Naumati Baja handed over to Dalit community

By Our Correspondent,Myagdi, Oct. 22: Jaljala Rural Municipality of Myagdi district has handed over the traditional Nepali musical instruments called Naumati Baja, to the Dalit community in Ward 4.

The musical instruments were handed over as part of efforts to preserve them as they are on the verge of disappearing from village communities.

On Monday, in the presence of the rural municipality’s representatives, including its Chairman Raju Prasad Acharya, Vice Chairman Deepak Acharya and Ward-4 Chairman Bharat Bahadur Chhetri, a set of Naumati Baja instruments was jointly handed over to the Lamakhet Naumati Baja Group and the Kajinne Naumati Baja Group at the municipality’s centre in Lamakhet.

Rural municipality’s Chairman Acharya said that the handover aimed to preserve the Naumati Baja, which was gradually vanishing from the communities. 

He said, “Our community’s traditional Naumati Baja, which holds cultural significance, is starting to disappear. The ward has supported the Dalit community with these instruments to help preserve the Naumati Baja and pass on the skills to the younger generation.”

Ward- 4 Chairman Chhetri said that under the Cultural Conservation Programme for this fiscal year, the musical instruments were purchased with a budget of Rs. 200,000 and handed over to the Dalit community. 

He added that the aim was not only to preserve the traditional culture of the Dalit community but also to assist them with income generation by providing these instruments.

Raj Bahadur Pariyar, Chairman of the Lamakhet Naumati Baja Group, expressed gratitude, saying, “The old instruments were becoming problematic. Now that we have received new instruments and they will be easier to play  during weddings, Bratabandha ceremonies, and other auspicious events in the community. We also believe it will be easier to teach the younger generation to play these.”