Kutumba Band released their 7th album ‘Himalayan Highlands at a program organized in Patan Museum’s courtyard. At the program, they played some of their tunes from their album.
Similarly, Bir Bahadur Bishwokarma a 32-year-old visually-impaired musician from Listikot, Sindhupalchowk played ‘Tungna’ together with Kutumba at the same platform.
Tungna is very hard to master, but Biswokarma played the instrument only by hearing the sound. The Tungna, Biswokarma’s lute of choice, is a stringed folk instrument, one of the half a dozen ‘guitar-like’ lutes found in Nepal.
Even then, all roads seemed to eventually lead to Biswokarma, who had found a small-time fame on the internet through mobile phone videos uploaded by curious travelers, arrested as much by his blindness as his music.
Kutumba also raised fund for eye treatment of Mr Bishwokarma on the same occasion. They will go a long way in helping his young family repay his debts incurred while rebuilding their house after the 2015 earthquake.
