Today’s Nepali music scene is a mix of traditional music — apparently “spiritual enough to sooth you and entertaining enough to cheer you” — and “imported music,” like Nepali pop and rock. Nepalese simultaneously credit and blame the hippies with introducing Western music via Katmandu’s Freak Street.
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Nepali is the most widely spoken of the approximately 120 languages of Nepal. If you find yourself trapped in Nepal and you have to charm your way out by demonstrating your mastery of the Nepali, use some of these phrases. (If you’re vegetarian and someone offers you a plate of momo, use these).
Nepal wasn’t a very popular travel destination for Westerners until the 1960s, when Katmandu became an endpoint on “the Hippie Trail,” the fabled road that took hippies on an overland path from London across Europe through Istanbul, Terhan, Herat, Peshawar, through India and eventually up into the Himalayan heavens.
Today’s Nepal is still a popular destination for trekkers, mountain climbers, spiritual explorers, cosmic partiers (like those attending the Shakti Peak Festival) and yes, even hippies. It is also a destination of bloggers; travelers who visit Nepal want to relay their adventures and, most of all, share what they learned with others.
Most Westerners think of Nepal as a Himalayan paradise, home to Sagarmatha (okay, we know it as Mt. Everest) and sure-footed Sherpas. Do we consider the country a refuge of freaky hippies or a haven for budget-travelers? How about as place to go to cleanse the soul?
Nepal is all of those things, but it’s also a linguistically and ethnically complicated nation, undergoing historic political change while facing the challenge of substantial poverty. It’s also a deeply spiritual land — both the birthplace of Buddha and the only officially Hindu nation in the world…at least until 2006 when, facing political pressure, the country formally became secular. In 2008 after more than a decade of Maoist rebellion and massive popular protests, King Gyanendra abdicated, ending 240 years of Nepalese monarchy. Despite this turmoil, mountain climbers, hippies and the spiritual travelers from all over the world still come. Many — Western visitors and Nepalese alike, no matter what its earthly problems, will continue to consider Nepal as paradise on earth.
This week in music class we climb to the highest heights on earth and trek all the way to Nepal.
START HERE:
— OVERVIEW: Most Westerners think of Nepal as a Himalayan paradise, home to Sagarmatha (okay, we know it as Mt. Everest) and sure-footed Sherpas . . .
— MUSIC: Today’s Nepali music scene is a mix of traditional music and “imported music . . .”
— LANGUAGE: Nepali is the most widely spoken of the approximately 120 languages of Nepal.
— WHEN YOU GO THERE: Nepal wasn’t a very popular travel destination for Westerners until the 1960s, when Katmandu became an endpoint on “the Hippie Trail . . .”
COUNTRY: Nepal
LANGUAGE: Nepali
A contemporary Nepali song about desperately wanting to be with someone you love. You can hear an original version on the Smithsonian Folkways recording “Songs and Dances of Nepal.” The liner notes grant us this fine summary:
“The boy wishes to go everywhere with the girl. He says to her:
‘We will eat from the same plate. sit in the same place. and go in the same places.’
Hence, the lyrics of the All Around This World version:
Khaunla pataima, khaunla pataima,
Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere,
Khaunla pataima.
I want to go with you, I want to go with you, everywhere everywhere everywhere everywhere.
COUNTRY: Nepal
LANGUAGE: Nepali
A Nepali wedding song found on the Smithsonian Folkways recording, Music from South Asia. The original is called “Nepali Marital Song” and it references basant, a South Asian festival celebrating spring.
(though not everyone in Pakistan is quite so happy about the holiday.)
Lyrics of All Around This World’s version:
Fedima feedim basant aayo (4x)
Kites in the spring, basant aayo, kites in the spring, basant aayo
Yellow in spring, basant aayo
Song in Nepali words
हा……
फेदीमा फीदिम बसंत आयो
फेदीमा फे.. मायाले मार्यो
एउटा देवता आयो
हो नी लजायो
Transliteration
Ha…
Fedima feedim basant aayo,
fedima fe.. maayaale maaryo.
Euta Debataa ayo,
ho nee lajaayo.
Translation
The season of basant arrived at the bottom of the hill again, love has killed again at the bottom of the hill. A god arrived. Then, he felt shameful.
