Lochan Bhattarai was scintillating last week on Shree Panchami-the festival dedicated to the goddess of learning, Saraswati. Her latest album, Lochan Bhattarai at Patan Durbar, was being formally released by Nepal\'s senior musical figure Nati Kaji. The album contains 16 songs which she sang to welcome the Nepali New Year 2057 at the ancient Keshav Narayan courtyard of the Patan Museum last April. The concert opened up new doors to Nepali musicians to organise live concerts in such exotic settings. The new album was released at the same place as the New Year concert.
At the ceremony, poet Durga Lai Shrestha said it all: "A good lyricist should not let any unnecessary word seep in. And a good singer should always understand the poetry within. Lochan\'s compositions are good music through and through." Lochan started her professional singing career 14 years ago. Later it was the song Tada tada nabhaijau timi which brought her fame. She now has many singles, duets, soundtracks and folk songs, apart from the CD album Swor.
Lochan also reflects Nepal\'s incredible ethnic diversity in her own life: she was born to a Bahun father and Magar mother. Husband Chakra Khadka is a lecturer at Patan College. "He is my mentor. My inspiration and above all a great soul friend who has always given me the warmth and support at all times," she says. Close friends call Charkraji a "house-husband" of the family.
With modern music and satellite television, Lochan is worried about Nepali folk music turning feeble. "Nepali Adhunik uses lot of Hindustani raag base," she says. "But there are many folk tunes and melodies we can add to our own style of raag. In fact it has become necessary to compile all the folk tunes and write them in music script." Lochan has already taken up the preservation of Nepali folk as a personal crusade. She feels that once folk tunes are written in scripts they can be categorised and musicians can keep on adding improvisations till the whole thing turns into a raga of a new genre.
Apart from being known as a versatile singer - singing folk and Adhunik in various ethnic languages, Lochan has a green thumb as well. Her small house in Min Bhavan has a verdant terrace that can be called the "Hanging Garden of Patan". Lochan likes to say she shares her house not only with her husband and a son, but also with the 500 or so flowering plants and creepers of 50 species. "Before I leave for any of my shows I touch these plants and energies myself. It is almost that we communicate spiritually," says Lochan. It certainly seems to help her music.
