Sudan Takes Chariya Dance Across Globe

Born to a family deeply rooted in Newa culture, Sudan Munikar grew up in Yatkha, Kathmandu. The city of Kathmandu is renowned for its Newari festivals, rituals, dances, music and cultural traditions. The Munikar family was also deeply associated with these rich traditions.  

Their home atmosphere was always vibrant with traditional dances. Sudan's father was a dance teacher, and his grandfather was the head of the traditional Dafa Bhajan. From childhood, Sudan had the opportunity to learn Newari dance and music at home, which helped deepen his knowledge of Newa culture. 

Sudan has been a constant advocate for the preservation of Newa culture for the past 22 years, encouraging young youth. He has been actively working to conserve and promote Newari dance and music. In collaboration with local cultural groups and youth organisations, he has been organising various cultural programmes and performances. His journey as a Charya dance promoter was profoundly shaped after attending a heritage camp organised by Vajra Kala Kunja in Teku. 

At the heritage camp, participants receive training in Charya dance, Newari dances, and learn to play various musical instruments. When the heritage camp took Sudan outside the Kathmandu Valley, he noticed that the Newars living outside the valley were losing their traditions. Although they were celebrating festivals, they were doing so quietly and in some cases, incorrectly. He realised these festivals and dances should be celebrated in the proper traditional way. He also saw the need to provide knowledge about other aspects of the Newar culture, including language, music and dance.  

Sudan has now emerged as a torchbearer of the Newar culture and tradition of the Kathmandu Valley, connecting them with communities outside the valley and in foreign countries. He is bridging the city where the Newar traditions were born and the places outside the Valley where they continue to thrive. His dedication to preserving the heritage of the Newar community has been a source of inspiration for many. 

Heritage journey 

Sudan is greatly inspired by his father, Chandra Mani Munikar, who has been actively engaged in Newa cultural activities. Sudan's journey to cultural dance began with a performance in the Lakhe dance, playing the role of a child artist called Jhyalincha when he was a five grader. He recalled his frequent visits to the Vajra Hotel to watch his father's dance performance since he was a child.  

His Charya dance performance gained momentum after he received his school-level certificate and became fully active. He formally learned Charya dance from his father and began performing at several schools. Heritage camps were organised during the winter vacation and during Dashain and Tihar holidays, after Vajra Kala Kunja was officially established in 1999. 

Over 300 students participated in receiving Charya dance training organised by Vajra Kala Kung in the open training camp after its establishment. Sudan was a trainee in the first batch and one of the best performers. Later, the Heritage Camp reached several schools in Kathmandu. Students and teachers were greatly attracted to this traditional form of dance. 

Skills to play traditional instruments like Dhime Baja, Madal, Bansuri and Violin were also taught in the camp. The Heritage Camp is being conducted in several areas. It has expanded to schools in Bhaktapur, Patan, and Kirtipur. Initially, the camp focused only on schools, which had a positive impact. Sudan did not limit the Heritage Camp to just the Kathmandu Valley, he expanded it beyond the district. Pokhara became the first district outside the valley to host a Heritage camp in 2013 (2070 BS). It has now reached more than 60 districts. 

The camp focuses on training in Chariya dance and playing Dhime Baja and other traditional musical instruments, providing hands-on learning opportunities. He shared his feelings of pride, saying that some of the earlier trainees have now become talented musicians and dance teachers. This is a true achievement of the Heritage Camp. While promoting the Chariya dance at the school level, he felt that its deeper meaning was often not understood by the people. Later, the dance was connected with theatre and they started staging dramas such as Pachali Bhairav, Bodhisattva and Mahasattva at Vajra Kala Kunja. 

At a time when pop and rock songs dominated the market, the Charya dance was unknown among the people. The participation of youth in the heritage camp was quite satisfying. More students began participating in the training due to the influence of the school-level camps.  However, for many who live beyond the Kathmandu Valley, maintaining these traditions has been a challenge. Sudan has taken it upon itself to ensure that the Newar culture does not fade away in the face of modern pressures. 

International exposure

Sudan recently completed a tour of France and Spain, where he and his team participated in international cultural events and performed cultural programmes representing Nepal. Sharing his performance in the international stages, Sudan mentioned that it began in 2018 in India and has now extended to 12 countries, including England, Turkey, Bangladesh, Dubai, Switzerland, Spain, France, the UK and others. Regular training in Charya dance with Dhime Baja is being conducted in India, Bangladesh, and the UK.

 International Newari community organisations in these countries invited him to perform the Newari Charya dance and perform cultural activities. Training in Charya dance with Dhime Baja has been conducted in India, Bangladesh and the UK. The duration of these training programmes ranges from five to 15 days, during which he teaches the Newari culture, dance, and Newari language to Nepali youth and children living abroad.  

Recently, Munikar spent over two and a half months providing training in Dhime Baja, Newari dance, Charya dance and the Newari language to people of the Newar community living in Darjeeling, Sikkim, Siliguri and other parts of India. 

Inspiring idea

“Culture needs to be better understood to be preserved; it is important to connect it to our daily life,” Sudan said. To him, every beat of the Dhime Baja, every prayer offered during a festival and every plate of Samay Baji served at a gathering are a reminder that identity survives when it is lived. The performance of Gurijiko Paltan by the Nepal Police Band during national festivals and events shows that the Newa community is considered an essential part of the cultural performance. Vajra Kala Kunja has also provided training to the police to play Newari Baja.

To promote the Newari culture, a Charya Dance Competition-2082 is scheduled to be held on November 15 at Rastriya Sabha Griha. This is a great opportunity for the participants to showcase their dance skills, Sudan said.

(Shrestha is a reporter at TRN.)