Thamel’s Beggar Singers

GEETANJALI A. LAMAI

"Loitering along river banks

along mountains of repute,

with my sole all torn,

I sing my song:

Songs of love, of Ram and Sita

Of Ravana and Hanuman.

Dasain is here,

I need money.

My wife wants a red sari,

My son wants a new cap,

My daughter wants glass bangles

I am, but a poor Gaine

begging for a few rupees.

I know I will die poor

forgotten and hungry in my hut,

A stone's throw away from the man’s village

Nevertheless, this is my life a Gaine’s life".

I am standing here amidst a kaleidoscopic Kathmandu and my eyes oscillate to and fro between
colourful jewelry displayed on the floor to a thangka with a doe-eyed Bodhisattva serenely gazing unseeingly and this raunchy group of vivacious roadside bards: Gaines, a drunken group, all of them merrily singing the rhythm and blues of ancient history, the fall of monarchy and even democratic Nepal.

The sound is haunting, lilting, fittingly godly in isolation amidst this era of pop and frenzied guitaring. Drawing a starkly contrasting shade into Thamel’s skyline with its peculiar share of exotic eastern and western tradition. This notoriously popular haven with its narrow streets bursting with a swarm of swirling humanity. Hawkers, rickshaws, back packers and beer pubs jostle shoulder to shoulder with old buildings, jaggedly penetrating the edges of the day’s dusty dusk. The Gaines in their old tattered clothes and weather-beaten faces present a picture so shockingly paradoxical and yet so Nepalese in essence. They are at once humorous to the point of being comic and bitterly satiric, reflecting their own disadvantaged position in a crazy clueless caste system. They sing of love, personal pitfalls, falling empires, triumphant victories, glories of gods and goddesses, of Shiva dancing with his consort, of crowns and coronations, of paradise and hell, of wily courtesans and their very own exhausting trails from little hamlets of the Himalayas to the plains of the Terai.

This sojourn, a little flirtatious encounter with the "Gaines" is not purely accidental, it is purposeful and my purpose would become rather doubtful indeed if I overlooked history. I used to listen to them as a starry eyed child in happier rustic days as I ran barefoot in the ochre coloured mud-path chanting, "gaine ayoh hain, jaun na." madly in awe of this curious gang who camped for a few days outside the village and in my absorbed intensity I must have subconsciously resolved back then to write on them for the sake of posterity and for the love of that little wooden fiddle, the "Sarangi."

Gaines the beggar musicians, the wandering bards of Nepal belong to the lower caste, banished during what we may call antiquity to dwell beyond villages and in fairer days passed as court musicians. According to historians, the wandering bards almost like the ancient bards of medieval Europe came to Kathmandu with the advent of King Prithvi Narayan Shah. Largely landless and deemed untouchable, forbidden to mix with the "gentry"they lived a vagabondish life of wandering around the countryside, begging for alms which earlier comprised of a few coins and a cup of uncooked rice. The present day "Gaines" still live much like their forbears but with a difference, their children study in schools and with the lure of city lights, urban niceties, money and an easier life, some have decided to join the burgeoning population of labourers in carpet and garment factories as domestic helps and agricultural labourers. The remaining few eke out a meagre living from their traditional music orally handed down through generations with their little wooden sarangis tucked under their arm.

The word "Gaine" itself owes its origin to Bengali, meaning a song, and sing they do. Their music is far beyond rock and roll and much is beyond our reach for this elusive band of beggar singers may soon find itself a disappearing breed and the art form rusting in anonymity. A silent "ode" to its death seems to be it’s likely end and sadly the gaines prefer to dwell in ambiguity, blending with the streets of old palace squares and touristy malls, merging with the bronze collectibles and thangkas on sale, while their art fulfills the fancy of curious foreigners. As one gaine puts it quite matter of factly,"I hope he {TOURIST) will take home "little Buddhas" and memories of us the weather-beaten, needy street performers of Thamel."

Yo can't have your cake and eat it too

Bishwambhar Neupane

Well, it's been more than three years since I've left my business school, may be this is one of the latest versions of management; humm…… you can either have your cake or eat it. And I've been employed here to have my cake, may be this is the reason why I'm putting on weight lately, eating cakes too much!

Responsibility can be defined as an assigned task, duty and job that a person is entrusted upon to execute. Similarly, authority is a control mechanism by way of which a person sitting somewhere up in the organisational hierarchy controls, guides and regulates the activities under him/her. Although the two appear different and appear to be escorted by two different sets of guidelines, nevertheless both have to have perfect co-ordination in between so as to ensure that things move towards a desired direction and targeted objectives are attained.

Responsibility and Authority should go hand in hand. Giving responsibility without any authority or giving authority without assigning any responsibility is literally making a person handicapped. It is something like giving food to a hungry person and at the same time tying up both of his hands and asking him to have them all. The money you earn will be merely pieces of coloured paper if you do not have avenues where you can spend them and simultaneously the facilities/avenues will be meaningless if you have no money whereby you can avail them.

Responsibility and authority imparts a major role in management be it the management of a house, a school or an organization. However, the importance and the significance of responsibility and authority have a predominant role in the management of an organization. Although the importance of these management functions, and basically the co-ordination between the two, have been one of the vocal issues since the beginning; nevertheless, most of the people high up in the organizational hierarchy do not seem to take it seriously.

Boss: Lately, I have understood that some of the employees working under you have been delaying work and the management is not happy about it.

Supervisor: Yes, I do understand that the things are not being done as fast as they should have been done but, all of these guys are fresh, having no previous job experience and are not fully familiarised with the job environment and the organizational culture. They require training and some more time to get going smoothly

Boss: Now that is your responsibility. You are the supervisor of the department and you have to ensure that the things are intact. You have to lead from the front, keep yourself and all the other guys on their toes so that nothing is delayed.

Here the boss has reminded the supervisor about the areas of responsibility that he is supposed to take care of. Now let us hear further what the boss has to say.

Boss: How dare you supersede my decision? I had clearly instructed you not to allow that guy to leave the office premises before the end of the office hour. Did you forget that?

Supervisor: I do remember your instructions very clearly. But the problem was, the guy was having a terrible pain and was literally crying. That is why I let him go, infact I had to let him go. If I had waited for some more time to make the decision, he might have even fainted right here.

Boss: He did not faint ! Did he? And by the way who gave you the authority to make the decision on your own ?

Supervisor: But ……..

Boss: Just keep quite, will you ? I know that you have gone to a fine business school but your arguments are all bookish. They have no relevance at a work place. Didn't those management preachers teach you that "You can't have cake and eat it too". Boy, you can either assume responsibility or exercise authority. The equation is quite simple and clear; you have been hired to do the former and myself the later. If you start to do the both, then what will be my role ? Why do you think I've have been placed here?

Supervisor: (About to speak something but stops and murmurs) "well, it has been more than three years since I have been out of business school, may be this is one of the latest versions of management; humm you can either have your cake (assume responsibility) or eat it (exercise authority) not both. And I have been employed here to have the cake, may be this is the reason why I am gaining weight lately, too much eating cake."

Boss: Is that clear ? Are you there ??

Supervisor: Oh! Yes, yes it is quite clear.

The foregoing conversation between the boss and the supervisor has made things quite obvious. The said boss wants the supervisor to fully assume the responsibility and further does not even hesitate to shift the responsibilities de-facto assigned to him. But does not let the supervisor exercise even a minor level of authority. The boss wants "Win Win Negotiation" and leaves the supervisor and other people live with "Loose Loose Negotiation".

When we talk about responsibility and authority, we have to relate them together, we can not afford to talk about these two in isolation because both are interrelated. This is a ball game where you have to have your cake and eat it too, if you want to ensure that the end result is achieved.

Creativity, leadership quality and decision making skills are not necessarily the sole territory of those that are placed high in the organizational hierarchy. These sorts of activities are widely dispersed throughout the population. Well, there is no denying the fact that the leadership quality and decision making skills become more refined and attain closer accuracy through experience and exposure. However, it is not wise enough to assume that these skills can not be mastered and exercised by the people placed low down in the organizational hierarchy.

In order to maximize the potential of the employees, in order to maximise their talent and consequently in order to achieve the goal of the organization, employees need to be involved in the decision making process, they need to be given more responsibilities and they need to be motivated all the time to contribute as a group.

The importance of the collective approach by the group to attain the objective of the organization has grown significantly in the management of a modern organization. The success of the organization also lies upon effective team work. Contribution of the people with different skills and different backgrounds working together for the achievement of a common goal, is what the essence of an organization is all about. The effective team building requires a systematic co-ordinated effort on the part of the management. Adopting a team approach facilitates the achievement of the organisation’s defined objectives saving time and adding more efficiency.

However, as discussed above, team effectiveness and results from a team can only be expected if and only if the team is assigned more responsible and challenging jobs and certain level of authority.

Resilient women

Tilak Pokharel

Sunmaya - a village girl - found herself inside a brothel after an unknown man, who gave her a false dream of earning money in the city, sold her to a brothel in Kamathipura, Mumbai.

Sunmaya was then forced to live a dreadful life for more than six years. At a time when almost one hundred prostitutes were rescued from brothels of Mumbai with the joint effort of many non-governmental organisations in 1996, Sunmaya was one of those rescued.

Her family and neighbourhood rejected her. Though Sunmaya has this dreadful story to tell, she is happy. She has developed a resilient power to adjust herself in the society.

Why are people like Sunmaya living healthy lives in spite of difficulties they’ve gone through? We can learn something from such ‘resilient people’ for prevention of or for intervention with other less fortunate people.

Researchers and professionals in social work often concentrate on a ‘problem individual’ because we fail to learn from a healthy person. An individual of former kind must have a story to tell from which many others may learn.

After family and social rejection, WOREC—an organization working for the rehabilitation of trafficked women, provided Sunmaya with a shelter and got her involved in various socializing activities there. And finally, she found a way out of her problems and adjusted herself in society. Now, she is actively involved in a project of WOREC itself. Actually, WOREC helped her develop the resilient power.

Experts say that most people with a problem usually deviate from normal life or become frustrated. When it gets unbearable, the person may develop some lunatic behaviour or become anti social.

Usually, society at large points fingers at those who have deviated from the norms of society either willingly or unwillingly. In Sunmaya’s case, her family and society added more to her wound rather than helping her leave the past behind.

Experts suggest that the best way to solve the problem is by looking at the victim’s strengths and finding ways to use these strengths in problem-solving. Rather than putting a plaster on a wound, we need to see if it heals from healthy parts of the body surrounding the wound. Rather than diagnosing problems and matching them with our ready-made solutions, we need to diagnose needs and strengths of persons, familiies and communities. We try to mobilise those strengths and see if that allows them to work out some solutions.

Experts define resilience as a capacity to do well in a socially acceptable way when faced with adversity. "Resistance" and "construct" are two components of resilience. The former is the resistance against destruction and protecting one’s own integrity under pressure; while the latter is to construct his\her life in a positive way in spite of difficult circumstances. These capacities can be developed by positive interaction with society and the environment.

Some young people who have had deprived childhoods may escape adversity and make a living by drug dealing and violent crime. They might have found a way to survive, but can we call this doing well in spite of difficulty ? Is this resilience ? No. Resilience is not the law of the jungle, nor survival at any price. But, it must be survival in socially accepted ways.

Resilience is not a magic box. Resilience is more an inspiration for work and for life, a frame which allows us to review our own experience and to learn from it.

For possible intervention of an individual with problem, resilience gives a realistic hope. Real hope is no escape from reality, but it opens our eyes to the positive yet hidden potentials. Secondly, resilience reminds us of the importance of love in the full sense. Children need to be loved and so do adults but the approach may be different.

We can construct and maintain resilience by several approaches and means. The following areas of possible intervention are worth being considered by fieldworkers who want to build up and stimulate resilience.

- Formal or informal support to a problem individual by a strong individual. For example: an adult’s support to a battered child is important.

- Spiritual life and religion to some extent, for adults, may help reduce their strain or anxiety.

- Self-esteem is one of the very important approaches to come to a socially acceptable life.

- Sense of humour also helps reduce anxiety.

Leela Samson in Kathmandu

Razen Manandhar

India’s one of the most celebrated Bharatnatyam dancers Lila Samson was in Kathmandu with her exclusive performance — both solo and group (her own creation Spana group). She is known among the lovers of classical arts as a dancer who has brought about changes in the rigid form of classical dance without ignoring its roots.

Would you shed light on the Indian treasure of classical dances?

In India there is a huge panorama of dances. Traditionally they used to be storytellers. This very tradition later developed into dances – kathakali. The classical forms of dances are highly affiliated by this tradition. There are seven major types of dances in India —Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Manipuri are some of them. Bharatnatyam has its role in Indian mosaic of dances. It is from the Southern state of Tamilnadu and it has its own strong and balanced style.

Is the audience very positive towards classical dances?

The response of the public is growing in India. Of course there is no mass for it but a large and encouraging mass of audience is coming up. Specially, a large number of youth are showing keen interest in these classical dances. It can be called a Renaissance. When people have had enough of Western or Hippi culture, now they are returning to their roots. They want to know what makes them different from the rest of the world and they have the answer of identity only in classical arts.

Is the government supportive?

The government has been supporting the art and culture, keeping the arts alive. We have Sangit Natak Academy and Fine Arts Council, which have been trying to preserve the art and culture. They encourage artists and craftsmen to let their next generation continue the hereditary professions. National awards too tempt the young people to follow the same track. This is a very good sign for the new generation.

Is it easy to be a dancer and make a livelihood out of it?

Not easy. It has never been easy, even when the maharajahs supported the court dancers. It is because, you have to sacrifice your whole life in dance and there is no permanent job guarantee. Yet, those who are popular and in that sense successful, they can definitely survive. But an artist has his or her own life. As long as he/she is happy and the family is proud of his/her devotion, he/she should not turn his back. Because, after all, an artist has a free life – that counts very much.

Tell me something about an aritist’s devotion. How long an artist should study to become a successful classical dancer?

You know, if I go for a three month crash course, my output will be the same. In art, it is not just the number of years which counts but the amount of dedication you can offer in the name of god, guru and yourself. It must be in your fate to have a good teacher. He is the one who will ultimately decide your future.

How hard did you have to work during your learning period? How was the struggle?

I was in Kalakshetra for 15 years. It was a total gurukula type of teaching, where discipline and the rules matter a lot. Even a child has to wake up at 5 in the morning and have cold bath. There we had to go for common prayers and would be in classrooms by seven o’clock after a simple vegetarian breakfast.

We had very strict classes – no getting ill, no stomach pain or any other excuses. It was a very simple and wonderful way of growing up – which ultimately made me as I am.

How much does a dancer’s personal life affect one’s life?

Very much. That is where I feel I sacrificed. Generally, we are all tempted to have a comfortable life. Naturally, I too wanted to have fun like discoing, eating out etc. I did dedicate my life for dance but still, I know there was a side of me which was always craving for living an enjoyable life.

Were your family members used to dancer’s life and did they encourage you?

Actually, I am from a very westernized family. They had no idea about this field, were also worried how I was going to live a dancer’s life. They wanted me to get married and have a normal family life, as others. It is only fate that I am not married.

Is it really necessary to live a single life to become a devoted artist?

Not exactly. Many artists got married but many of them were unsuccessful. It is because of our life style. We have to travel a lot and we can’t spend much time at home. I feel there should be somebody with whom I could share my joys and sorrows.

Nabin Bhattarai
back again

After Raharai Raharma, Abhas and Smriti, Nabin K Bhattarai has come up with an album Samjhana containing eight tracks for those who have been eagerly waiting for his new album.

Bhattarai, famous among the Nepali pop lovers for his different singing style is back again. Most of the numbers of this album are sentimental and the music, composed by the singer, is equally impressive.

Sentimental number Shayed timi nai ho written by James Pradhan and Hira Kaji Thapa, is melodious and hummable. Another number Timro mayale is also well-crafted and catchy. Bhattarai has combined well the vocals and musical arrangements. Many young hearts could be won over by it.

In some numbers, the music is not so attractive compared to the lyrics and the vocals. In a sentimental number Tehi bihan tehi sanjh, lyricist Raman Ghimire has created emotional bridges through his skillful choice of words. Other numbers such as Yaad Sanchi and Khushi Umanga Chhai Dinda are also melodious taking the listener on a sentimental journey. In these numbers, Naresh Dev Pant and Manoj Acharya’s lyrics are superb.

The highlight of the album is Nabin’s vocals which you can’t help but admire in every number. Others like Jindagi Bageko Khola lyrics by Birendra Tandukar, Sakne Chhainau Malai Jalauna, lyrics by Bijay Siwakoti and Har din kasaiko yaand lyrics by Mohan Karki are also able to draw in listeners from all walks of life.

Overall, it is similar in form and music to Abhas and Smriti. Technically, the recording deserves appreciation.

Reviewed by
Rabindra Thapa

An untimely end

Uday Lama

Ranjeet was a collegian, at one of the educational institutions in the city. And had come from a small distant town to continue his studies. Now he shared a room with another friend. The rent was exorbitant but the monthly allowance from home managed to cover it.

The room was spacious enough only for sleeping. They took their meals, at a nearby hotel which added to their financial burden. Already it was strained to the limit. So to pay off the expenses both gave tutorial lessons.

At first to ease the pressure he began to smoke cheap cigarettes and sip home-made liquor. All provided by his good friend and room-mate - at a price, of course.

Then things started to happen. It was much later after he had managed to settle down to serious work. He was introduced to the seamy world of hard drugs. Ironically it was his friend again who was responsible.

To add to this misery the monthly remittance came to a stop. Living by his wits he began searching for options to keep body-and-soul together. Meanwhile his studies dragged on and he failed one exam after another.

His friend left him and found accommodation elsewhere. Now Ranjeet shared the living space with an old, asthmatic man twice his age.

Gradually, he became addicted to powders and injections. His friend had shown him how to use them and where to get them. Money. That was the only thing he was short of and soon that too was gone. His hands shook and his body trembled, whenever he could not get enough of the stuff.

In desperation, he wrote letter after letter home requesting money. But all in vain. Things were bad at home with all finances tied up. The battle with the doses went on...

So much so that he feared for his life. He realised that it was hanging by a thread. His body had become emaciated, the veins in the arms stood out and the eyes had a lack-lustre appearance.

He had by now sold off all of his prized possessions - the watch which he had got as a birthday present, the slick wallet that held his few notes and the fine silvery comb.

The rent was long overdue and the old man glanced at him everytime he came into the room suspecting he had taken drugs. He had, however, managed to fend off the houseowner with the promise of a lump sum of money at the end of the month. Now he languished in the dirty and cramped room.

During other moments Ranjeet listened to the mutterings of the old man and paid heed. These provided the only breaks from his cravings and the nerves that were on fire.

Then all of a sudden the old man died, leaving Ranjeet bereft of the only company in the world. Now pain became a real and tangible reality and it increased with the passage of days.

The link to the realities outside seemed to shatter into tiny particles. Nothing mattered anymore. Even his nerves ceased to function. There were no bright spells only an enveloping darkness.

Because of the lack of drugs he reconciled himself to withdrawal symptoms. He desired for nothing but to scream out and he wondered vaguely why he could not do just that. Frustrated and ill at ease, he strove to regain a bit of sanity. But already it was too late. Police found the body of Ranjeet two days later - forlorn and bedraggled.

MAIN