A good tune echoes in the mind. That is why, perhaps, governments the world over try to reinforce their ideologies by finding the "right" words for the tune.
One day in August last year, tourists sipping Coca Cola and eating curd at Bhaktapur's Nyatapola Cafe found a new target for their telephoto lenses. At the base of the famous Nyatapola temple, singers and dancers were taking part in a cultural programme. But this was not just another performance of the Peacock Dance. The tourists were incidental spectators of a show targeted at the Bhaktapur citizen. The songs were about poverty, inequality and development and the show — which was performed in several other places — was presented by Rastriya Janasanskrhik Manch Nepal (National People's Cultural Forum Nepal) which is the cultural wing of the UML, the main opposition party in Nepal.
Music with political messages has long been a tradition in Nepal. The various leftist parties have cultural units of their own, which began operating during Panchayat times. Many composers, song writers, singers and musicians have supported one or the other ideology by putting their artistic capabilities to political use. Among renowned musical artistes of this brand, we find Dharma Raj Thapa, whose early songs were said to be overtly political; the late comrade Gokul Joshi who travelled widely in Nepal's villages; the group Ralpha and the many groups subsequently set up by its founding members—Bedana Pariwar, Sankalpa Pariwar, Aasthaa Pariwar, Indreni Sanskritik Samaj.
Like the banners carried at political procession, some political songs are simple and propagandistic, and are sung to simple melodies that are easy to remember. Apparently, such songs were produced on the direct request of party leaders, who probably thought music an effective tool for propaganda. Other artistes preferred to elaborate their songs. Though they carry a political message, some couched it in metaphor. Allusions to a high-altitude landscape, tormented by landslides etc, for example, presented no problem for those used to reading between the lines.