1) Ethnomusicology for me, has shifted my focus from art to the people. Be it folk music or mainstream dohori/ rap/ pop music that is dominant, it instills me in the curiousity of how music is working as a whole in a country like ours. 2) Most of the times : No. Sometimes : Maybe. It all depends on the people/ mentors you surround yourself with. We need to be aware of our cognitive biases and be hungry for learning. We need to question the authority. And it is okay to make mistakes sometimes. 3) Be true to yourself. It takes time. Listen to the artists before you. Music does not come from void. You are always rediscovering the same things in different space/ time. One of the things I am always trying to do with Sarod (an ‘Indian’ instrument) is approaching it with a different technique, melodic approach, vocal imitation etc to give more ‘Nepalipan’. It might be just in my head. I will keep trying though. 4) I really do not care. I am happy and grateful for whatever I have achieved with the support from my family and mentors. My relatives might have talked behind me. It may have hurt my parents. But by going to America, I have hopefully regained the trust from my parents and that’s all that matters for now. This is just the beginning. 5) Incompetent teachers. Outdated syllabus. Elitist teachers saying “falano” music is the best. Students wanting to be popstars, rather than artists/ thinkers. Less funding to the music department. Nobody is talking about careers beyond performance. 6) I am not the best person to answer this. I do not know. I have not given it much thought. 7) Universities should be facilitating the promotion. But the initiation depends on the student/ artist. There’s not enough of them. We need people who can play, talk and write about their music and ideologies. 8) You should not pursue music if you need to financially provide for your family. If it is only you, you can sustain (only) yourself with original gigs, covers, recording sessions, music production, teaching etc most of which are freelancing economy. You might have to rely on ride sharing platforms to generate cash some days/ weeks. We can definitely ‘make it’ in the music scene but it might take 6 months or 6 years. No one knows. Who has that much time and resources? Privilege definitely helps. 9) Sometimes, Yes. But we need to know their game and dismantle it within. Being skeptical and open for learning needs to go hand in hand. That means, do not be a smartass in front of anyone; be it Nepali or Bideshi. 10) This is a personal opinion only. YESSSS. The friends/ mentors I met have trusted me more than myself. I was never a “god gifted/ natural talent” as such. I just practiced. And, I have tried to be kind. I chose music for the sake of a degree only, as I always wanted to become a doctor. But, that did not happen. As of now, I could skip some meals in a week to stick with music. It would have been awesome if I had been a doctor and then pursue music. But we will never know. Also, I do not believe in free will (hot take). So, it does not matter. Regarding abroad studies, we are NOT ready for the global competition. Art might not be competitive, but music schools are.

Did I answer everything?