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VOL. 27, NO. 21, February 01, 2007 (Magh 18 2064 B.S.)
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LOKNRITYA SANDHYA
Devotion To Lord Krishna
Indian dance performers and musicians showed how Nepal and India share so many cultural and religious things
By A CORRESPONDENT
As soon as the soft sound of flute echoed the auditorium of Birendra International Convention Center (BICC), music lovers felt a wave of relief sweeping through them as the devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna had unique taste.
Having a long tradition of worshiping Lord Krishna, for the people of Kathmandu valley, the program dedicated to Krishna was something very important.
As a country with Hindu dominant culture, most of the people of Nepal have grown up listening to and watching various performances of Krishna. Loknritya Sandhya reminded the cultural and religious similarities between Nepal and India. Despite living in different geographical areas, the religion and culture strongly binds the people of both the countries together.
Organized on the occasion of 59th Republic Day of India, the program included the performance by a troupe led by Murari Lal Sharma hailing from Brij, India. During the whole performance, Sharma made every efforts to charm the audience.
Starting with a bhajan (devotional song) by the troupe, two hours long devotional program also included songs and dances of various forms. The dancers wore colorful dress with glittering yellow and green attires while performing their dances.
One of the interesting part of the presentation was Mayur Dance (Peacock dance) whereby a group of four showed the love of Radha Krishna. When Krishna appeared with the flute in his hand and Randha stood in his front, the atmosphere was charming. Based on the love of Radha and Krishna where Krishna expresses his love by taking the form of peacock and dancing like it.
When Bhajan Govinda jaya was chanted, the people seemed to be lost with the sound of devotion. When they suddenly saw Krishna coming and started to sing and dance, the atmosphere became filled with excitement.
Chakula Dance was another attraction of the program where a woman balanced on her head 108 lighted oil lamps kept on wooden blocks in the shape of a pyramid. As Holi dance is one of the important aspects of Krishna Lila, Nepalese audience also enjoyed the holi dance.
Inaugurated by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, the whole program kept the audience spellbound.
As they evolved from the same religion and culture, Nepalese and Indians share many commonalities. These long religious and cultural similarities of the two countries will always guide relations between Nepal and India.
The program was organized by Indian Council of Cultural Relations, Indian Embassy and B. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation.
CHINESE TIBETAN LHOSAR
Show from North
Tibetan artists present cultural dance celebrating Lhosar, the new year of Tibet
By A CORRESPPONDENT
As Nepal’s geo-graphical regions, its culture and religions, too, have distinct features. Majority of southern population as well as some mid hill population who follow Hindu religion share their cultural and religious identity with Nepal’s southern neighbor India. However, overwhelming majority of ethnic groups from northern part and mid hills of Nepal have their cultural and religious similarities with the the people of Tibetan Autonomous Region of China.
Like Nepalese ethnic groups from northern mountains and mid hills, the residents of Tibetan Autonomous Region of China also celebrate the Lhosar as a new year. Tibetans celebrated this year’s New Year as an earth hare year 2008.
Just a day after the performance of Devotion to Lord Krishna by Indian artists in the capital, Tibetan artists performed the Devotion to Buddha and other gods commonly worshipped by residents of northern Nepal and mid-hills. The two programs reminded the importance of Nepal as a melting pot of culture and religions from the world’s two great civilizations.
Organized by Chinese Embassy in Nepal, China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture and China Tibet Information Center, the Lhosar Cultural show was the first of its kind organized in Kathmandu.
Although Chinese Embassy has been organizing Tibetan New Year Lhosar since 2003 in Nepal, this year the Embassy brought a cultural troupe all the way from Tibet to show how they celebrate new year.
In the two-hours-long program at Birender International Convention Center (BICC), dance troupe from Tibet performed 13 different programs including dances of various parts of Tibet.
The cultural show began with Great Dance expressing the Auspicious Wish. Performed by Lordo and Sumchok, the dance expressed the feeling of joy and happiness in the life of human beings.
In her beautiful songs, Tibetan singer, Nyima presented a female solo with colorful Khatak: a happy cradle.
Dancer Lordo and his group performed A Piece of Tibetan Opera: Auspicious Dance from Tashishol Village.
Chungala and Tenzin Chordon along with their other group members performed dance from Monyul. The dance is very much similar to that of the dance performed by Nepal’s Sherpa community.
Singer Sonam Chordan and her colleague played the female chorus with Happy Sun and Kalsang Zigzag. The drum dance from Lhoka, southern part of Tibet, too, has many similarities with dances of Tamang communities of northern Nepal.
Tibetan people mostly celebrate their New Year by dancing and singing wishing happy life. Artists try to please gods and sprits for their own prosperity.
Produced by Yarlung Artistic Performing Troupe of Lhoka, Tibet, the dance group presented the performance from various parts of Tibet.
For the majority of audience, the cultural show helped understand many similarities between Nepal’s northern region and Tibet.
The presentation of cultural show revealed how common culture and religion bring people of Nepal and China together. Lhosar is one of the common events that bring the people of two countries together.
