DARJEELING, Nov. 12. - The musical character of Darjeeling
has perhaps never been celebrated on quite the same scale as is being
done now at the Darjeeling Carnival.
While Louis Banks will be taking the
open-air stage tonight at the Chowrasta, other local bands have
been performing to a sea of humanity at the venue every evening.The
most awaited presentation is a reunion of sorts of veteran musicians
from rock bands of the '60s and '70s. These bands have long ceased
to exist, but their names still do the rounds.The veteran musicians
are taking the stage after decades in a performance called `Yesterday,
Once More`. And they are admittedly shaky, although excited. The
programme reunites Puran Gongba with some members of his band Turquoise
and Jades, which last performed in 1967. He, along with Pushpa Pradhan
and Padmajung Pradhan, also called the `P Brothers`, were the second
musical group to play in Trincas, Kolkata, during the heyday of
live band music. `We will perform together after 36 years. This
is going to be memorable for all of us, and we thank the Darjeeling
Carnival organisers for giving us this opportunity,` said Puran
Gongba, who now runs a successful pub in town. Deep Arora now owns
a restaurant. But his name used to be reckoned with by all rock
bands during the '70s as the lead vocalist of Forbidden Fruit, a
Darjeeling-based rock band. `I feel shaky going on stage after such
a long gap, but it is exciting too,` he said. Asked what prompted
them to perform after so many years, Puran Gongba said: `We want
to be a part of the carnival, the celebration of Darjeeling, our
hometown, which has given us so much.` The veterans also noted the
`great wealth of talent` among young musicians in the town.
Earlier in the day, the momo-eating competition drew large crowds.
Twenty participants ate steaming hot momos made by a popular local
restaurant to their heart's content. After this event, a chungii
competition was held. A chungii, for the uninitiated, is a small
ball made by stringing together rubber bands. It is juggled around
on foot, a very popular game among local youth. Participants, however,
were required to shoot the chungii through a small board.
Apart from these events, the Mangar, Newar, Tamang and the Tibetan
communities regaled onlookers with their traditional dances.
Courtesy
The Statesman |
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