Sunday, December 28, 2014

PALETI UTSAV (SEPTEMBER 11-13, 2014)



Day 1
I was very excited about the program. The announcement of the beginning of the ceremony was done by Kiran Krishna Shrestha (who on the 13th of September announced the closing of the ceremony as well). Amrit Gurung followed him and spoke briefly.

Songs of Aavas were performed. Most of them were children’s songs. I had heard them since my childhood but never realized they were written or arranged by him. I liked the songs such as “Leka ka hami ketaketi kuhiro vitra school chha…”, “Hiu khola ko pani chhunai nahune leka ko viralo bato hidnai nahune…”, “Dhalkayera sharira nachyo ahaa mujur….

About 5-5 male and female singers performed on his songs throughout the program. Musicians were seen in violins, tabla, percussion, flute, keyboard and guitars. Professor Abhi Subedi said few words on Cantata. Cantata is “a medium-length narrative piece of music for voices with instrumental accompaniment, typically with solos, chorus, and orchestra. I was highly eager to know what it was. However, once it was performed, I kept on sleeping. On counting, I had slept more than five times during the entire 1-hour performance. I seem to be an unworthy audience. Very soon, the program ended.

Day 2
Dressed in a pink sari appeared a bright face singing through her melodious voice “Dali dalima…” She was very polite and asked our permission to sing each of her songs before she performed them. Her husband and musician Sheela Bahadur Moktan spoke in the beginning of the program.

She sang many songs. One of them was my favorite “Timro mayale malai doryai lyayo…” I heard that song after a long time. Even the media does not play them these days. I regret that I did not carry a camera to record it.

The show ended by her family joining her. Sheela Bahadur Moktan and his daughters gave her a company at the end of the show. The musician seemed a jolly person. All of them followed the same singing pattern. The daughters followed their mother’s way. With a national song “Geet mero Nepal ho…”, the program came to an end and made it a perfect family show.

Day 3
Getting the passes for the program being privileged, we reached the venue an hour before the show began. We grabbed the best seats of the hall and waited for the event to start. Emceed by Aavas, the program began with a melodious bhajan/bandana by Dipak Kharel. He sang many songs and spellbound the audience. Clapping before, during and after each and every song became the feature of the program. Aavas intruding during the program as an interviewer and the singer’s indirect denial to answer provided humor to the show. Kharel seemed very polite in his manners like Kunti, the performer of the previous day. His polite denials to the queries of Aavas were responses such as – “a very good question” and “a very intelligent question”. Audience burst out into laughter then and he need not say more. Aavas kept responding to those remarks with polite smiles and left the stage solely for the singer.

The show was great and the audience enjoyed throughout the program. How wonderful three consecutive evenings!!!

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