A new Nepali genre of music called ‘cringe folk’
Or ‘chada lok’ if you like. Call it what you may—it is dirty, it is sleazy, it is vulgar and from the looks of it, it is here to stay.Nepali lok-dohori is probably the most popular ethnic Nepali music, from the east to west, and religiously heard by those living abroad. With ethnic instruments like the maadal, dhime, panche baaja and sarangi in the background, couplets about love, village life, its struggle and even politics formed the lyrics of the Nepali lok music. Men singing about leaving their wife and children to find work in a foreign country, women singing about how they miss their husbands gone in search of work, the socially oppressed expressing their woes through their songs and daughters-in-law lamenting about the hardships at their husbands’ were woven into stories which formed the base of the Nepali lok music genre.
It was basically our version of ‘the blues’. In a country with deep-rooted cultural biasness and basically indoctrinated by religious mistranslations, ‘lok-dohori’ for our previous generations was also a medium of entertainment and courtship as mild flirtations and teasing from both gender was considered normal.
Things change, always, and they have changed drastically for the lok music industry. Well, with the digitization of music production, the ethnic instruments are losing their value to computer generated samples, drum and bass loops and heavily synthesized background (un)blended with high-pitched, auto-tuned vocals mouthing distorted and double-meaning lyrics.
All this accompanied by badly choreographed music videos with models and dancers wearing gaudy and skimpy clothes, and keener on exposing their body parts than on actual dance moves, give an idea of what a typical lok-dohori song of today is like. From a pure form of music, a voice for expression and opinion, the paradigm has shifted to Nepali lok-dohori music becoming a ubiquitous display of vulgarism and social perversions.
The meaningful and elegantly poetic compositions of Master Mitrasen Thapa, Jhalak Man Gandarbha, Janakavi Keshari Dharmaraj Thapa, Hira Devi Waiba, Daizee Barailee and the likes of that era have been replaced by cheap, commercial excuses for songs that basically circle around lust, sex, physical attraction and the many perversions of the ‘modern’ Nepali society.
Video has literally killed the radio star here as music listeners on Radio Nepal, the original promoter of Nepali folk music, have become obscure with YouTube replacing most radio stations and television channels. The need to make a music video for popularity has given the lok-dohori scene an ugly identity because of the misguided effort of some notorious names in the industry.
Search “New Nepali Lok Dohori’’ on YouTube and out of the top 20 results, most will have a skimpily clad woman on the display photo with double meaning song titles. Keep skimming through the searches and you will most probably be led to a point where all the results you see are categorized as “Hot Nepali Lok Dohori” or “Sexy Nepali Lok Dohori”. And to add to this farce is the fact that these songs have hundreds of thousand views on YouTube.
So who is watching them? Surely not someone who loves Nepali music or any other type of music. These music videos are ‘click baits’ created by pretentious marketers selling women’s body images in guise of music. The business now is completely based on exploiting the sexuality of women (our feminist friends should pay special attention to this) while fulfilling the obstinate desires of men and in due process, creating an uncouth image of the whole Nepali folk music industry.
The whole idea of sexualizing a traditional genre of Nepali in the name of modernization is infuriating. But then again, we have democracy so there’s probably no stopping the assaulters in this case. The best we can do now is separate their genre from our Nepali lok-dohori and segregate them as “cringe folk’’ or “chadaa lok.’’
A cabaret of talent
Over two recent weekends Kathmandu saw its first and fabulous cabaret. Featuring dance, music, mime, and one-act plays it prompted me to think about all the wonderful art and cultural events that happen here. I think many people do not realize just how talented the Nepalis are as a nation. With an ancient tradition of wood and stone carving, thanka and religious paintings, architecture, bronzes, pottery etc, Nepal, and particularly, Kathmandu Valley, is a place with art and culture in its blood.
It’s no surprise then that there is so much talent among the youth as well. Art, music, drama, to name just a few, are not only vibrant but positively electric. I can say, and frequently do say, I am not an artiste (no talent, sob!). But I am what every artiste needs, the audience. And at that I am extremely experienced and talented!
Having said that, however, it can be so hard to keep up with all the social events happening around town. Maybe I should become a critic of the arts and actually get paid to attend events. Now there’s a thought! I love to attend the theater and was really disappointed when my favorite, and ‘father’ of modern theatre in Nepal, Gurukul, had to give up its premises some years ago.
Meantime, Mandala, Shilpee and a few others are still going and have opened their doors to other groups to use their premises. While most of the theater groups produce in Nepali, there are one or two who do produce in English. But there is something refreshing about the audiences who go along to the Nepali productions.
They are, in general, young and enthusiastic with no pretentious intentions we often see at the theaters in the West. They are there purely because they enjoy it. My level of understanding varies depending on the difficulty of the subject matter but regardless as to how much information I gain through my ears, the acting is of such a high standard, my eyes provide enough information to keep me engaged!
Sometimes there are stunning performances and theater events, such as ‘Arjuna’s Dilemma’ staged at Patan Museum, a collaboration of actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from Nepal, US and Europe. Based on a text from the Bhagavad Gita this production was the first opera in Nepal and outdid itself visually and musically.
In the past Gurukul was host to an annual International Theater Festival with theatre groups coming from all around the globe. More local productions I have loved include an interesting adaptation of ‘Swan Lake’, and one where a character zip-lined above the audience in a replica ropeway crossing the Karnali River.
Painting and installation art is another genre populated by very talented artists, and whether it is images of landscapes, portraits, or more contemporary styles such as a huge red rectangle painted onto the buildings of Kirtipur, there are frequent exhibition openings happening around town. One of my favorites has come firmly onto the Kathmandu scene after a bit of a rocky start—street art.
A few years ago Color Kathmandu took to the streets with dozens of local and international street artists and created murals to represent the 75 districts of the country. These beautiful works were somehow not very popular with the authorities that took a dim view of street art appearing overnight on public buildings. Thankfully, with two embassies entering into the spirit of brightening up the city streets, the local authorities have accepted that street art can be beautiful, enlightening, and educational.
Festivals celebrating art such as Photo Kathmandu, Kathmandu Triennial, and the International Tattoo Convention, cover more styles that I can fit in this short column. But you get the idea. So much talent, not enough time to enjoy it all! And then there is the music scene in Kathmandu, which must, I feel, wait for another week to write about…
A cabaret of talent
Over two recent weekends Kathmandu saw its first and fabulous cabaret. Featuring dance, music, mime, and one-act plays it prompted me to think about all the wonderful art and cultural events that happen here. I think many people do not realize just how talented the Nepalis are as a nation. With an ancient tradition of wood and stone carving, thanka and religious paintings, architecture, bronzes, pottery etc, Nepal, and particularly, Kathmandu Valley, is a place with art and culture in its blood.
It’s no surprise then that there is so much talent among the youth as well. Art, music, drama, to name just a few, are not only vibrant but positively electric. I can say, and frequently do say, I am not an artiste (no talent, sob!). But I am what every artiste needs, the audience. And at that I am extremely experienced and talented!
Having said that, however, it can be so hard to keep up with all the social events happening around town. Maybe I should become a critic of the arts and actually get paid to attend events. Now there’s a thought! I love to attend the theater and was really disappointed when my favorite, and ‘father’ of modern theatre in Nepal, Gurukul, had to give up its premises some years ago.
Meantime, Mandala, Shilpee and a few others are still going and have opened their doors to other groups to use their premises. While most of the theater groups produce in Nepali, there are one or two who do produce in English. But there is something refreshing about the audiences who go along to the Nepali productions.
They are, in general, young and enthusiastic with no pretentious intentions we often see at the theaters in the West. They are there purely because they enjoy it. My level of understanding varies depending on the difficulty of the subject matter but regardless as to how much information I gain through my ears, the acting is of such a high standard, my eyes provide enough information to keep me engaged!
Sometimes there are stunning performances and theater events, such as ‘Arjuna’s Dilemma’ staged at Patan Museum, a collaboration of actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from Nepal, US and Europe. Based on a text from the Bhagavad Gita this production was the first opera in Nepal and outdid itself visually and musically.
In the past Gurukul was host to an annual International Theater Festival with theatre groups coming from all around the globe. More local productions I have loved include an interesting adaptation of ‘Swan Lake’, and one where a character zip-lined above the audience in a replica ropeway crossing the Karnali River.
Painting and installation art is another genre populated by very talented artists, and whether it is images of landscapes, portraits, or more contemporary styles such as a huge red rectangle painted onto the buildings of Kirtipur, there are frequent exhibition openings happening around town. One of my favorites has come firmly onto the Kathmandu scene after a bit of a rocky start—street art.
A few years ago Color Kathmandu took to the streets with dozens of local and international street artists and created murals to represent the 75 districts of the country. These beautiful works were somehow not very popular with the authorities that took a dim view of street art appearing overnight on public buildings. Thankfully, with two embassies entering into the spirit of brightening up the city streets, the local authorities have accepted that street art can be beautiful, enlightening, and educational.
Festivals celebrating art such as Photo Kathmandu, Kathmandu Triennial, and the International Tattoo Convention, cover more styles that I can fit in this short column. But you get the idea. So much talent, not enough time to enjoy it all! And then there is the music scene in Kathmandu, which must, I feel, wait for another week to write about…
Misplaced optimism
We are often told by our leaders and analysts toeing the “line” that we are on our way to prosperity. With democracy, a federal set-up and a young demographic, there is no way to stop us from achieving our dream of a prosperous Nepal. And before you could question them how exactly these factors influence economic growth, they will be quick to add that we will become a vibrant bridge connecting India and China and benefit from their economic growth. This is all humbug.First, we are pinning our hopes on others—India and China—for our economic growth. It is no different to expecting your rich neighbor to give you money to renovate your house. You need to have money or the ability to make money yourself to get things started and if you run short of it, then your neighbor may loan you some if you ask for it. But you cannot be certain of it as your neighbor’s generosity or lack of it depends on many factors. It is the same with nation states. But we seem to forget this simple fact.
To further trick us into believing that they know what they are talking about, our leaders and scholars often invoke the trickle-down effect—that we will reap benefits from the growth of our neighbors, even if we do nothing. It’s like dreaming that part of the interest earned by your neighbor on his huge bank deposit is going to automatically seep into your account. No, that’s not going to happen. So there goes the money-will-follow-even-if-we-stand-idly-by argument. No country helps another develop without considering its own interests. If we want development, we need to bury our desire to become a bridge connecting the two and the nonsensical equidistance idealism. We need to wisely choose one of our neighbors to be our strategic partner. Then, development will likely follow.
Misguided optimism about neighbors aside, another huge impediment to our economic growth is our total disregard for the rule of law, which is a polite way of saying we are quite lax when it comes to the morality of our leaders and bureaucrats. We have come to accept bribery, embezzlement and nepotism as part and parcel of our democracy. While we may accept all these as normal, it distracts foreign investors. And without Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), a country like Nepal has no way of embarking on economic growth. Since many leaders and analysts ether benefit or harbor dreams to benefit from the present chaos, it is no surprise that hardly anyone is serious about upholding the rule of law.
While the prevalent narrative is that all the previous systems were feudal, unfavorable for economic growth and couldn’t manage affairs with the neighbors, we seem to forget we entered a new system over a decade ago. And what are the signs of development or of better things to come? Ten years is a long time during which many constructive things could have been done.
China, for example, made economic reforms in 1978 after the decade-long Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and was bidding to host the Olympic Games in Beijing in 1998. Japan was bombed to ashes during the Second World War, but it hosted the Olympic Games in 1964. They could do so as their leaders understood the importance of a strategic ally or development partner and of the rule of law for their country’s development.
Although we are more than a decade into a new and “better” system, we are still dependent on aid and remittance, while forgetting the importance of major infrastructure projects. We are yet to reconstruct the fallen monuments even almost three years after the earthquake.
Yet our leaders and analysts are optimistic. They must be smoking something.
