Amita Garg
Nepal
April 2004
Opportunities for Discovery
I am beginning my Fulbright project amidst one of the most chaotic times in Nepal's history. Crowds are protesting in front of the Royal Palace, roads are blocked, traffic is jammed and people are being attacked everywhere from the city to the villages. Tensions are high and morale is low. And here I have just arrived, a curious foreigner trying to study dance in Nepal. How do I justify researching dance in a country that is destroying itself? Whatever difficulties a researcher may encounter in a foreign country are multiplied amongst political and social turmoil.
However, even with the unpredictability of everyday life, people still continue on with their lives, their rituals and celebrations. While political parties prepare for fervent protests in the center of the city, village women living in the outskirts of the city will wake up at sunrise to offer tika to the gods, bathe and prepare meals for their families. Even amongst the sounds of bomb blasts people must not stop their dancing, their singing, their festivals and councils with deities.
Having a strong sense of cultural pride and community involvement is an important part of resisting political collapse. The areas of Nepal in which the Maoists have had less influence—Mustang, Manang and Khumbu—are places in which people are educated, community oriented, proactive and culturally strong enough to resist the forces which try to take over their communities.
I am particularly interested in cultural change, preservation and dialogue through dance. This involves going to dance performances in Kathmandu and interviewing the people involved with its production. Additionally, my research involves going to festivals and celebrations, and observing how the dances function within that context. I hope to write a thesis and make presentations about the social and cultural function of dance.
In Nepal as well as America, as in many countries experiencing economic crisis, funding for the performing arts is the first to go. My theory is that, because performance cannot be bought, sold, or produced in a factory, it does not have market value and is therefore seen as non-essential to the economy. However, I think that performance creates a space for creativity and cultural dialogue which is vital to the health of society. Kathmandu is an interesting, and difficult, place to explore these issues because the idea of dance as an art separate from worship, festivals or celebrations, is so new. Dance in Kathmandu is just now in the process of defining itself in this modern society, and this space offers rich opportunities for discovery.
So far, people have been very receptive to my project. There is a hunger among artists here for new ideas. There is also an awareness among cultural societies that the infiltration of pop Hindi and Nepali film songs and dances must be countered with a renewal of native forms of dance and songs. The Kathmandu Valley is a gold mine for art, but unfortunately rapid urbanization has all but stripped its wealth, leaving a few pieces glimmering here and there. However, there is also a reluctance to open up to foreigners, for fear that we will steal and ruin the sacred dances. I think that ultimately, the impetus for preservation and creation must come from the people of Nepal. However, it is fascination that inspires me to probe further into how dance both reflects and is an instrument for cultural change.
|
