Kalimpong, Dec. 29: Visitors and residents
rode the rapids of the Teesta, tried their hand at angling
and beach volleyball at Beni and were treated to a cultural
performance by a Newar committee on the sixth day of the Kalimpong
Winter Fest. `River rafting was included in the itinerary
of the fest because we wanted to highlight the sport,` said
Sandip Jain, chief coordinator, of the fest.
Beni is a lovely place. People just laze
around on the sandy beaches of the river because they are
afraid of rafting. We wanted to dispel myths about the sport,`
he added. People keen on learning the ropes of the adventure
sport were offered two kinds of rides. One was a short ride
in which the raft kept close to the shore and the other offered
a 2-km trip from Beni to the Teesta bridge.
While the events continued at Beni, a cultural
programme started at Mela ground whose main highlight was
the Newar traditions.
Newars from Kalimpong, Nepal, and Sikkim
participated in this programme which included a procession
in which members of the community, clad in their traditional
best, played traditional musical instruments while parading
around Mela ground.
Lakhe pyaka (mask dance) manjushree pyaka,a
dance showcasing the community's tantric heritage and nubuva
pyaka, a welcome dance, were also performed.
These dances are fading away and we should
try and preserve them,`said Kagendra Pradhan, a member of
the Akhil Bharatiya Newar Sangthan, which had organised the
programme.
Traditional songs like pucha lasubami, a
welcome song, were also performed to the accompaniment of
traditional musical instruments like paschima and mohali.
`Newar music and dance are very hard to
learn as the score of the music should be known not only to
the vocalists and the instrumentalists but also by the dancer,`said
Pradhan.
Sherpa dances were also performed in the
afternoon. Local bands like Frozen Heart, Trishna, Sign, and
a band from Kalimpong College, performed live to entertain
the audience.
Courtesy
The Telegraph |
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