A Buddhist nun in Nepal, Ani Choying Drolma is knows by name in the country not because she’s a religious icon and a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, nor for her work running a girl’s school and a hospital for kidney patients, while she is famous as one of the country’s biggest pop stars.
The 45-year-old nun said that, “I am totally against the conservative, conventional idea of a Buddhist nun.” Some people “think a Buddhist nun should be someone who does not come out in the media so much, who is isolated always in a monastery, always shy. But I don’t believe in that.”
“Every time I get frustrated with life or get angry, I just listen to Ani’s music and I calm down,” said one fan, Sunil Tuladhar. “She is my music goddess.”
One Buddhist monk at the famed Swayambhu Shrine questioned how she can reconcile the simple life of a religious ascetic with the fame and wealth she’s amassed over her two-decade musical career.
“How can a nun be making money by selling her voice, living a luxurious life and yet claim she is a nun?” Surya Shakya asked.
Despite her fame, Drolma looks every bit the typical Nepalese Buddhist nun, with her hair shaved short and an ever-present smile. She travels the world giving concerts in countries including the United States, China, Brazil and India.
Popular composer Nhyoo Bajracharya, who has worked with Drolma, describes her music as a fusion of traditional Tibetan and Nepali styles. “They are religious songs, slow rock with flavors of blues and jazz combined,” he said.
“It is a very conservative point of view thinking that a nun should be poor and wearing rags. That’s a wrong attitude,” Drolma said. “My concerts make very good money, my CD sales make very good money, and I think that helps me to afford such a comfortable life.”
“I had the impression that getting married was the worst thing to do in life,” she said.
“The question was, what do I do with the money?” she said. “I realized that this money can help me fulfill my dream, so that is how I started the school.”
A 17-year-old Dolma Lhamu, who is now enrolled in college, said that,“Ani is more than my mother. My mother gave me birth, but Ani raised me, gave me education, took care of me and is the only reason that I have reached this far.”
“People in society will have different opinions,” she said. “I try my best to see how I can improve my attitude toward life, toward people and toward the world, and to find ways to make the best use of my life.”
“I am famous today, but tomorrow people will not know me. It fades away. That is the reality,” Drolma said.
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Nandini
