The mastermind behind the rhymes

by TSERING NGODUP

FROM ISSUE # 199 (July 2012) | IN THIS ISSUE
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TSERING NGODUP

Whenever a song or an album becomes a hit, it's the singer who gets all the accolades and credit. While singers give voice to a song and makes it come alive, an equal amount of hard work and dedication goes into penning the words.

Lyricists are the unsung heroes of music, the masterminds behind clever rhymes and heart stirring lines.
Durga Lal Shrestha is no stranger to the Nepali music industry. Born in Naikha tole of Ason, Shrestha started his

journey as a dramatist. As a child, he would often go to watch street dramas which were very popular back then. "I remember this particular drama where Prem Dhoj Pradhan was playing the female lead because women weren't encouraged to act during those days. That drama left quite an impression on me and inspired me to start writing," says Shrestha. Once he started, he could not stop. He admits, "I lost interest in school and became more engaged in cultural and literary activities," he says.

It was during one of his dramas that he was given the task of writing songs. "I didn't know anything about song writing. All I did was copy tunes from Hindi movie songs and add my words." But this method of writing songs didn't last long.

Once Shrestha started listening to folk songs and was exposed to the rich folk culture, he stopped using Hindi movie tunes as reference. "I felt so stupid for doing what I was doing. Within Nepal there was this rich diverse musical tradition and I was looking elsewhere," he says with a note of lament.

Shrestha attributes his song writing skills to his students of Kanya Mandir High School where he served as the principal. "My students taught me the importance of keeping lyrics simple. WhenevethI used Sanskrit or difficult words, they wouldn't respond. So rather than trying to create complex prose, I focus on writing lyrics that my audience can easily understand and appreciate. You can say they are my real teachers," he says.

To the septuagenarian, who still resembles a kid in his white and red t-shirt and track pants, song writing is much more than just a job that pays his bills. It has also been therapeutic, working to remove the thorn in his heart. When he was younger, he often wrote songs at night, on the inside of a cigarette packet when thoughts of his girlfriend consumed him. Song writing, Shrestha says, "has to come from within. Only when you feel the emotion from your heart, will the words reflect the feelings and the listener will be able to connect to your song".

Having penned more than 1000 songs and almost 500 songs alone with Nhyoo Bajracharya, Shrestha says "The person responsible for making me recognised lyricist is Nhyoo Bajracharya. Ever since I started having difficulties writing with my hands, Nhyoo would come with a guitar, play a tune and I would get emotional and just utter out the words and he would jot down the words. This is how my lyrics get written these days".

Shrestha feels the Nepali music industry has not developed as much as it should have and is not pleased with the direction it was taken. "There are too many new songs and albums coming out and the focus is less on quality and more on glamour. The industry has become too money driven. Anyone with money is becoming a singer, and those who are talented, but poor are being left behind," he explains. However, he clarifies that he does not mean all singers today are incompetent, but rather that talent and quality are declining.

The popular song "Phool ko Aankhaa Maa" helped made Shrestha a household name. At that time when Bajracharya and Ani approached him for the song, he had no idea it was going to be such a big hit. "I think I wrote the song in about eight minutes. I didn't have to do much. I looked at Ani's face and there I found all the words to the song," he says. Shrestha believes he only wrote the lyrics, but it was Ani's voice that breathed life into the song.

About how long it takes him to write a song, or a poem he says, "Sometimes, I take four days to write four lines whereas at other times have written thousands of stanzas in one sitting." As for advice for aspiring lyricists Shrestha remarks, "Usually experts or intellectual give advice. I don't consider myself either but having worked in the field for so long, I just have one thing to say that unless the emotions come from your heart, from the core within, don't write."