Encountering a Unique Cultural Performance

 

Encountering a Unique Cultural Performance at Circular Quay in Sydney, Australia

            While moving around Circular Quay in Sydney I came across a person who was blowing a huge wooden trumpet which was resembling with Dungchen a long bronze trumpet are blown by the Ladakhi monks in Leh in Ladakh. As I was once in Ladakh and this type of trumpet I saw over there, which was a unique thing for me as I was gazing that musical instrument with curious eyes.

It is to be noted that Circular Quay is the busiest railway station in Sydney where Opera house and Harbor Bridge is situated. So lot of tourist come over there to see the Opera house, Harbor Bridge and other attractive things.

            So, the person who was blowing that Dungchen also had a hollow rule size wooden plank which he was using as drum stick and hitting the floor with that apparatus and blowing the Dungchen with full throttle to attract the people around. He also smeared his face with white paste and made himself mimic like imposter. Dungchen a horn are used by the Tibetan and Mongolian monks during their festivals in their countries.

            It is a long copper trumpet that is often played in pairs or multiple sounds long deep whirring and like haunting wail; its sound is scary and not like music in ears for general people. Australia is sparsely populated and a rich country where this type of scene is rarely to be seen, so hesitantly I made few frames as some people were also filming his unique blowing instrument as well as his unique behavior of entertaining people.

            As I was sojourning in Australia for a long period and never encountered any such thing so it was a unique experience for me. As the Circular Quay and Opera house area is very crowded with the tourists so lot of eateries, fashion clothing’s, jewelleries and bars are opened there for the entertainment of the people.

            Dungchen instrument are blown by the Tibetan monks during some of their festivals as it is originated from Tibet, which is now the region of China known as Autonomous Region of Tibet. The Dungchen is also found in the bordering areas of India, Nepal and Bhutan where Tibetian Refugees are settled in large scale following Chinese occupation of Tibet since 1959.

            It is the most widely used instrument among the Mongolian, Tibetian, Nepalies and Bhutanese monks during their festivals. I have seen their festival at Hemis Monastry cultural programme long time back in Ladakh where colorful mask dance and blowing of Dengchen instruments by the Buddhists monks at the bank of Indus River made a very colorful atmosphere and fetched tourists from all over the world every year in the month of June the festival is mark the birth of Guru Padmasambhava the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. It features traditional music, dance delicious food and local Brue Chang which they call Ladakh’s beer is served to the guests. 

            So, the person who is displaying and the blowing of the Dungchen like instrument at Circular Quay in Sydney might have derived it from Ladakh’s culture and displaying it there. If you are wonderer then keep these things in your bucket lists and set out for the same. You can get enough accommodation and eateries shops where good delicious food are served with lot of braveries of your taste at the both the places, so go and enjoy folks.

In Picture a person with Dungchen at Circular Quay station in Sydney.

Text and Photos by- Ashok Karan,

Ashokkaran.blogspot.com,

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