Teachers’ salaries managed through traditional dance

By Thakur Prasad Acharya,Myagdi, Feb. 14: In a village of Myagdi, school teachers’ salaries  are covered by the earnings made from ‘Purkhyauli Naach’( traditional dance) performances. 

The residents of Malampar, a remote settlement in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-5, have taken the initiative to support their Shree Mahendra Basic School by performing the Purkhyauli dance at various events such as weddings, chhewar and other religious functions.

To facilitate this effort, a local Purkhyauli group has been formed, comprising artists who come to the village to perform at events like sacred thread ceremonies, chhewar and other religious ceremonies. 

Over the past 22 years, the residents of Malampar have been diligently collecting funds to pay the teachers of the school. 

Bhakta Bahadur Chhantyal, chairman of the school management committee and a member of the local ward, disclosed that the school, which provides education up to class 8, relies on the collected funds to pay the salaries and allowances of three teachers and cover other operational expenses. 

There are a total of nine teachers and staff in the school.

Chhantyal lamented the necessity of having to manage the school through such means, revealing that while teachers up to class five hold government posts, funds for teachers beyond that level, up to class 8, are raised by performing the Purkhyauli dance.

He further added that an annual sum of Rs. 400,000 to Rs. 600,000 is collected through the dance performances, with families contributing varying amounts based on their financial capacity.

The recent performance of the Purkhyauli dance at the 'Purpuro' ceremony for the eldest son of local Khim Bahadur Chhantyal exemplifies this tradition. 

 With the community's resilience in maintaining their tradition and supporting education, 81 children continue to receive education at the school.