Gurungs - What are you proud of?

31^st Dec, 2018, I woke up early. This was not any normal day where my alarm would ring me up at 5 and hurry to get ready for university. The day was rather a very special day for me. It was 44^th Convocation Day of Tribhuvan University and I was the one of the many thousands to be standing with black gown and lift my mortarboard on the air. I reached the venue an hour later, yet programme started an extra hour later. And finally when it started, the deans of each faculty were ready to take pledge from the students

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When the dean of Arts was announcing the streams, I was able to hear students graduating in various languages from Nepali to Newari and Maithili but this wasn’t a surprise but I started thinking about Gurung,  Gurungs who hold major hilly areas of Western Nepal and the Gurungs who have had glorious past and culturally rich heritage. Back home, my uncles and aunts were apprehending how there were very few Mongolian, particularly Gurung faces clad in black dress. In a country where the youths of this community are too busy escaping towards the third country other than study purpose, the no. of graduates can only be counted in numbers and the empowerment cannot reach to its new heights.

The language cannot be taught in the school or at university alone when there aren’t standardized curriculum, generous faculty members, enthusiast students and supportive elite communities. I remember how one of my former colleagues who hailed from Limbu community shared the experiences about teaching Limbu language in schools of Eastern Nepal. Likewise, Newaris are also taught in various schools of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.

But sadly Gurung language is already into a verge of extinction even in the remote parts of Nepal which I found this during my work period at few Gurung villages of Kaski. During the time of baseline survey, the villagers had named Nepali as their mother tongue even if aged people were fluent in their own language, but newer generations didn’t bring into practice. This wasn’t totally true because many of them understood the literal meaning but had difficulty replying back. This I’d definitely say due to lack of practice.

Has anyone noticed kids speaking in your neighbourhood ? Few years back when Cartoon Network completely took over every kid’s life they spoke nothing but Hindi while kids now have surprisingly wonderful British or American accent watching different videos on youtube and playing online games. One thing is clear, our language ability is largely influenced by the time we devour ourselves on serials, movies or any such entertainment channels too. I remember myself being an average Gurung speaking boy really enjoyed Gurung movies back in my childhood days. The stories were impactful, songs were very soothing and fun listening too. We’d patiently wait for functions or Lhosar party to perform dances in the popular songs. Which means these movies were not only providing entertainment but also creating environment for people where they could little understand and communicate in Gurung among each other.

But these days, despite the tremendous development in technology, investments are rather made only for production and not on the artists who are fluent in Gurung and the script that bring forth the real advocacy of prevailing issues of Gurung communities. What strike me are major plots in the movies which are shot in Pokhara and the other urban areas only and the medium of communication is Nepali; sometimes oddly dissatisfying bilingual. I do not see any instance in how our young generation will learn and carry forward the legacy of our virgin culture, historical past and incredible identity with the level of concentration Gurung movie industry is paying heed to.

There was time when the beauty pageants were conducted each year among girls of particular communities every year. Miss Gurung was no exception. The pageants which promised of empowering young Gurung girls about our community and inculcating the sense of responsibility of preserving our heritage have grounded somewhere or maybe searching avenues for other source of income generation. I’m appalled how this pageant made contestants introduce themselves forcibly in our mother tongue and there was immediate sense of accomplishment. The real theme of agenda ended with the closure of contest and there was never zeal of introducing bigger change except for making presence and receiving honours at various programmes of Gurung communities.

For years, I’m also raising voice against Gurung costumes which have been largely customized blatantly without realizing the consequences. The dress for ladies include Cholo, Kramu, Patuka, Lungi, Ghalek, Tiki and some specific ornaments. But one can see in the streets of valleys and around girls shamelessly putting on flashy blouses (backless, sleeveless etc), lungis that are too flashy like the dresses worn in dance bars, also lungis are custom tailored into gowns, ghaleks deeply embroidered like Indian lehengas and sarees. I can’t criticize on someone’s visual and particular interests and effort in bringing fusion but to abruptly bring changes in our uniquely designed dresses not only obstructs our social identity but these have rather made our dresses look more vulgar and less attractive. Similarly, we can’t encourage dresses to people which avoid comfort. Male dresses of Gurungs are the same. While most of the boys of other ethnic groups have Daura Surwal our ones are Bhangra , Bhoto and Kachhad and Kachhad is not really comfortable clothing. It is neither weather friendly too. But often in many wedding season these days where the trend of wearing ethnic dresses have come into practice, while Brides wear Gurung dress, grooms are basically seen in Daura Surwal. Of course, national costume cannot be ignored but to wear two different unmatching dresses don’t bring realm towards our ethnic group.

Therefore, as much as modernization has brought huge transformation in human lives, I’m skeptical of depletion of our heritage and the day where identity might be seen or read only in museums and libraries or not even that. The dresses can be remade and the heritage maybe built later too, but if we do not preach young children our mother tongue and create a curriculum, add literary books, the elite cannot be extended. It is now in the hands of youths and surviving Gurung intellectuals who need to devote more time and effort on these areas apart from partying all round the year and making too many samaj ghars.