The women of Dang have played a significant role in women's empowerment, economic self-reliance, and cultural revival by playing the endangered Naumati instrument.
What you should know
Muna Oli, a resident of Majuwa, Tulsipur Sub-metropolitan City-4, is busy playing the instrument. She often plays at various gatherings, conferences, weddings, and religious ceremonies in the district.
She is one of the Naumati musicians who plays the instrument in a group. She says that she walks in the group playing the instrument with the thought that women should also move forward.
'Women should also learn skills and move forward,' she said, 'We have moved forward by playing the instrument.' She Today She plays the instrument in a Naumati musician group and reaches various places in the district and outside the district as per the demand.
Bishnu KC of Rakshachaur, Tulsipur Sub-metropolitan City-4 said that they learned to play the instrument with the aim of preserving and promoting the Naumati instrument, which has been disappearing recently. According to her, now they earn two to four rupees by preserving the instrument. At first, she thought that she could not play the instrument, but after learning, it has become easy now. She says that since there is a tradition of playing the instrument in the village, women learned the skill to prevent it from disappearing.
Not only them, many women are involved in it through the Tulsi Mahila Naumati Baja group. The Naumati Baja is the main instrument played at weddings, fasts, various fairs and festivals, says Bishnu KC, a member of the Tulsi Mahila Naumati Baja group. The Naumati Baja is on the verge of extinction due to the influence of Western culture and lack of interest from the younger generation. However, the women of Dang are engaged in the preservation of the Naumati Baja.
Although the tradition of playing the Baja has existed since ancient times, it had not become a profession in rural areas. But the Tulsi Mahila Naumati Baja group has made it a profession. Another member of the group, Bimala KC, 44, said that this group travels as far as Salyan, Rolpa, Pyuthan, Butwal, and Nepalgunj to play the Baja.
Kastura Khadka, a resident of Majuwa, Tulsipur Sub-metropolitan City-4 and president of the Tulsi Mahila Naumati Baja group, said that they charge Rs 20,000 to 30,000 for playing the Baja a day. Chairman Khadka has been playing the instrument for four years. She says that she has visited many places during this period.
She says that half of the money earned from playing the instrument is collected by the group and the other half is given two to three thousand rupees to the group that plays the Naumati instrument. Tulsipur Sub-metropolitan City has also been organizing various support programs, from training to women's groups, for the preservation of this instrument.
