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Kathmandu Tuesday February 05, 2002 Magh 23, 2058.
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Time to preserve folk musical instruments
Perina Pathak
KATHMANDU, Feb 4: Have you ever heard of the Kangling ? How
does it look ? Do you know about the bishad? The word kole may be unknown to you. All
these words may sound mysterious to all of us living in the 21st century.
Answers to the above question do not come easy but Ram Prasad
Kadel, 36, man from Malekhu has answers to all the above questions.
Kangling, bishadi and kole are the names of musical
instruments used by the people of different communities on different occasions.
"I had a desire to collect traditional folk musical
instruments used by the different communities for ritual or entertainment purposes. So I
travelled far and wide and have collected some of them," Kadel says.
Kadel received the idea of collecting musical instruments
from his guru (teacher) Akhanda Nanda and he started collecting musical instruments from
January 1, 1996. The first thing he bought on that day was a shell for which he paid Rs
500. It was the first step towards his goal. "I have collected 100 musical
instruments till date and around 50 instruments more will be added to my collection soon.
I have send money to buy them," Kadel says.
Despite intense desire to collect the instruments, Kadel is
not swift in his work. "I don’t have enough money to speed up my
collection," he laments. "The instruments are not expensive but the only thing
is to get to the place where the instruments are used or easily found."
Kadel has opened the Nepal Folk Instrument Museum at
Bhadrakali. However, his dissatisfaction is not having adequate showcases for the
instruments. He fears skin insects and rats that gnaw his precious collection.
"Collecting an instrument is not an easy task. People
ask for money just to play music and some are even fond of cheating by not returning
change. There are also people who do not want to give any information," Kadel says.
He started collecting the musical instruments from his
limited income which he earned from Thanka business. He spent 100 rupees for the murchunga
and went on to expend Rs 18,000 to buy the Kangling (instrument made of human bone).
"This is not mere craze but the preservation of culture and tradition."
Many folk musical instruments are either confined within a
community or may have been forgotten. But nothing has been planned to preserve the
disappearing musical instruments.
Experts blame the government body for being indifferent
towards the preservation of these kinds of instruments of cultural significance.
"Many foreigners visit Nepal every year for research
works and to learn about different Nepali folk instruments, cultures or communities. There
is,however, no organisation as such to conserve the folk cultures and instruments,"
says Ram Sharan Darnal, researcher on folk instruments.
According to Darnal, it is the responsibility of the
government body, Royal Nepal Academy (RNA), which was formed for the development of music,
to collect all the cultural instruments used throughout the country. He says,"The RNA
should collect and display all the instruments according to its use and style. The single
instrument Kangling and combination instruments chayabrung are used the same time.
If the band is formed, it will be of help to cultural
experts,music students, researchers, experts and the interested groups. "The
preservation of musical instruments will be very useful in the development indigenous
music and this will also help to preserve the identity of the concerned community",
experts say.
"The work that RNA should have done is being done at the
individual level as Kadel is doing," Darnal says.
In the meantime, RNA is planning to form an orchestra for
folk music in the coming fiscal year. "After getting enough budget, adequate place
and a good collection, RNA will construct a museum and display the instruments with
historical description and their recent state," says Dr. Tulsi Prasad Bhattarai,
member secretary at the RNA.
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