KUTUMBASANGA HATEMALO III - JANAKPUR

KUTUMBASANGA HATEMALO IN JANAKPUR

Nepali folk ensemble Kutumba concluded a week of learning and sharing in Janakpur today with a two hour concert on the outer grounds of the Janaki Mandir. With a capacity audience of approximately 6000 people, the concert featured four local artists including Sunil Mallick, president of Mithila Natyakala Parishad (MINAP), Saroj Kumar Karna, Bikash Kumar Karna and Ujawal Kumar Mishra.

Kutumba's renditions of popular Maithili tunes such as the Bhagwati bhajan, Saama, Jhijhiya and Tikuli were received with great enthusiasm by the audience. "We are very happy to have welcomed Kutumba to Janakpur and we hope they will take our music all over the country and the world." Sunil Mallick said to an appreciative audience amidst applause and cheering.

From October 11th to 18th, Kutumba journeyed to Janakpur for Kutumbasanga Hatemalo, a project that involves traveling to various parts of the country to interact and workshop with local performing artists. In Janakpur Kutumba worked with artists at Mithila Natyakala Parishad (MINAP), an apex institute of Maithili theatre and development and Chitragupta Sanskritik Kendra, the oldest cultural organization in Janakpur. The week was an enjoyable and efective emersion into Maithali culture that has allowed Kutumba to expand their repertoire of Nepali folk music and take it to new heights.

Committed to the research, preservation and celebration of the diversity that exists in indigenous Nepali music, Kutumba firmly believes that the richness in Nepali music is directly significant of the rich diversity that exists in the Nepali people. At a time when political and social attention is trained on recognizing differences and ensuring rights for our diverse groups of people, Kutumba sees the possibility of finding respect and identity through the medium of our indigenous music art forms.

Earlier in the week on October 14th, the evening of Kojagrath Purnima Kutumba performed in the inner grounds of the Janaki temple. They also did a special performance for members of Janakpur Womens Development Center.

Kutumbasanga Hatemalo is supported by the Danish Embassy in Nepal. In Janakpur Kutumba worked closely with local supporters including Ramananda Yuwa Club, Sri Mahabir Yuwa Committee, Sri Ganesh Yuwa Committee, Sri Ram Yuwa Committee and the Janakpur Womens Development Center.