February 6: Bhutan had a rich oral tradition. Thanks to modernisation and the advent of TV, that tradition is now all but gone. Another tradition, the Lozey or the ballad, is on the verge of disappearing.

Lozey thrived in Sha, Wang, and Paro. Here it was composed and sung by illiterate but sharp witted, glib tongued farmers. It is a display of wit and wisdom. Most often than not, it is composed and sung impromptu while working on the farm or constructing a house.

The subjects vary but usually it is employed to tease and tempt or play ribald jokes with opponents which may include innocent passersby. It is all right for as long as you respect the cadence, the rhythm or the meter. Not so long ago, it was a popular form of entertainment. Now, it is all but dead.

Ap Rimpa knows some of the lozeys by heart. He does not practice it anymore and he can’t pass it onto his children. Most of the children even in rural areas are in school.

"We cannot ask our kids to take interest in the dying art because everyone is busy. Kids have to work for their career and we have to prepare for our next world," said Ap Jaga, a resident of Nisho Geog.

Most of the youth today do not know anything about Lozey. Many have however heard about it.

“I know nothing about Lozey. Elders say it used to be a popular form of entertainment in the villages,” said Namgay also a resident of Nisho Geog.

The way things are going now, it won’t be long before Lozey disappears into the dustbins of history.