Maestro Amber Gurung: The Alpha and the Omega!

Mister Amber Gurung was our maestro, monitor, guide, and philosopher, a Guru in more than one avatar. Also a stern, harsh taskmaster - our version of Arturo Toscanini ! A terrier-sized terror in the rehearsal pit ! He made many of his chelas hold their breath to near death; some even nearly wet their pants in his presence.

Amber chewed Bijay Gurung (no one remembers this singer today!) for his faulty notes on “Baiskah Lagyo Pahadma” penned by Agam Singh Giri. Aruna Lama was reduced to a pool of tears for her “besura” pitches in “Kina Yauwana Udas Chha Mero?” written by Bhupi Sherchan.

Amber’s disciplined and uncompromising pursuit of his musical art form created the likes of Karma Yonzon, Gopal Yonzon, Sharan Pradhan, Ranjit Gazmer, and Jitendra Bardewa who created their own followers.

It was in 1957 I saw Mr Gurung for the first time. I was a hillbilly from Nor Busti in Darjeeling, recently brought over for further studies. I saw him in Alfred Rongong’s house below the Railway Station. Alfred was my good friend and schoolmate while his eldest brother Lionel was Amber’s fast friend. I knew then that Amber was a singer and composer.

It was the period of Hira Singh, Navin Bardewa, and Urmila Devi in Darjeeling after the antics left by Dharma Raj Thapa of Nepal. It was a time when Urmila’s “Sunau Ke Kath Timilai?” and “Sandhya Timro Rimjhimtama” were superb hits.

Little did I know then that the era of Amber Gurung, Shanti Thatal and much later Aruna Lama, Dil Maya Khati and Nirmala Gazmer, Jitendra Bardewa, Kumar Subba had dawned in Darjeeling.

“Ei!?” It was the opening call of Amber Gurung that launched our musical session. Then pin-drop silence, all concentration, and full attention to the job at hand. The room was ready in advance, our instruments perfectly tuned, Amber’s dais smooth, his harmonium and tanpura in place. Then we surrounded the Guru for accompaniment.

Though we considered Amber Gurung our Guru, his was not a classroom teaching method. He demonstrated his knowledge and skills in the evening’s string of his songs. For example, he began with “Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki” from an old Hindi film exposing its own raga, tal, sur, laya, lawaj and gharana. Then on to Bahadur Shah Jaffar’s “Lagata Nahin Hai Dil Mera.” Upto this point, the scenario showed the bankruptcy of modern Nepali music: How one had to bank on Hindustani songs. Then Amber led the sequence to his own creations, “Ratbhari Diyo Jalai Rahen”, “Andhi Batasaima” and so on. The evening mood had its yatra through many ragas, talas and styles - from Thumri to Gazal, Lakhnavi to Varanasi and finally to his own Nepali shaili with modern chords and blends of harmony.

Thus, the evening sessions, with Amber at the centre stage, taught us new Ragas: Bageshwari, Pahadi, Yaman, Yaman Kalyanpur and so on. There were Raginis to learn too. We also knew about the timeliness and efficacy of the Ragas, which were morning ones and what were ideal for the evening and dawn. Through Amber, we knew of suddha, tibra and komal; druta, bilambit; tana, alap; sthayi, antara - the alpha, the middle and the end of every piece. Ektal, Trital, Khyamta, Dadra and the other common beats we knew; Amber taught us about Jhaptal, Teuda, Rupak and other complex rhythms. At the end of the evening’s session, Amber Nepalised his music, and we went home wiser and further enlightened.

Amber Gurung inserted Beethoven’s fifths and Bach’s sevenths in his orchestras. His versatility further taught us what modulation was, how to improvise, what sur and shruti were, that besura was a heinous crime. In other words, he was at home in Indian Classical music and the Bhatkhande sa-re-ga-ma regime, and equally ready with western “staff” notation. Conversant in Brahms to the Beatles, Amber’s range was as vast as the Himalaya. His favourite is John Lennon’s “Nowhere Man”. He is the progenitor of Devkota Sangit where Nepali folk streams merge with modern styles and techniques.

This was how Amber was our Guru. But where did he learn all these Eastern and Occidental vidhyas? Who were his own Gurus? We never cared to know.

Though a dropout, Amber is erudite and competent in English. He is in the rare league of Shanker Lamichhane and Bhupi Sherchan to put forward their thoughts and expressions in an international language.

I have followed Amber’s musical odyssey from Darjeeling in 1960 to this year in Kathmandu. I have seen him write his own songs, compose tunes, arrange the music, sing his creations, interpret the aims and objectives of his creativity in songs, musical “operas”, cantatas, choirs.

I have also seen Amber Gurung atrophied for nearly 30 years at the Royal Nepal Academy and Radio Nepal. Brought to Nepal by King Mahendra, Amber’s tenure at the Academy is a trick of Chancellor Bala Krishna Sama’s magical wordplay in the appointment letter. I consider his job at that Kafka’s Castle and sycophantic Castalia a tragic waste in which both Amber and Nepal were the greatest losers, and his fans betrayed. At Radio Nepal, he had to wait for the “dates” at the hands of Nati Kazi and his ilk for recording schedules. At my behest, Amber kowtowed to the Royal Palace Secretary Narayan Prasad Shrestha to have his cantata performed at the Academy. Shrestha wielded his hukum pramangi and the Academy reversed its “budgetnai chhaina!” refrain and obeyed. The 1975 cantata for the royal command performance had another fiasco: Bhakta Raj Acharya made a mockery of Amber by refusing to sing and made a mess of the parts under his brief. I remember the time when Amber had to grapple the impossibly unmusical metres of Madhav Prasad Ghimire’s “opera” called Malati Mangale, also slated for the nazar of the Raja and Rani.

I remember Shree Purush Dhakal asking me, “What of Amber after Nau Lakha Tara? Nothing!”

Partly true, mostly untrue. Though most of Amber’s creations remain with him, wise naives must listen to what he still managed to record, and each song is a genre unto itself in rendition, composition, lyric, arrangement, technique, style and presentation.

“Sometimes the son outshines the father. I’m the son!” Gopal Yonzon boasted at one gathering. It was Gopal who prayed before his performance and paid his respects to Amber . “He’s everything to us. Always remember, hai!” He once admonished Ranjit at Mahendra Police Club seconds before Gopal started the “Mitjyu Sanjh” with Narayan Gopal. But Ranjit reminded a TV audience recently that Amber Gurung “didn’t teach us.”

At least, Gopal considered himself as the musical “son” of Amber Gurung. Gopal was his only disciple excelling in all the genres developed by Amber. Now only he, the original tree of modern Nepali music, remains - outliving all else.

But a more abused, misused and unused genius is rare to find in Nepal!