LOCAL NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

Simplicity, sophistication blend well in Kunti's voice

By Arhan Sthapit

Hers is a name that Nepali music world respects as one of the female talents with superlative order. Kunti Moktan is a singer with one of the rarest tryst of extraordinary simplicity with sophistication of singing fostered through classical music training.

Flexibility and smooth melody in voice are her biggest assets that can leave every one enthralled. Her knack of classical music and concomitant singing techniques stand her in good stead among her contem-poraries. And today, she is one of the few front-runners among the active female singers. Attempts, words fail one to describe her artistic attributes and skills properly.

For this highly talented female crooner, the award in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category of the Fourth Hits FM Music Awards 2057 (March 10) has come as the latest feather-in-the-cap. Apart from the Best Female Vocal Performance category, she was the only female nominee in the closely contested categories of the Record of the Year and the Album of the Year (for the album Kirti). In previous year’s contest also, she had had the similar feat with the ‘Best Female Vocal Performance’ category award.

Among the many other national awards she has received, she attaches high esteem to the first prizes in Radio Nepal’s Classical Vocal Performance Competition and Ratna Recording Corporation’s Pratibhako Khojima both in 2041 BS (1984/85). She has given several hundreds of stage performances across the country and in Hong Kong, Qatar and Japan.

A Visharad (B. Mus.) in classical singing from Bhatkhande Mahavidhyalaya of Allahbad (India) in 1983, she was previously trained under classical music guru J. C. Rai in Sundaha, Darjeeling. Teaming with senior music composer and husband Shila Bahadur Moktan, she has so far released five albums together. They include one disc record titled Hits of Kunti Sundas (1985) from Ratna Recording Corporation, four audiocassette albums Kailekahin (1989), Mayalulai (1995), Mero Man (1997), and Kirti (1999/2000), and a CD album Mero Man (1997).

With more than 450 songs under her belt, she has demonstrated versatility in singing. Her Timro mayale malai doryai exemplifies a romantic modern song based on semi-classical notes and beats, while she is full of pace and vigour at its prime in Mayalu-lai. It can drive listeners into ‘wild’ heights of romance. On contrary, she goes quite sensitive in Maya timilai kehi bhanna, a duet with Bhaktaraj Acharya. She emulates folk fervours of the mountainous rustic in Mathimathi sailungema. She sounds equally natural in Nishthuri mayalu, the sophisticated fusion of folk tunes and the classical Raga Durga.

She sings with incredible ease the songs with accidental chords and complicated turns engendered in semi-classical compositions. Examples include fast, rhythmic Khutta tandai (Raga Bhupali), Pokhinda hanso (Raga Hameer), Dharti yo gagan (mix of Raga Bageshree and Raga Shrinkara), and sentimental Sadhi sadhai (Raga Shivaranjani), Bheer gaunle budho (Raga Ahir-Bhairav), Muti nabhai (Raga Vrindavana Saranga) or Kasaile (Raga Maru Vihag). All epitomize themselves.

Coming to her third album Mayalulai, she tried a big shift towards pop music from her established brand of modern songs with semi-classical flavour. But, her recent recourse to her own style has gained overwhelming public accolades, as the album Kirti, probably Nepal’s first songs-album entirely based on semi-classical music, fared excellently in the market.

Born in Margaret’s Hope Tea Estate of Darjeeling, Kunti had made her music debut in All India Radio in 1977 while still in her school. Her tremendous talents handed in easy inroads into Radio Nepal in mid-80s.

"Quality music offers an insight into real music," she says.

Asked to locate her position in what we call the mainstream Nepali music, a typical blend of Nepali folk and semi-classical influence, she says, "I’m just following the footsteps of our predece-ssors who embarked upon this line."

After guru J. C. Rai, she finds some impression of Aruna Lama, Shanti Thatal, Dawa Gyalmo and Daisy Baraili in her singing that she has developed as her unique style over the years. Yet, it sounds her modesty when she says she is not possessive of the style tagged as hers.

While expressing her respect to many senior artistes, she gives her note appreciating singing techniques of Bhaktaraj Acharya, an extraordinary talent presently fighting a tongue cancer thanks to a fatal assault on him about 11 years back.

On her current plans, she says that a new music-album containing 10 songs is on anvil. "Songs as almost ready for recording that will start from coming April (Baisakh)," she confides to this scribe. "Its music is going to be neither pop, nor pure semi-classical stuff, but of a line with a ‘difference’."

Into her 25th year in music career, Kunti strongly believes that in addition to good voice, music knowledge and regular Riyaaj (practice), what makes one a good singer is his/her "social discipline and manners," as artistes reflect the society and should be able to show behaviours worth emulating by general public.

Other Stories