I remember someone talking about how literature lives in music. It is a sentence that has stayed with me. Songs serve as an alternative medium of storytelling or even preserving history. In my first attempt at song interpretation, I have chosen to delve into the music by Gauley Bhai.
Three people from Kalimpong Sidhant, Anudwatt, Veecheet, with Joe from Bengaluru started their journey as Gauley Bhai in 2017. The quartet created an impact with their first album called Joro, which is Nepali for -fever. Their music enchants the listener with an International rock-blues style. For me, their lyrics hold attention and make me nostalgic.
The language is Nepali, but the intonation is specific to the Indian side of the border. Disconcerting yet reassuring, their music takes us through Kalimpong’s undulating terrains. Here, we hear the myna bird crying or witness the drama of clouds playing hide and seek with the mountains through their verses.
While defining the scenic landscape, the lyricist talks about socio-cultural aspects of the region too. Morau, an entire song about the chaos and emotions surrounding social rituals amidst a funeral is an example. The part I enjoy the most in Gauley Bhai’s lyrics is their choice of words. They often play around in spaces that hold negative connotations, such as “ghamandi”- and ”abhagi”, which both translate to "arrogant/introverted" and "unfortunate/marginalized".
The song I have chosen to introspect into here is -tallo gaonko pallo kulo, a quick-paced melody with a 3.43-minute runtime. The rough translation could be-That little stream in the village below.
The lyricist, Veecheet Dhakal, talks about a stream that flows eternally, showing that the landscape remains unchanged despite time. The stream below the river is the primary motif of the song, repeated several times. Through this, the writer sheds light on a community living near mountain rivulets, an essential feature of the geographical landscape of Kalimpong and adjoining Himalayan areas.
As the song progresses, he says something more about this village. The singer enunciates that there are no youngsters, no children who run and play around; only the elderly live there now. If interpreted in the context of the geographical references, i.e., Kalimpong, this short verse could refer to the rising pattern of out-migration of young people from this region, particularly from the rural spaces.
In the second verse again, the lyrics say- When the festivals of Dasai and Tihar arrive, the young people come back to their old folks in the village. For the ones that do it return, it is a disappointment.
The final hook is tricky, it could mean,
-when it flows, it goes down to become stagnant; let's admit it.
Or,
- When it flows, it becomes stagnant; it doesn’t make sense.
Many young people of this region leave behind their villages for better employment and educational opportunities. This migration could be to the nearby urban settlements such as colonial hill towns or Himalayan foothill settlements. It could also be to other parts of India where the youth often venture to pursue higher education, engage in service sector jobs, and suchlike. It could also be migration to other countries or recruitment to the National Army.
The lack of substantial opportunities does cause the youth to leave behind their homes in search of more. But, Kalimpong has been at the forefront of forging its own paths since time immemorial, whether it is as the leader of Horticultural exports, a pioneer of cottage industries, or the erstwhile center of exchange on the Silk route. Even now, despite narrow provisions, many enterprising young folks have been creating an impact in the rural pockets of Kalimpong with sustainable grassroots initiatives. One such rising community is Muhaan, a social organization dedicated to “helping the communities who live in the last mile”. The organization has been actively working with the village communities to help them sustainably create economic opportunities and to spread awareness about their lack of infrastructural accessibility and support.
A snapshot of a village settlement at Neora Valley National Park - Photo by Sasank Pradhan
From Sant Kabir to Bob Dylan, bards, singers, and poets give us a glimpse into their lived realities and help us forge our connections and interpretations. Similarly, in this Eastern Himalayan region, introspection into the words of indigenous folk songs or contemporary music may help us preserve and understand narratives.
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