Collaboration is a must to develop music, drama: Nisha Sharma

Kathmandu, Mar. 8: Nisha Sharma, who has been consistently active in the Nepali theatre sector for over four decades, is now Chancellor of Nepal Academy of Music and Drama. 

Sharma was appointed as the Chancellor of the Academy on February 16.  She is the first woman to lead the Nepal Academy of Music and Drama as its Chancellor.  Her dedication to the sector has finally been recognised.  

She took the oath of office from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, along with two other chancellors---Bhupal Rai of Nepal Academy and Narad Mani Hartamchhali of Nepal Academy of Fine Arts. 

Talking to The Rising Nepal recently, newly appointed Chancellor Sharma shared  her plans as well as opportunities and challenges she may face during her four-year term at the Academy.

She said that the government gave her the opportunity by respecting women's strength and quality and ending the stereotype that women cannot hold the responsibility of the senior positions.

“I’m one such female artiste who have been continuing my career in the theatre for over four decades and the government has understood my quality and gave me this responsibility,” she said.  “My job is to make the music and drama sectors inclusive, developing this sector in all the 77 districts and taking Nepali art to the international level.” 

She said the major challenge at present was to unite all the artistes.

She aims to accentuate the importance of the artiste as the jewel of the nation.

She said, “Even though this academy has existed as a government-run academy for the past 16 years, it has not been recognised as an important institution.” 

She said that she would try to increase the popularity of the academy during her tenure.

“Formulating a sustainable agenda that will help develop the music and drama sectors is the biggest challenge before me,” she said. 

“Many artistes are dissatisfied with the academy, making a perception that this academy does not address the need of the people associated with art properly and I want to change this perception and develop the trust that this academy will work for the overall development of the music and drama field.”

“The academy for me is a temple where I want to truly develop Nepali music and art sector.”

The main responsibilities of the academy are to keep archives of music, art, and artistes, bring art and artistes living in the rural areas to the mainstream, restore disappearing music, drama and culture, educate more people in art through fellowship, and exchange Nepali art at the national and international levels by conducting various programmes.  She said that she wanted to search for old artistes who are behind the limelight and prepare their biographies.

Music sector 

She said that art and artistes should be embraced openly without any preconceived notion. She also asked all the artistes who do not trust the academy and its working mechanism to unite for the development of the music sector. She informed that the Academy has many challenges and various laws limit its works.

However, she said she did not listen to current songs because they lacked quality.“Music gives peace to mind but today's music doesn't soothe the mind, instead it disturbs.  Music has been commercialised unnecessarily with a focus of becoming viral,” she said. She pointed out lack of practice among the artistes for the poor quality. 

Theatre 

According to her, the theatre sector is currently flourishing. “The artistes are bringing the traditions and cultures hidden in different corners in the form of dramas. The government should support artistes who are trying to preserve culture,” she said. She said that the existing coordination between theatres is good and everyone is helping for the upliftment of this area.

Acting and drama are the genres that require constant learning and effort, she said. “Many theatre actors have been established themselves successfully in the film industry and are performing well. Theatre actors need a lot of passion and it takes many years to get recognised as an artiste,” she added. 

Stating that lack of theatre and lack of support from government are the major challenges of the drama sector, she said that even the academy has not enough budget to help the artistes. 

The Academy has a total of seven departments--music department, drama department, dance department, folk music department, classical and traditional music department and the stage department. She informed that she has a plan to establish an academy in every district and archive the disappearing culture and artistes from every corner of the country. 

However, due to the practice of allocating budget in a four- installments, we are forced to wait a year to complete a plan, she said.  

Last year, over Rs.  50 million budget was allocated to the academy but that was not enough budget to accomplish the plan as they needed about Rs. 200 million, she said.  She also urged all the people who are associated with the art and music sectors to walk united  for the development of the drama and music sectors.