Kirat Organising Committee, a group of Nepali expatriates, recently organised a programme to mark Ubhauli, a festival of Kirat people in Nepal, at Gulf Horizon Hotel. The committee is a network of three other groups namely, Kirat Yakthum Chumlum (KYC), Kirat Rai Aayokkha (KRA) and Sunuwar Service Society (SSS).
Rajendra Samyamykham, Co-ordinator of the committee, presided over the programme. The prominent guests included Devraj Rai from Federation of Ethnic and Indigenous Nationalities, Ekraj Rai from KRA, and Gori Maya Sunuwar from SSS. The programme was also attended by representatives of many other Nepali community organisations.
The programme started with the national anthem of Nepal. Ekraj Rai delivered the welcome speech and shed light on the importance of the festival. The singers performed a song claiming the Kirats were the first people to inhabit Nepal. The artistes performed different cultural shows.
In the programme, the Kirat artistes performed Sakela dance. The artistes imitated the movements of different birds, animals, objects of nature and the work done by their ancestors. Their performance represented history, culture, civilisation, identity and life philosophy of the Kirat indigenous people. Wearing traditional dresses, a large number of people performed the Sakela dance together with the artistes in a circle.
ENTERTAINED: The audience enjoying the programme.
ENTERTAINED: The audience enjoying the programme.
