Feature: Ancient dance-drama "Kartik Nach" gives respite to victims of Nepal quake

Patan Durbar Square, one of Nepal's major tourist destinations, was severely damaged by the April 25 earthquake that killed some 9,000 people and left over half a million homeless.

Historical monuments and artistic structures in the square, including the Char Narayan Temple, collapsed and seven months after the disaster, the area is still strewn with debris.

However, last week, the compound of the temple Kartik Dabali became the site of the staging of the ancient Nepali dance-drama "Kartik Nach" which ran for 10 consecutive nights.

Despite the tragedy, thousands of Nepali people, young and old, trooped to the temple to watch the open-air presentation of the historical dance-drama to the accompaniment of folk music.

Those in the audience cheered the performance and did not mind the cool November air.

"We had expected that there will be less number of people this time due to the quake but to our surprise, enthusiasts of Nepali art came up in large number. We are glad that people have started to forget the tragedy and came to watch our cultural show,"said Kiran Chitrakar, an artist and chairman of Kartik Nach Preservation Committee (KNPC).

A devout King Siddhi Narsingh Malla initiated this historical dance during his reign. This year Kartik Nach has been staged for 12 days.

Though Kartik Nach and temples in Patan Durbar Square has no solid connecting-stories, they are synonymous to each other since 17th century. This spectacular dance is named as "Kartik Nach" since this is performed during the Nepali month of Kartik that falls either on October or November.

According to the organizing committee, the whole performance is based on the stories from Hindu mythology related to "Vishnu Puraan," a holy sourcebook whose underlying theme is the triumph of good versus evil with god's intercession.

Wednesday was the final day of the staging of "Vastra Haran Lila," an act of Lord Krishna, with the participation of 11 artists.

Interviewed by Xinhua, the 23-year-old Bibek Shrestha, who played the role of Lord Krishna, said that he inherited the role from his father and grandfather starting when he was seven years old.

"It is a part of our family's tradition to play the role of Lord Krishna in the dance-drama and we are doing this even in the aftermath of the strong quake," Shrestha said.

The KNPC has around 80 members, including 50 artists. They have been staging this folk dance-drama through funds collected from the municipality and some organizations.

As a result of inadequate funds, the organizers were unable to pay attractive allowances or wages to the artists and support staff, according to Chitrakar.

He said that the ongoing fuel crisis and the hike of the prices of prime commodities have made a huge impact on their budget this year. Because of low funds, artists found it difficult to participate in rehearsals so the training days were reduced from six months to two

months.

But the KNPC members, artists and a few sponsors were glad that their show was received with enthusiasm by thousands of Kathmandu residents even if they have not yet fully recovered from the killer earthquake.

The 85-year-old Indra Govinda Baidhya, a local ayurvedic doctor, watched the last performance of the dance-drama with his grandchildren.

He said that he, along with his grandchildren, enjoyed the show very much.

"We didn't mind the cool weather. It was a big relief from the suffering that we experienced during the quake,"he said, adding that he had been watching the dance-drama since he was a kid. Endit