29/01/2020
Yo yot tsuglo ju, enju hahah
Inju, enju: interjection by listeners of a traditional storyteller, to indicate their continued attention.
My father passed away when I was 8 years old. After that, my grandfather did everything for me. He was well known in our village. He knew Bodhi, and his voice was good. He was also the village headman for ten years. He worked in service of the people and people respected him for it.
We were 5-6 brothers and sisters. At night, when we all lay down to sleep, my grandfather would say “Yot yot tsuk ju…” That is how you start narrating a traditional tale. We would all respond with enthusiasm, “enju!” We would continue to say it until only I was left. Everyone else would fall asleep. My grandfather noticed my interest and took me everywhere. If songs had to be sung, we were there… at marriage ceremonies, Losar functions, harvest festivals. I learnt so much from him.
The first time I sang was at a wedding in Wanla. In Ladakhi tradition, when the wedding procession arrives there is question and answer in song form. It was going well until people on our side stopped singing. They did not know what to sing anymore. Someone said, “Eashay Tsambha’s grandson, you sing.”
I was sitting far from everyone but I sang my question, “Who is it that made these vast glaciers?” Everyone was stunned because they had not heard this song before. They did not know how to respond, so they asked me to sing the reply as well. I sang again, “No one can make these vast glaciers. When the cold season arrives, they form by themselves.” Hearing this, an elder stood up and gave me yal. That was my first award.
Over the years, I sang and collected folk songs, composed music, wrote and acted in plays. In 2004, the government of India honored me with the Padma Shri for my contributions to Indian music. This was one of the most precious moments of my life. It was like a dream. When I came back from Delhi, my mother, my sister and my relatives were all there at the airport. They were so happy. They sang and they danced. My grandfather was no longer alive. It would have been nice if he could have seen that.
When people go to speak with government officers, they ask for roads and bridges. I always talk to them about ways to keep our songs and dances alive. Without these traditions, Ladakh is incomplete. How do we define Ladakh? There are mountains, but we cannot call that Ladakh. The mountains with folk songs, folk dances, indigenous languages, and traditional art - that we can call Ladakh. Minds that are clean and people that are rich at heart - that we can call Ladakhi.
Storyteller: Morup Namgyal, Wanla
