The Timeless Teacher
Nhuchhe Bahadur Dangol
Nhuchhe Bahadur Dangol
Text by Robin Dangol
Known as ‘Vadhya Samrat’ or The Drum Maestro, Nhuchhe Bahadur Dangol is a veteran musician, educator and folk music-dance expert known nationally and internationally for his multi-instrumentalist skills. Born in Kathmandu on 30 June, 1948, Dangol began playing music when he was just a toddler.
In the Newar community where Nhuchhe Bahadur grew up, musical arts used to be passed down only to the male successors within the community. But as a son of a music teacher, Dangol had understood the perils of limiting knowledge to a select few, so he broke this tradition and began teaching music to women and non-Newar music enthusiasts.
From his love for traditional Nepali instruments and his multifaceted performances to his unrelenting efforts at passing down a dying musical tradition, Nhuchhe Bahadur Dangol is the epitome of a timeless teacher and we have much to learn from his life.
CHILDHOOD
Dangol’s earliest memories are of his father teaching music at home. When he first heard the beat of the madal, Dangol fell in love with the instrument and asked his father to get him one. While other children played sports, he played the madal. He would imitate the way his father played rhythmic patterns on the khin. Later, his father took him to local festivals where Dangol was encouraged to play with other musical groups. Around the same time, poet and folk singer Dharmaraj Thapa used to recite and sell poetry in the streets of Ason. Impressed by Dangol’s madal skills, Thapa began to take Dangol along with him to his recitations. It was Thapa who persuaded young Dangol to take part in children’s talent shows organized by Radio Nepal. By playing at these shows, renowned artists and those in the music field began to take notice of Dangol.
The idea of integrating several percussions in a set was suggested by his contemporary artists Narayan Gopal, Gopal Yonzon, Ashavadi Chaturbhuj and Basanta Shrestha. The idea was to combine the drums from various ethnicities and regions of Nepal and play simultaneously in a set eg. Dholak (Terai), various types of Khin (Newar), Damfu(Tamang), Madal (Magar) etc. He played this set for the first time in 1982 in Bloomsbury Theatre London.
PERFORMER
One of Dangol’s earliest performances was for the coronation ceremony of the then King Mahendra on 3rd May 1956. Dangol was only eight-years-old. But it was also during this performance that Dangol fell and broke his ribs. He recalls a painful night when he asked the doctors to take off the screws to his back support so that he could play madal. He remembers singing to the beat of the madal and forgetting his pain. That night, Natyeshwor (the dancing form of the Hindu god Shiva) appeared in his dream and blessed him: “You don’t need to worry. You will recover and continue playing your instruments. You will impart this knowledge unto everyone around the world.”
As prophesied, Dangol became a pioneering musician who collaborated in inter-communal music-making. His engagement at Radio Nepal, his tenure at Padma Kanya Campus, Nepal Music Center and his expertise in various folk music of Nepal allowed Dangol to connect with veteran musicians and various music knowledge holders from diverse cultures across Nepal and beyond. Due to his connections, Dangol was able to build a uniquely diverse orchestral ensemble for his performances, which were a melange of folk tunes and melodies from across Nepal.
PLAYLIST
During his time at Radio Nepal, Dangol has been featured in many iconic songs as a percussionist. He has played percussions for popular contemporary artists like Narayan Gopal, Gopal Yonzan, Tara Devi, Meera Rana, Kumar Basnet and many more.
EDUCATOR
Dangol is a strong advocate of equality and believes knowledge must be accessible to everyone irrespective of their gender, age, ethnicity or religion. This philosophy clearly manifests in his diverse group of students. He taught dhime to his sisters and later, taught his wife to sing and play the flute. Starting from his own home, Dangol began to redefine the boundaries of traditional Newari music-making. Dangol was heavily criticized and banished from his community for disrespecting traditional norms. But he was hardly deterred. In fact, these clashes fueled him to continue teaching music to anyone who was interested in learning.
In 1973, invited by Angur Baba Joshi, the first female principal of Nepal, Dangol began his tenure as an assistant lecturer of Nepali folk instruments at Padma Kanya Campus, the first Nepali all-women’s college. Dangol taught at the college for forty-one years. Padma Kanya was instrumental in revolutionizing music education by including indigenous music studies in a curriculum that privileged Hindustani classical music. In 2000, Dangol established Natyeshwor Sangeet Prashikshyan Kendra where he mentored thousands of musicians of different ages, gender, and ethnicities.
Nhuchhe Bahadur Dangol firmly believes that in order to perpetuate our artistic traditions, they need to be passed down to younger generations. He advocates for Nepali folk music to be formally initiated in both communal and educational institutions, and that music education be accessible to all music enthusiasts.
Nhuchhe Bahadur Dangol firmly believes that in order to perpetuate our artistic traditions, they need to be passed down to younger generations. He advocates for Nepali folk music to be formally initiated in both communal and educational institutions, and that music education be accessible to all music enthusiasts.
Till date, we have digitized over 1665 photos and 14 videos of Dangol. To access these and more, schedule an NMA visit today.
This story was part of a retrospective exhibition curated by Robin Dangol for Echoes in the Valley festival of music in March 2022 at Kirtipur. Robin is an ethnomusicologist and a music educator. As an Ethnomusicology graduate, he’s been involved in musical research mostly focused on ethnic music, musical changes and music education. He also lecturered at Kathmandu University Department of Music and worked as a researcher at Nepal Music Archive. Currently, he is pursuing his studies on music cognition in Canada.