A recent location trip for Nepali radio drama Katha Mitho Sarangiko (Sweet Tales of the Sarangi) reveals the complex ethnic and social makeup of the country, the ingenuity of the production staff and the kindness of its people. Senior producer Fiona Ledger reports on a week in the life of this popular drama.
Part One – Crossing the Koshi
With the launch of a new series of our drama Katha Mitho Sarangiko (Sweet Tales of the Sarangi) just seven weeks away, our thoughts are turning to new locations as well as new storylines. We decide to go east of the Koshi river, to what was once known as the kingdom of Kirat. Our mission is to feel our way round the political and cultural landscape and search out new dramatic talent. In the past we’ve recorded on location in Janakpur – flat, dusty and hot; in Pokhara – alpine fresh, but thick with trekkers; now the highs and lows of the east await.
Commercial prosperity fed in part by the tea gardens of Ilam and the milk production of the surrounding area means the region exports more than it imports. It has a sense of political entitlement, and a sense of separateness from the rest of the country that goes back to the 18th century. But there’s also a growing tension between the leadership of two native ethnic groups: the Rai and the Limbu.
Saturday
Armed with a punishing itinerary of stopovers and meetings, we make good time along the east-west highway, but not good enough. It is after all, only a one-lane road with occasional potholes and colonies of traffic-hardened monkeys. By nightfall we are still in the flatlands of the Tarai (in southern Nepal). (more…)