Nestled between Tibet and India, Bhutan is a small, landlocked nation known for prioritizing happiness over GDP. While its unique philosophy is widely recognized, Bhutan’s musical heritage tells a similarly compelling story of cultural preservation. This legacy, carried forward through traditional instruments, now finds new life thanks to groundbreaking documentation efforts in India.
For the first time, Bhutan’s traditional instruments, like the changtro and dratong—similar to India’s iktara and sitar—have been systematically studied and documented. This milestone was achieved in Vadodara, Gujarat, by Kheng Sonam Dorji, a master musician renowned for playing the drangyen, a traditional Bhutanese string instrument. Dorji, a Ph.D. scholar at Maharaja Sayajirao University’s Faculty of Performing Arts, has classified Bhutanese musical instruments while preserving their cultural significance.
Dorji’s work, supervised by Rahul Barodia, assistant professor in the Department of Instrumental Music, represents the first-ever Ph.D. research on Bhutanese music. Barodia praised the study as a treasure for future generations, featuring illustrations of 60 traditional instruments, genre classifications, and a newly developed notation system for learning Bhutanese music.
Dorji documented Bhutanese music’s fundamental notes—om, ma, ni, pa—analogous to India’s sa, re, ga, ma. He also created new terms, such as leu for rhythm (taal), chatsam for rhythm compartments, and thritsam for beats. His classification identifies five major genres: spiritual music, dangrem (open songs without rhythm), gorgom (short rhythmic phrases), lozey or dratum (ornamented speech with rhythm), and tsangmo (similar to jugalbandi in Indian music). These genres are further divided into subcategories like zhungdra, boedra, drukdra, and yurldra.
Having learned the drangyen from Bhutanese elders, Dorji began composing songs at age 15 and gained national recognition. In 1996, inspired by the Indian ambassador to Bhutan, he came to India to study music, witnessing legends like Bhimsen Joshi and Ravi Shankar perform at Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. After a four-year stint, Dorji returned to Bhutan, continuing his musical journey.
In 2006, Dorji pursued a master’s degree in sitar at MSU and later co-founded the Music of Bhutan Research Centre, traveling across Bhutan to document its musical heritage. His efforts included recording practitioners and preserving ancient instruments, such as the country’s oldest dulcimer. In 2021, Dorji received the Best Alumni Award from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the same year he began his Ph.D. at MSU.
Dorji highlighted the fragile state of Bhutanese music and emphasized the importance of his research in preserving it. “Bhutanese music has strong links to Indian traditions, including the Natya Shastra. Raga Bhupali, one of the oldest known melodies, originated in Bhutan,” he said.
Dorji has gained international recognition for his contributions to Bhutanese music. Notable works include his soundtrack for the acclaimed film Travellers and Magicians (2004), the album Music from the Mountains of Bhutan (2014), and performances at global events like the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the London BT River of Music Festival for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
In Bhutan, Dorji directs the Hidden Kingdom World Music Festival, celebrating the royal wedding anniversary. This festival brings together over 250 artists from 37 countries, merging Bhutan’s ancient melodies with global music traditions, from classical to pop. Dressed in his traditional gho, Dorji continues to bridge worlds, ensuring Bhutan’s musical soul resonates far beyond its borders.
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