Abstract
This thesis explores the Nepalese chadparva in Singapore through the examination of musical presentations at festivals, and how it impacts on the Nepalese identity and culture in diaspora. The Nepalese word chadparva, which is derived from Sankrit, encompasses both festival and celebrations. The Nepalese are migrants and reside in Singapore as a minority. This research presents the ethnographic observations of six festivals namely: Satya Narayan, Shree Krishnan Janmashtami, Festival of Joy, Teej, Dashain and Tihar. By defining, studying, recording and analysing not only the music presented, but also the way in which the festivals are being carried out by the Nepalese in diaspora, I aim to examine the implications of their traditional music presented outside their ‘homeland’ on their identity. This may be intentionally or unintentionally influenced by the local culture, even as they retain their own traditions through the celebration of their festivities.
The research adopts the disciplinary approaches of ethnomusicology, festivalisation and cultural studies, and develops the interpretative framework as themes emerge from the studies. The themes include material culture, festival sounds, and transmission of culture which encompasses religion, people and community, pedagogy, policies and infrastructure and media whilst drawing on ideas of representation. The methodology is mainly a qualitative survey which involves multi-cited fieldwork from an insider with an outsider perspective. By probing into the music sung, played and performed at Nepalese chadparva, looking at the objects that surround the chadparva, and comparing how they are celebrated in Nepal, the results will be used to examine any changes in their identity. This will be done through the observations of participants, and testimonies given by interviewees residing in Singapore.
The results of this research build on the limited scholarly studies on the sociological and anthropological aspects of Nepalese in Singapore, by taking more factors into consideration. At the same time, by documenting the Nepalese music art form, this study is also an action of cultural preservation, and provides a greater understanding of Nepalese in migration, through an examination of their music. This thesis draws from previous applications of festivalisation, to demonstrate that chadparva in Singapore can ethnographically and analytically reflect the migrants’ identity in their musical performances and representations. It shows that music gives meaning to people who participate in the event, whilst people make music based on their experiences. The main findings show a healthy and successfully transculturation of Nepalese music traditions, whilst adopting a pluralistic culture and identity.