POKHARA, Feb 4: With the increasing popularity of folk songs and modern pop and R& B music, the ancient Balan musical culture is facing an existential threat which has swiftly prompted a campaign from the locals here.
The Balan culture is native to Nepal's Kaski, Tanahun, Syangja, Baglung and Parbat districts but is near extinction due to trending musical genres nowadays.
At the initiative of the locals of Kaski and Tanahun, Nepal Folk Culture Conservation Academy has been formed under the leadership of Yam Prasad Poudel to launch the campaign. Poudel said the academy will study the Balan culture in Kaski, Tanahun and adjoining districts and take steps for its sustained and long term continuity.
The Balan culture revolves around veneration of the Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu religion and is based on the stories of God's various incarnations and acts. "The government's serious concern and support is necessary for its conservation," Poudel stressed. RSS
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