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Performative Role of Guthiar in Continuity and Change State of Newar performance culture of Kathmand
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Where is Newar, there is guthi; where is guthi there is jatra, festival and where is jatra, there is bhu, feast. Newars who love clustered and united social life have maintained diversity of cultural performances that vary according to locality, caste and religion.
The Newar word guthi, borrowed from India in the Licchavi times, corresponds to the Sanskrit gosthi, and means “assembly, association” which perform overall tasks in need of local people as bank, theatre, hospital, security, court, parliament, social and cultural organization etc. So “The guthi is a basic integrating factor of Newar society, whose primary function is to enable the individual Newar to fulfill his many socio-religious obligations through group action . . . entails a balance of privilege and responsibility” (Slusser 1998; 12) . The ones who are responsible for running guthi are called guthiar. They, as a matter of rule, used to donate their land to the guthi. Being the prestigious and life worth organization, the guthiars or well-wishers (almost defined by names) “donated lands in the name of a particular temple, to a particular deity, or for the perpetuation of a particular type of worship” (Slusser 219) for the long run purpose of guthi. That’s why, “Although most pervasive among the Newars, the guthi, a common interest group with collective responsibilities and privileges, is another universal feature of the Kathmandu Valley” (Slusser 218).
Every guthiar has right to present his opinion. He bears a dominant role in collaboration with other guthiars in society. For any crisis caused by the breach of social norms and values or the change in daily life style by the impact of modernization, guthi becomes the open floor where according to Turner they debate, present Meta-commentary “an interpretive reenactment of its experience, perform redressive interaction ranging from personal advice and informal mediation or arbitration to formal juridical and legal machinery, and to resolve certain kinds of crisis or legitimate other modes of resolution, to the performance of public ritual and maintains reintegration of the disturbed social group, or of the social recognition and legitimation of irreparable schism between the contesting parties in society” ( 1985; 181-5 ) Thence, a guthiar bears ample roles in running Guthi tradition at Thecho VDC . Such roles and responsibilities are handed on orally across the generation. Guthiar practically learns how to live social life jovially in guthi performances.
New members, guthiars are given jobs under the guidance of senior guthiars. For example a guthiar becomes kancha bhalin before he becomes mu bhalin (head cook). Alike they share performances throughout the life from birth to after death. Lifelong rituals: birth, naming ceremony, janko (rice feeding ceremony), marriage, jyajanko and funeral rites among others . Besides he - as a member of society is connected to different guthis like cult-guthis, linage guthis and many compulsory to optional guthis that demands his active participation in social works like construction and repairment of public shelter, ponds, sanitation and cannel. Most importantly they are responsible for running jatra, yomali punhi jatra . They in Thecho are responsible to performing jatra of Nava Durga, Bal Kumari, Bramhayani and Bhairava and hosting the guests from neighboring villages and friends.
Whatever Newars eat at home, “they eat delicious and grand in guthi” since “it is impossible to avoid feast in each and every religious and cultural task” (Bajracharya 32). During guthi feast, every guthi must have varieties of meat and beans, chhoila, big or small pieces. Chhoila, smoked or barbequed buff, is a unique piece of meat prepared in guthi that denotes the economic status of guthi. In Lalitpur Dupat Si: Guthi (death guthi), guthiars prepare a huge handful piece of chhoila to four hundred forty guthiars which cost one lakh rupees in 2008 bhu (personal interview with Hari)
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Posted By:
Gautam Maharjan
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Date:
25 Sep 2009
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1
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Posted By:
roshan
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Date:
10/15/2009 11:33:34 PM
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NEPAL TIME
SLC Toppers from Thecho
Two Toppers from Private School
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Nishesh Maharjan (89.38%)
Indreni ESS
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Namita Maharjan (84.4%)
St. Paul HSS
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Two Toppers from Government School
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Sharmila Kunwar (74.40%)
Saraswoti HSS
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Anil Maharjan (64.12%)
Saraswoti HSS
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