A ‘wildfire’ caught the Nepali music industry in 2014. Bipul Chettri’s single, ‘Wildfire’ (Dadhelo), burnt away the prevailing musical decadence and set into motion the revival and growth of a new wave of Nepali music that is richer in expression, daring in experimentation and unabashed in its fusion of western and Nepali folk music.
This journey began with Bipul’s first
album Sketches of Darjeeling (2014), continued with his second album, Maya
(2017) and has resulted in his third and most recent EP – Samaya (2021).
Samaya chimes in at an
opportune time in the lives of lockdown weary fans. This album stands out for
its simple soulfulness and brings a much-needed calm in a world gripped by
chaos and turmoil. Samaya is a collection of five songs or as Bipul
describes it - “stories born in the lockdown” and is one of his finest releases
so far.
This album, is in many ways, a
continuation of his signature style as well as a break from his past. He
continues to seamlessly blend western elements from country and jazz music with
Nepali folk. The bare element and the absence of the usual profusion of
instruments (in part due to the pandemic) make this album different. The bare
simplicity in this entirely acoustic album makes for a unique listen and
directs one’s attention to the poetic musings of Bipul.
The songs in the album have a rich, almost
meditative quality. For the Nepali listener, it is poetry sung. While his
musical prowess is not unknown, Bipul reveals his philosophical side through
his lyrics in Samaya. He puts emotions to words, which when accompanied
by soulful music, touches the heart of each listener.
The lockdown made time stand still. It
made us retreat into our homes. We all turned inwards, into ourselves,
ruminating about life, love and our mortality. The songs in this album touch
upon these very musings on life, death and time itself.
In what seems like a continuation of one’s
journey from Bipul’s single, ‘Syndicate’, Katai Uslai is a song
about lost love. It talks of memories from the past that comes flooding into
your present and then sweeps you into the future. This is a song about wishful
thinking in the hope of a better future. But the singer seems to have made
peace with his past and he admits, “Bhaneko jasto kasko hunchha ra” (things
don’t always turn out the way we want them to.)
The song signs off with a hopeful harmonica solo,
reminiscent of Bob Dylan.
Samsara is a somber
reflection on life, death and beyond. The hauntingly beautiful lines by Pranai
Gurung with the slide guitar reminds you of the intro to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Free
Bird’.
This song, composed much earlier in English, retains its essence in the Nepali version. Samsara talks about the trappings of life, our mundane existence, and the uncomfortable truth - death. The refrain ‘Jana Deu Malai’ (Let me go!) is a call to set oneself free in the search for truth. The bridge is particularly liberating. The English version ends with the lines:
‘What
does it matter when what we’re after,
Ain’t
gonna be there again……
I’ll
do all I choose,
I’ve
got nothing to lose,
Can’t
you see it’s so,
there
is somewhere I got to go.’
The title track is the pick from this EP.
A droning bass line that resembles the constant ticking of a clock underlines Samaya
(time). This style is somewhat reminiscent of Hozier’s ‘Cherrywine’.
Imbued with imagery and meaning, Samaya
talks about the futility of human pursuits and the transience of life. Humans
are born into a losing struggle against time. Yet, we try to race against time
and, resist change. But time is a heartless adversary. The song calls for a
Stoic acceptance of time and all the changes that come with it. Bipul makes an
exception to try and stop time for a brief moment at the end. But time does not
stop, it will eventually outlive everything, maybe even time itself.
The most cheerful and upbeat song in this
EP, Naya Din is fresh as a start to a bright new day. It is buoyant with
the hope that one day, our endless wait will finally end and we will go back to
our lives as usual.
The song talks about the strange times we
find ourselves in, of the pandemic and our forced isolation. There is still
hope, of reliving and relishing the simple joys of life we often took for
granted. Until then, all we can do is wait or go for a trip down memory lane.
Bhaans Ghari
The breezy intro of Bhaans Ghari
carries you off to a tranquil bamboo grove. The sound of the rustling leaves
and the creaking bamboo brings the forest to life.
It feels almost as if Bipul is having a
conversation with the bamboo grove. He pours out his heart, full of
insecurities, having nobody else to share them with. He sings of unrealized
dreams, his desire to venture out and the limitations that hold him back. The
sound of the flute eases in as if to assuage the troubled singer. The flute,
fashioned out of bamboo, gives a voice to the grove. The soulful lines rendered
by Rohit Prasanna flow like a breeze.
In the end, the alternating lines between the singer and flautist weave a lonely, wistful tune that will linger in your mind long after you have heard this song.
Samaya is available on Bipul Chettri’s YouTube channel for online streaming. It is also available on major music streaming platforms.
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