heart lives long.  Melancholy causes agitation, dejection, and frustration (they are the precursors to depression). Hence, it affects mind. What affects mind is mostly short-lived. That is why love resides in heart.

I have also listened to songs of love, flirtation, union and separation. It is true that they are more anarchic than the sentimental songs. Some of them even seem to promote debauchery and deception. But everything is relative. Social and cultural landscapes are changing in an unprecedented pace, and what was an unthinkably unethical behavior a decade ago may have been acceptable. Despite our disapproval, these universal themes of folk songs are here to stay no matter how much they contribute to the cultural deterioration.

Songs that expose    
Pashupati Sharma is one of the gifted singers in the country who can inform and entertain the public at the same time. He has collected and sung some songs that are necessarily ephemeral owing to their relevance. Such songs bubble up (become instant hits) and burst (vanish) quickly. Lootna sake loot kanchha… belongs to the same category. He would not have sung this song if Nepal were corruption-free. One thing is certain: NCP cadres’ misunderstanding of the song and resultant retribution threat against the singer have contributed to the longevity/popularity graph of the song and handed the singer bonus publicity. 

I live in America but I have never felt offended by his ‘Malai America Yahi, Malai Japan pani Yahi, Malai Belayat ni Yahi ‘ because I know he is driving home the message of  importance of entrepreneurship. Ironically, his anti-corruption song invited the wrath of those who call themselves the messiah of poor and pay lip service to a corruption-free nation falsely claiming to practice ‘zero tolerance on corruption’.    

 I recently read Pashupati’s interview in an online newspaper where he has claimed to be an independent voter while disclosing his parents’ and wife’s political leanings. Not surprisingly, there are more leftists than rightists in his family.  I am not sure how he manages to remain an independent while his father and wife are communist cadre and voter respectively. His family is a miniature Nepal where being a communist is a fashion because it is where the crowd is. A crowd can work wonders (if led well) and loosen hell (if led badly) as it is ‘anonymous, emotional, unpredictable, and loosely structured’.     

It is heartening to know that he is an independent (if he is not lying) artist in a painfully partisan country where people vote for their caste, family, religion, and relatives rather than casting their votes for policies and principles. Nepal needs more independent candidates, thinkers, and voters to break the monopoly of limited political parties in power. 

History has shown that the majority governments of a single political party have always failed to deliver. Nepal has been undone by hubris that emanates from the political leaders’ knowledge of the ground reality that favors them: An overwhelming majority of people vote on the party lines no matter how corrupt or immoral or unethical the party candidates are. 

It seems lost on the comrades that Pashupati Sharma is just trying to tell a story about a dominant political and social issue of the day. He is not out there to antagonize a political force that has time and again proved its clouts in the national politics. He does not deserve establishment bullying and harassment which are punishable crimes. Let’s apply common sense: No sane guy sets out to demonize his own father and wife. This episode is also a stark reminder of utter lack of respect to differences of opinion within NCP leaders.

Face the truth    
The truth is bitter: The comrades have miserably failed to rein in corruption despite their tall claims about good governance. They have not provided although they have prevailed. They have not served although they have succeeded. Unfortunately, they have chosen to promote politics of fear and suppression through their unbridled sycophants.

Comrades, curb corruption, not creativity. Imposing unwarranted censorship on art (song) by invoking restriction clauses only fuels the public outrage. This proves counterproductive too. Art is all about pulchritude, not servitude. Art survives even in the most adverse contours, climes, and conditions. 

Come to your senses and enjoy the season of fruits and flowers. Enjoy the season of love. Enjoy the season of songs. Enjoy the season of birds. Let the cuckoos sing. Let the koilis sing. Let the nyaulis sing. Let the whole nation sing. A singing nation is far healthier than a shrieking nation.

The author loves to write on contemporary issues


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