Jhalak Man Gandarbha

Jhalak Man Gandarbha (July 29, 1935 / 12 Baishakh 1922 – November 23, 2003) is one of the most significant Nepali folk singers. He is popular for Gaine Geet or Gandarbha Sangeet, a popular type of folk song sang only by the Gaine or Gandarbha ethnic group of Nepal. He is the first Gaine singer to record Gaine song and is respected for bringing voice of indigenous and ordinary people into the mass media. Aamale Sodhlin Ni ... (mama may ask ...) is by far his most popular song, which intones the death of a Nepali soldier on a foreign battle ground.

Jhalak Man Gandarbha started singing for a livelihood in villages of Nepal from the age of nine. Born to in 1935 to a family belonging to the Gandharbha clan, he learned to sing, dance, and play music early on from his father. The Gandharbhas play different kind of folk tunes like Jhyaure, khyali geet, and karkha (songs written to praise someone for their deeds). They also play for the gods. The Gandarbhas have a unique four string instrument called Sarangi. They play Sarangi and sing along around the village and thus entertain the society.

The former government had banned the Gandarbhas from singing Karkha, for they praised the heroes. Since then Karkha has almost been lost. But now, Jhalak Man says that he has composed Karkhas of some twenty Nepali heroes who have shown their bravity during the Second World War. Gaje Ghale, honored with Victoria Cross after the Second World War, is one of them.

The Gandarbhas are inhabitants in Gorkha, Kaski, Lamjung, Dang, Salyan, Tanahu, Baglung, Parbat, Palpa, Banke, Bardiya, Chitwan, Makwanpur, and Syangja districts. Jhalak Man believes that this caste of people is primarily from Gorkha and was scattered throughout the country in their course for the search for new villages to entertain.

He has recorded a single album. But the demand for the album was so high that Music Nepal, who released his cassette, pays him a royalty of Rs.2000-3000 per month. Jhalak Man is very grateful to Keshari Dharmaraj Thapa, for offering him a place in Radio Nepal Station in 1965. He is delighted that his songs have been appreciated by many people.

In his course of performing his songs internationally he has toured different countries like German, Belgium, Yugoslavia, France, and India.

He appreciates the significant efforts made by Kumar Basnet, Ram Thapa, Sambhu Rai, Jayananda Lama, Premraja Mahat, Bam Bahadur Karki, Chandra Shah, Mira Rana, Gyanu Rana, Dharmaraj Thapa, and Lochan Bhattarai to preserve the importance of folk songs. He reminds the responsible sector to install a reliable research program to collect and promote folksongs of our country and warns them of the crucial stage in which these folksongs have reached in our fast modernizing country.ASD

The Gandharbhas recorded different kinds of folk tunes like Jhyaure, Khyali Geet, Karkha and Bhajan. Jhalak composed Karkhas of some twenty Nepali heroes who have shown their bravery during the Second World War. He has recorded only one album but that was enough to give him the recognition of one of the most influential and popular folk singers of Nepal. He devoted his entire life in collecting, composing, performing and promoting Gaine Geet.

He has also performed in various countries, including Germany, Belgium, Yugoslavia, France, and India.

To honour the greatest gaine Nepalese singer the government of Nepal have built few statues for Gandarbha.