Kathmandu: When the coronavirus pandemic was at its early stage last year, singer Deepak Bajracharya was down under, as part of his world tour. When the virus began to travel far and wide, Bajracharya and his band, The Rhythm, were compelled to cut their tour short and return back home. Quarantine facilities were yet to be set up in Nepal then. The band realized the possibility that they might have caught the virus and sequestered themselves at a homestay in the outskirts of the Valley. A week later, Nepal went into a lockdown.
The band was aware of the frustration of being in quarantine, and wanted to do their part in letting people know that they were not alone. The band started to perform live music shows online, billed as ‘Musical Medicine’ from their quarantine. The shows drew wide viewership, following, and encouraging comments.
After 14 days of quarantine, the band went home. Bajracharya continued the live show from his home. His daughter, Cherisa, joined him. The show was titled ‘Musical Medicine Show’, guided by the duo’s belief in music as a medicine that can relieve stress and soothe the soul.
As they continued, they received “unexpected numbers” of healthy feedback.
“People began to take a liking to our performance, especially Cherisa’s vocals,” Bajracharya said. “I was surprised to see Cherisa singing so well. I didn’t know she could perform with such perfection.”
#TMMS, as the show was later titled after it migrated to AP1 Television, has a unique and pioneering quality to it. It starts with live music; sometimes, the duo perform together, other times, only one of them does. Bajrcharya’s band The Rhythm plays along, besides other instrumentalists.
The show has three different segments. In ‘Generation Next’, the father-daughter duo discuss, as the title suggests, issues pertaining to two generations—parenting, family dynamics, and bonding—with two people representing two generations of the same family. ‘Abhav ko Prabhav’ features aspiring singers and those who are unable to pursue music due to their professional life. The hosts end the show by their performance under the rubric ‘Musical Medicine Doze’.
Initially, they thought of doing it just for a week but the response from the audience motivated them to continue. For around two months, they continuously did the show through their Facebook account.
The show was titled ‘Musical Medicine Show’, guided by the duo’s belief in music as a medicine that can relieve stress and soothe the soul.
At the same time, they released The Corona Song—sung both in English and Nepali—with support from UNICEF.
The song aims to educate the people about the coronavirus and how to fight against the pandemic. A snippet of the lyrics goes: “Suna na/ tadha baserai, saath dinu baru/ saath dinu haat, namilaedenu/ yo chhyanma/ jo sukai lai huna sakney rog yo/ garib dhani ra dharma herera lagdaina yo [Please listen/ let us stay apart and help each other/ lend your hands but don’t shake them/ at this moment/ this disease can infect anyone/ it doesn’t spare rich or poor, faithful or faithless].
Until this, the show was aired via Facebook but soon, the AP1 television channel approached them with a proposal to continue it from the TV studio. The duo got to work on formulating new concepts. As it was supposed to be hosted by representatives of two different generations, the father and daughter decided to explore more about the generation issue by inviting celebrity guests of two generations from the same family.
The first revamped episode of The Musical Medicine Show (#TMMS) was dropped on TV screens and on YouTube on January 23, 2021. The first edition focussed on introduction and a teaser on what the show would entail. From the second episode, they started featuring the guests. The first guests for the show were actor Dhiran Shakya and his daughter Jasmine. They talked about maintaining the bond between parents and children, understanding each other and pursuing a career in a sector of one’s interest.
For Bajracharya, who has been in the music industry for more than two decades, and his daughter, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, hosting a show was not an easy task. They had to remember scripts, and present themselves formally with guests, especially with those who have been Bajracharya’s friends for long. Facing the camera, selecting guests for the shows, and many other TV protocols were challenges too. But now, with the show having crossed 20 episodes, they have become seasoned TV hosts.
Both the father and daughter are happy becoming program presenters.
“The program has been very productive to me personally,” said Cherisa. “It has given me lessons about different aspects of the generation, lessons that have even made a positive change in my family.” And so it is for Bajracharya as well. “The show has also provided me an opportunity to understand the perceptions of the next generation,” he said.
They continue to receive encouraging messages from the viewers. The content of the messages tends to be along the lines of—”the show has made me closer with my family”; “it has sorted out our family issues”; “after watching your show, my parents have started understanding me”. And so on.
These messages assure the duo that the show, which airs every Saturday at 9 pm, is making an impact. “And that it’s important because it concerns the pertinent issue of generation gap and how we tackle it,” Cherisa said.
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