Centenary of a bard

Dharmaraj Thapa not only collected and sang but also wrote songs, some of which are excellent poetical works.

A minuscule crowd gathered at President Ramchandra Paudel’s residence in Maharajgunj on July 16 to celebrate the birth centenary of the prominent bard Dharmaraj Thapa. On the same occasion, poet Bairagi Kainla alias Tilabikram Nembang of Panchthar and LP Joshi of Dhankuta were honoured for their contributions to promoting folk culture, literature and songs in their different ways. Madanraj Thapa, president of the Janakavi Keshari Dharmaraj Savitri Thapa Pratishthan, invited me to speak about the bard’s musical journey. Scholar Jagaman Gurung critically assessed the hypocritical attitudes seen in ethnic participation and rejections in culture and literature.