By Binu Shrestha

Kathmandu, Dec. 31: Nepali Folk Musical Instruments Museum at Tripureshwor is all set to open Maniram Gaine Gallery and Bise Nagarchi Gallery in January next year.
Rare and historical folk music instruments are now lying in a vulnerable state at the museum.
“People get opportunity to observe and research folk musical instruments until the museum gets replaced from here,’’ Ram Prasad Kandel, the founder of the museum, said.
Both galleries will have the collection of music instrument related to Hill Dalit (Damai) and Gaine caste (Ghandharva).
“The museum has a collection of the music instruments of these caste groups in its store room. They will be kept in the museum making separate galleries,” he said
Collection of Saarangi will be kept at the Maniran Gaine Gallery. Almost all the collected Saarangis are kept inside the gallery and the opening process of Bise Nagarchi Gallery is in the initial phase. As per the plan, both galleries will be opened on the day of Prithiv Jayanti by inviting some musicians aged over 100 years, said Ram Prasad Kadel, the founder of the museum.
He said they had a plan to open other galleries related to display the musical instruments of Kapali caste of the Newar community and Badi community.
The museum has a collection of 655 Nepali folk musical instruments of 60 to 65 different indigenous ethnic castes of the nation.
Musical instruments belonging to the ethnic communities like Tamang, Gurung, Magar, Newar, Hayu, Rai, Limbu, Gandarva, Tharu, Sherpa, Kisan, Kumal, Saika, Musahar, Jhagad, Thami, Santhal, Raute and Kusunda, among others have been kept in the museum.
‘‘Our goal is limited not only to collect different types of folk musical instruments, but also to research on the instruments and document and record them. Research is still in progress. A significant number of instruments are yet to be described, documented and recorded.
Many communities live in very isolated and fairly inaccessible places and several of these have not yet been visited by researchers,’’ he said.
Total 25 youths have been researching on the music instruments, folk songs, keeping their records and documenting them in different parts of nation voluntarily.
Kadel said, “We have the collection 40,000 hours of analogue digital record of folk song and instruments of different indigenous ethnic community of the nation.
Of them, 20,000 to 30,000 collection of folk music were collected from the foreigners from several foreign countries. There is a digital documentation of 1,000 Newari folk songs so far.’’
A huge amount is required yearly in research programme of folk music and instruments. The museum has paid some money for the sources of folk songs and instruments.
Around Rs. 3 to 4 million is invested on research programme every year.
Kandel has worked hard to preserve intangible heritages by collecting, preserving, recording and documenting the rare and valuable traditional instruments. To invest in the research programme he himself manages required cost.
However, the government has allocated Rs. 1.5 million for the museum last fiscal year. From this budget, the museum has made 18 kinds of musical instruments. In the previous fiscal year, the government had allocated Rs. 2 million, which was spent to make 56 musical instruments.
Guthi Sansthan had already issued a notice to vacate the building where the museum is now. After the quake, the roof and walls of the building have become weak. T
He Sansthan has been asking to vacate the house to rebuild a new building.
The Guthi Sansthan signed an agreement with the Tribhuvan University two years ago to provide the building to the latter in a lease for 25 years to run its music department after its reconstruction.
“The collected instruments are a treasure trove and testimony of creativity of our ancestors. It should be preserved for the next generation,” he said.