WELCOME SONG: The welcome song by Jana Sanskritik Mancha Qatar.
By Usha Wagle Gautam
The Thakuri Help Network (THN) organised a musical programme recently to mark Dashain, a major Nepalese festival celebrated throughout the globe.
The programme that was organised at Quality Hypermarket on Salwa Road was attended by more than 500 people and chaired by THN President Chetan Malla. Ishwor Kafle, the director of Basanta Films, was the guest of honour.
Nepalese folk singers Ramji Kand, Radhika Hamal, Debika KC, BB Malla Thakuri performed together with more than 20 Doha-based Nepalese artistes.
Dashain falls between September and October and is celebrated for 15 days, with first, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth days being most important. On the first day, the sacred pot is filled with holy water covered with cow dung and sewn with barley seeds. The seeds grow into five or six-inches-long yellowish grass by the tenth day. A large number of goats are also sacrificed on the eighth day. On the tenth day, elders give tika, jamara, dakchhina (money) and blessings to the young ones. Other major aspects of the festival are flying kites, playing cards, wearing new clothes and playing ping (bamboo swing).
At the show, the welcome song was presented by Jana Sanskritik Mancha Qatar, along with singer Parbati Tripathi. The song was about the Dashain festival.
Singer Rama Aryal then performed a patriotic song from her own album.
Arjun Kharel, Mohan Shah, Drubha BC, Ram Parsad Rai, Mohan Shah and Rit Kumar Shrestha performed melancholic songs about the festival — narrating the plight of the couples who are separated even during the time of Dashain.
Dancers Santa Maya Tamang and Rabina Pokhrel performed a folk dance. UNI dance group performed on a hip hop number.
Comedian Suraj BC impersonated the newly-elected prime minister of Nepal, KP Oli.
Ramji Khand, the main attraction of the programme who flew in from Nepal, then came on stage to perform eight of his original songs, many of which were from his latest Dashain album. Members of the audience joined him, singing along.
This was the singer’s third performance in Qatar. He said, “My audience in Qatar loves my music and inspires me every time to perform with even greater zeal.”
Radhika Hamal performed six songs in total, the first of which was specific to Dashain. Her fourth performance in Qatar, Hamal said she found the audience this time to be more energetic. The prolific singer has recorded 33 songs this year and jokes that she sometimes has trouble remembering all her songs.
Folk singer Debika KC, based in Qatar for more than 10 years, performed two of her hit songs. She said, “For me, Qatar is like Nepal and the audience here inspires me [to give my all during] each performance.”
BB Malla Thakuri flew in from Kuwait to cover a Dashain song originally recorded by Raju Pariyar. He performed five other songs as well in what was his third performance in Qatar.
People from all over Qatar had come to attend the programme. Sunita Bista, who has been in Qatar for less than a year, said, “I have been here for just seventh months, but I am already missing my two sons. Today’s programme was kind of a break for me.”
Ram Prasad Bista, another member of the audience, said Nepal has been facing a number of challenges recently, such as no fuel and no gas. “This year, Dashain wasn’t [as good for me as previous years]. I did not even get leave to go back home.”
The programme was supported by Nepalese Cultural Center, International Artists Forum, Nepalese Cultural Family, Tamu Service Society and Basanta Film.