The Enchantment of the aged performers

Anish Raj Shrestha

With the tiresome duty of a full day, the sun plans to return home, with its leaving footprint suddenly the gleam of a dark light begins to break in an atmosphere. In the shade people return home to settle them inside but stars begin to twinkle in that gleaming dark sky leaving its home. The stars come out as a junkiri or humming bird, may be the symphony of that twinkling stars may have lost in the atmosphere but the enchantment from the chanting of the aged performers begin to ring in the air.

With the passing time of the lifeline, people become more conscious towards the time. No desire to gain, No fight to be fought, no hurdles to cross, simply waiting for the sun to. Anticipation of the losing time makes people concerned about the holiness. The devotion towards the god because now the gluttony of the living world has ended to them, just a mournful of pray left. This is the situation of the old people of Bhaktapur. Grooming in the sunset with the partners in devotion of the god has become the duty of this aged people. Despite the sound they make in that busy street, their hums extinguish in the collision of the bulky traffics. Despite they perform with their band  but they are invisible and indifferent, but what left ?--true devotion to the god in his holy place.

A passionate pray lead by the leader and followed by his playbacks with the traditional instruments of thuh: (Small symbols), jhyalcha:(more or less like madal) inherit by their ancestors and echoing the whole panorama worshipping in the name of god shows the peculiarity of these historians and a living ancestors to be worshipped. Rich in culture and art, these people still carry the tradition of their ancient attires, ancient instruments, artistic inn, artistic cultural equipments-(sukunda-light), ancient pray written in own language shows their dignity in their culture and a follow up of their ancestors to preserve their identity.   

A group of aged people with the loose heart to free themselves from any kind of bondage, from any veil of maya. Enchantment comes from the chanting of these people with sole contribution adjoining their heart and brain together in the name of the god. They set their stage together, jam together, they have their written lyrics and chorus. All is set for the performance, they draw themselves in the deep meditation in their chanting, but who cares? Lots of people walk down by the street but no hands to clap and no cheers to rock, only the lonely hearts to inherit their songs to the god.

A question always haunted me then, why they kept on singing everyday even if they are alone? If there is nobody else to hear them. What are they up-to, if they are there for the nothingness then where the enchantment comes from? Then my eyes stopped with the temples circling the square.  I tried to ignore the fact coming from my heart-- no no how they can? These are the mere projection of the ancestors that they can hear--- no no the man in the shaped stone can't hear. I look around that square again and again filled with the temples from over the centuries. I was in great utterance to find out what exactly it is?

Still the chanting goes on, I approach to them, stare to their devotion and passion towards the god, everybody is equal, no higher, no lower level, one just lead the song and other follows. Suddenly one tourist come and sit in-front of them, hear them playing, closed her eyes. People stare her but keep on playing. When she opens her eyes, I go on her place and ask her what does she find? She tell me that she drown herself into that music. Then a flash hit on my mind that how can a person unknown from this religion can tune herself in this holy singing.

Then again I watch to the temples around that square, my heart feel heavy. Lots of questionnaire inside my heart but I am unable to answer them. To solve these mystery I go nearby them, I just listen to them, it feel amazing, the more I listen it the more it penetrate my heart, deeper and deeper, then I suddenly fall on to the silence of that sound, I am present there with my heart outside of my body, my senses vanish on that chanting, who am I? I don't know. But I only know that I am following that sound. It drives me into that infinite sky, where there is nothing but a silence, silence driven by the sound.

Then I realize there presence in that busy street which is aware of no audience. The indifference towards the audience but wholly devoted in that chanting to create enchantment. Then I know that ear with stone can also hear, but instead it creates the compassion between the prayer and prayee which is inseperable with each other. I find myself, lost and found. So I asked one of them why there are no any other younger people in this chanting, then the person tell to others …........ they laugh combinely to me, later I also have the awkward smile on my face. May be some understandings are better to be experience rather than understand.