Pioneer In Folk Music Research

Darnal opted to research and write on music after a tragic incident in his family

By THAKUR AMGAI

Darnal : Unique study

While tragic incidents leave a long-lasting psychological trauma to many people, few are really able to convert ‘grief to power’. Ram Sharan Darnal, today a ‘brand name’ in Nepali music fraternity in itself, did exactly the same.

On the eve of Dashain, the great festival of all Nepalese, 2025 (Bikram Sambat), his house in Kaldhara collapsed due to a torrential rain. The disaster killed his elderly mother and destroyed the entire orchestra of his musical instruments. This evoked a deep grief in Darnal. He remembers, “The instruments were destroyed so badly that they could not be even used as firewood.”

At a time when no institutional initiatives were taken to collect, preserve and study about the folk instruments of the country, this damage of the historical musical instruments- most of which were passed on from one generation to the next - meant that they would be forgotten forever.

Since then, Darnal – who is now 68 years - a professional musician, ceased playing music totally and ventured into researching and writing about Nepali folk instruments.

His first article ‘The Role of Musical Instruments in Nepali Music’ got published in Gorkhapatra the same year.

In the subsequent years research and writing became Darnal’s passion. He would travel from one district to another talking to local people about the local folk instruments, collecting them and writing about them.

Darnal’s persistent efforts for more than three decades enriched the country with documented details about Nepali folk music and instruments from a meticulous researcher and an orchestra of about 400 Nepali folk instruments – many of which are already extinct from popular use while others are on the verge of extinction or have mutated.

Darnal, in turn, has earned a brand name. Virtually no researcher of Nepali folk culture has completed his research without meeting Darnal. If any one has done so, his research is incomplete. His words about Nepali folk music can be taken as ‘authoritative’ in most instances.

Darnal has documented his findings and opinions in different books and freelance pieces in newspapers and magazines. He has got almost a dozen publications in his bag including ‘Sangeet Parikram’ (2041), ‘Nepali Sangeet Sadhak’ (2038), ‘Pragya Puraskar Dwara Puraskreet Pratibharu’ (2039), ‘Sangeetko Bistreet Abalokan’ (2041), ‘Bishwa Bikhyat Sangeetkar’ (2041), ‘Nepali Sangeet Sanskriti’ (2045), ‘Sangeet Saurav’ (2058), ‘Nepali Bagina Ra Kala’ (2060), ‘Nepali Baja’ (2061) and ‘Gayan Shaili’ (2061).

Recently, a ‘ Folk Instruments Museum ’ has been established through Darnal’s efforts with a collection of about 400 Nepali folk instruments. However, only about 50 instruments are on the display due to the lack of space.

Darnal is advocating actively for a National Orchestra. “Nepali music can be represented in the international community only if we have a national orchestra. The government should take initiatives for this,” he says.

Darnal was born in 1994 in Kathmandu . His family had a musical environment. His father, also a member of the Nepalese band, played instruments like organ and sang Bhajan.

 He was admitted to Durbar High School in Kathmandu . When he was in the beginning of his teens, the Louise Banks – widely renowned Indian musician - paid a visit to his house in Kathmandu from Darjeeling . Darnal, with permission of his father followed Banks to Darjeeling where he was admitted to Center Point School .

In the School and during the off hours, Darnal used to learn music. His host Louise Banks also was a source of inspiration.

After passing high school, Darnal came back to Kathmandu and joined Royal Nepal Academy since 2016. He has been affiliated with the academy throughout the years before he retired three years ago.

In retrospect Darnal feels that although he has achieved little for himself, he has contributed a lot to the nation.

“By engaging myself in researching and writing I have not been able to buy one single instrument for myself,” says Darnal. “However, I feel content that nowadays (after I started writing) there are many initiatives being taken for the preservation and promotion of the Nepali folk music.”

Darnal has been felicitated by several organizations, and awarded with medals including the prestigious international award 'Dr Ambedkar Award', 'Jhapat Award' and 'Gorkha Dakshin Bahu', among others.