Nepalese Folk Music and Musical Tourism
The relation between music and us is older than the relation between our languages. Musical creations like clapping hands, whistling, ha… ha …, hu… hu… were the first musical creations to express the human feelings.
Later, the language established and along with that the appearances and style of song, dance, and musical instruments also changed. Although, the appearances and style changed, until today, we begin our songs by singing the Naad like heyyy… or hooo….. The off tunes are played before playing any other music while playing the traditional musical instruments.
Music and sleep are the only things that no one can steal from the human being and it is equally distributed to all human races. Most of the humans do lack the knowledge that his or her body itself is a musical instrument. We all are musical instrument, and that is natural. Whistling is a melody instrument and clapping is a beat. Hence, no human can be separated from the music.
There are various dimensions of the Nepalese music. Nepal is the shelter to more than hundreds of ethnic groups and has thousands and thousands of musical varieties. Nepalese folk music is serving every Nepalese individual before his birth and after his death too. According to our research, there are more than 60 thousands musical melodies, more than 1 thousand musical instruments, and more than 2 thousands Nepalese dances. We have to handover the same musical creations of our ancestors to our future generations. That precious folk music is gift of our ancestors to the upcoming generation.
Nepalese dances Selo should be promoted in Peking, Surunge in Reo De Generio, Jhyaure in Bone, Kauda in Paris, Maaruni in Tokyo, Temkuli in Moscow, and Singaaroo in Singapore. If Baalan, Sangini, Deudaa were performed in the theatres of various countries, there would be the beginning of the new dimension in the tourism promotion of our country. Music is the only language that does not require to be explained to anyone. Whenever we play our Nepalese melody people of any language will start dancing, tapping their foot, and clapping their hands. The whole night playing of religious songs, Maaruni, Ghaatu, Shilu, Sinaajyaa, Nyaaule, and Rodi puts a very new energy to the body and freshens the mind and soul that is tired of working whole day. From the Thaarus of the terrain to the Sherpas of the Himalaya, from the Lepchas of the east to the Saukas of the west, all the folk music of the various ethnic groups should be placed in the menu of the global tourism. How many times the mountains can be shown to the world? There is lack of river water for the rafting boats. There are limited numbers of national parks and its habitats. But, Nepalese folk music has unlimited wide range of diversified geographical and ethnic groups and their culture. Music is the sky element. It has covered the world. Sky does not have limit and boundary. Similarly, our Nepalese folk music also does have any limit and boundary.
Our folk music day is more than 400 years older than the world music day of June 21st. Still in Jestha Sukla Poornima we are celebrating folk music day in front of Krishna Mandir at Patan Durbar Square. At that day, various folk Raagaas, folk songs and dances are being played.
Until today, our tourism is all about mountaineering, rafting, jungle safari, and sightseeing tourism. At present, if we can make our tourism a musical tourism, then we can teach, explain, and tell the world about the ancient folk music.
Our folk music is still as strong as it was in ancient period. However, the responsible bodies of tourism should give the best in its promotion. Government, travel trade entrepreneurs and musicians are the key bodies in the promotion of our folk music. The fossil of world’s oldest musical instrument Sankha is still waiting for the preservation and conservation at the bank of Kaali Gandaki River. Only the promise and high commitment is required for the promotion. And if it is done, there is high opportunity of Musical Tourism in Nepal.