Tribal Haat Phase II

With minimal hype and low-key fanfare, the second glorious instalment of “The Tribal Hat”, marked a beautiful Saturday afternoon at “The Pork Hub Restaurant” at Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur. Showcasing the diverse folk heritage of the country, The Tribal Hat has been able to hold on its own. The annual run of the festival expects to bring at least two shows in a calendar month and plans are well underway for a bigger festival next year.

Keeping true to its promise, the show got off to a flyer. The Gurung Folk assortment was able to perfectly encapsulate the occasion, as audiences started filling in, smiles started to fill up the beautifully curated terrace floor.

The artist crew all dressed in their traditional wares, was a sight that invariably had the onlookers transfixed, added to it, the folk instruments and elegant dance made for a perfect afternoon. Without a doubt the 25 plus artists’ seriousness toward this art form was clearly evident. Especially, Tek Gurung, who led the group and what a showman he proved to be, he took out wit and humor off his hat at will, even finding time for stand-up comedy. There were six dancers, who perfectly complimented the folk melodies and words with their performances.

Let’s talk about Tek Gurung and co; the entire crew set a very friendly and “non-corporate” feel to the event. This is what truly makes Tribal haat so different from other programs. Everyone of everys ethnicity and culture feels accepted from teasing the people in the audience to pulling the audience to perform with them. The group succeeded in entertaining.

A day to be remembered, to say the least. Various delightful performances, conversations, and laughs later, the event ended. The crowd, with big smiles, was bound to return to the next phase. The main goal of this event was to unify culture, music, and people. This objective was achieved with flying colors.