Tradition Meets Opportunity: Palpa Women Bring Panchebaja Back to Life

In Palpa, 60-year-old Taradevi Basyal heads a women's group that plays traditional panchebaja and naumati, making Rs 3 lakh each year. The group was established to provide panchebaja and naumati music for local weddings and festivals, and consists of twelve women from across the district. The team will perform across several districts as well, with the aim to earn money for participants while practicing a culture. Similar groups in the Ribdikot area have also been training and performing, using money from local budgets.

Basyal says playing the ‘panchebaja’ helps keep the village’s culture alive and supports religious events. According to her, a musician can make up to Rs 3 lakh annually.Many women in the village started learning to play because it became hard to make a living by doing household chores alone.

Prior to the group's formation, the hamlet frequently lacked musicians for weddings and pujas, and it was costly to hire outside musicians. Now, organizing these events locally is easier and cheaper.

The group, made up of 12 women from the Brahman community, charges between Rs 15,000 and Rs 60,000 per event. Members include Manju Panthi, Mankumari Neupane, Bhagwati Bhusal, and others.

In Palpa and the neighboring districts of Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Rupandehi, and Syangja, they play at weddings, festivals, anniversaries, and fairs.  They draw sizable crowds when they dress alike.

 The panchebaja is another instrument that ladies in Ribdikot Rural Municipality-3 have learned to play.  These 16 ladies, who range in age from 40 to 55, now play at festivals and weddings with the help of the local authorities.

Aruna Chhahari, a local indigenous group coordinator, explained that training helps preserve this musical tradition and provides income. Before this, musicians had to be brought in from other villages because no local youth were available.

The fact that women are now participating in professional sports was confirmed by Ward Chairman Narayan Bahadur KC.The rural municipality has invested money to buy instruments and fund training to encourage more women to learn.