The Northeast is mostly known to the rest of India for its violence, insurgency - or freedom movements as some call them – and regular cries of neglect and marginalisation. However, the lens through which the region and its people are being viewed seems to be changing. An aspect of the Northeast, that in its distinctive way embodies the intrinsic talent and spirit of the people in these secluded hills, is its music, which is now slowly emerging on the national stage.
This should come as no surprise, really, because the region has always been a hub for music, especially music influenced by the West. Musical talent proliferates here and even a small get-together of friends is usually embellished by late night music jamming sessions. The range of the repertoire is vast, and essentially depends on the musical inclinations of the individual singer or musician. Everyone has his or her own chosen brand of music - "Hey this is the music we grew up listening to" is a common expression one hears at musical soirees. It’s as if each person imagines himself or herself as a sort of time capsule that captures the flavour and culture of their particular era.
Says Darjeeling-based Roshan Rai, an avid music lover and the local contact person for the Trinity London music examinations, “The Northeast is vibrant with talent for music, especially western music. Almost any one can play the guitar and hold a tune and I think outsiders are very impressed when they see that. This year 600 students sat for the London Trinity music examinations in Darjeeling. A Loreto nun once confided in me that it’s really difficult to organise musicals in Loreto’s sister institutions in other parts of India because of the lack of talent. In Darjeeling, the school has to conduct several auditions because there are so many talented students eager to participate in the musicals.”
Television talent hunt shows have also done their bit by providing national platforms to upcoming artistes – a trend that has really caught the imagination of the local people. To some extent, this phenomenon has actually helped bridge the gap between mainstream India and the Northeast. It was in 2007 when, for the first time, two artistes from the Northeast – Amit Paul from Shillong and Prashant Tamang from Darjeeling – took centre stage in a mainstream Indian show, ‘Indian Idol’ Season 3. Tamang went on to win the title, which created a huge sensation in Darjeeling and among Nepali speakers worldwide. Voting through SMS was the key to Tamang’s success, with people both from within and outside Darjeeling rooting for their local artiste.
Darjeeling resident and an ardent Tamang fan, Binita Rai recalls that moment, “All of us were very happy when one of us – Tamang – received national recognition. We voted because it wasn’t just a question of winning, it was about our identity and making it known to the rest of India. He represented us!"
Was it mere co-incidence that the mass public movement during Tamang's ‘Indian Idol’ campaign led to a major political change in Darjeeling? Subhash Ghisingh, who had led the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council for almost two decades, was overthrown and a new party that placed the demand for Gorkhaland at the centre of their political agenda came to power. Bimal Gurung, an erstwhile councillor who had supported Tamang, emerged as the new leader to lead the Gorkhaland movement in the Darjeeling hills.
When it comes to rock music, Shillong is the capital – and not just of the Northeast, but of the entire country. The role played by the Shillong Chamber Choir in achieving this cannot be underestimated. Although the group came to the international limelight after bagging three gold medals at the World Choir Games 2010 in China, it had caught national attention after winning ‘India's Got Talent Khoj 2’ that same year.
Says William R. Basaiawmoit, a member of the choir, “I think our music has been able to bridge the gap between the Northeast and rest of India, especially when we sang renditions of Bollywood songs for ‘India's Got Talent’. Initially, we were uncomfortable singing Bollywood songs but we made those songs our own and connected with the masses. Now Bollywood songs are also catching up in the Northeast. The most important thing is to stay true to one's identity.” It was a mark of the national adulation that came its way that the Shillong Chamber Choir was asked to perform for US President Barack Obama when he visited India in 2010. Now, the choir is a part of major film, television and theatre productions and performances with prominent artistes-cum-composers like Shankar Mahadevan, Eshaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa.
Of course, not everything about the music scene is rosy. There are also struggles and busted dreams, of disappointments and despair. Many of the musicians never make it beyond singing cover songs or playing at local pubs. ‘Darjeeling Dreams’, one of the documentary films showcased at Montage 2011 by students of St. Jospehs College, captures stories of such artistes who have forsaken their dreams and taken a different path.
Says Dipang Lama, a song writer, who runs a creativity centre ‘Petrichor’ in Darjeeling, “Everybody is tapping into their inner souls and expressing themselves. In other societies music and arts have flourished during times of crisis, but in Darjeeling we seem to flourish in peace and prosperity. After the Gorkhaland agitation, arts and culture have taken a nosedive. However, the online revolution is happening; YouTube and MySpace are providing platforms for artistes to still express themselves and showcase their musical talent."
Adds Rai, "In this region music needs to evolve to bring out the intensity – or even the musicality itself - to the next level. After all, natural talent can only get you to a certain stage; you need hard work after that. I believe this is the case elsewhere in India where people really take music as a career and steer it to greater heights. It’s mostly poor technology, equipment, recording studios and access to trainings and performances that are becoming a deterrent for our aspiring artists.”
Shillong Chamber Choir’s Basaiawmoit echoes the same thoughts, “It’s definitely true that people in the Northeast are at a disadvantage. We don’t have a school with trained faculty that can measure up to international standards of music. One of our plans for the future is to start a music academy with support from the government and help aspiring students set higher standards than the present ones. We teach music, but right now, because of our performance schedule, we do not get enough time. We should definitely do it full time at some point.”
But many are just thankful that they can enjoy the “gift of music”. Remarks Gopal Mothey, member of the band, ‘Laid Back’ – which has just recorded an original album, “One thing is for certain and that is we got together to do music, keeping it to its simplest form. Our tunes are inspired from feelings that pass through us like a breeze. We thank God for the gift of music in our lives.”
This should come as no surprise, really, because the region has always been a hub for music, especially music influenced by the West. Musical talent proliferates here and even a small get-together of friends is usually embellished by late night music jamming sessions. The range of the repertoire is vast, and essentially depends on the musical inclinations of the individual singer or musician. Everyone has his or her own chosen brand of music - "Hey this is the music we grew up listening to" is a common expression one hears at musical soirees. It’s as if each person imagines himself or herself as a sort of time capsule that captures the flavour and culture of their particular era.
Says Darjeeling-based Roshan Rai, an avid music lover and the local contact person for the Trinity London music examinations, “The Northeast is vibrant with talent for music, especially western music. Almost any one can play the guitar and hold a tune and I think outsiders are very impressed when they see that. This year 600 students sat for the London Trinity music examinations in Darjeeling. A Loreto nun once confided in me that it’s really difficult to organise musicals in Loreto’s sister institutions in other parts of India because of the lack of talent. In Darjeeling, the school has to conduct several auditions because there are so many talented students eager to participate in the musicals.”
Television talent hunt shows have also done their bit by providing national platforms to upcoming artistes – a trend that has really caught the imagination of the local people. To some extent, this phenomenon has actually helped bridge the gap between mainstream India and the Northeast. It was in 2007 when, for the first time, two artistes from the Northeast – Amit Paul from Shillong and Prashant Tamang from Darjeeling – took centre stage in a mainstream Indian show, ‘Indian Idol’ Season 3. Tamang went on to win the title, which created a huge sensation in Darjeeling and among Nepali speakers worldwide. Voting through SMS was the key to Tamang’s success, with people both from within and outside Darjeeling rooting for their local artiste.
Darjeeling resident and an ardent Tamang fan, Binita Rai recalls that moment, “All of us were very happy when one of us – Tamang – received national recognition. We voted because it wasn’t just a question of winning, it was about our identity and making it known to the rest of India. He represented us!"
Was it mere co-incidence that the mass public movement during Tamang's ‘Indian Idol’ campaign led to a major political change in Darjeeling? Subhash Ghisingh, who had led the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council for almost two decades, was overthrown and a new party that placed the demand for Gorkhaland at the centre of their political agenda came to power. Bimal Gurung, an erstwhile councillor who had supported Tamang, emerged as the new leader to lead the Gorkhaland movement in the Darjeeling hills.
When it comes to rock music, Shillong is the capital – and not just of the Northeast, but of the entire country. The role played by the Shillong Chamber Choir in achieving this cannot be underestimated. Although the group came to the international limelight after bagging three gold medals at the World Choir Games 2010 in China, it had caught national attention after winning ‘India's Got Talent Khoj 2’ that same year.
Says William R. Basaiawmoit, a member of the choir, “I think our music has been able to bridge the gap between the Northeast and rest of India, especially when we sang renditions of Bollywood songs for ‘India's Got Talent’. Initially, we were uncomfortable singing Bollywood songs but we made those songs our own and connected with the masses. Now Bollywood songs are also catching up in the Northeast. The most important thing is to stay true to one's identity.” It was a mark of the national adulation that came its way that the Shillong Chamber Choir was asked to perform for US President Barack Obama when he visited India in 2010. Now, the choir is a part of major film, television and theatre productions and performances with prominent artistes-cum-composers like Shankar Mahadevan, Eshaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa.
Of course, not everything about the music scene is rosy. There are also struggles and busted dreams, of disappointments and despair. Many of the musicians never make it beyond singing cover songs or playing at local pubs. ‘Darjeeling Dreams’, one of the documentary films showcased at Montage 2011 by students of St. Jospehs College, captures stories of such artistes who have forsaken their dreams and taken a different path.
Says Dipang Lama, a song writer, who runs a creativity centre ‘Petrichor’ in Darjeeling, “Everybody is tapping into their inner souls and expressing themselves. In other societies music and arts have flourished during times of crisis, but in Darjeeling we seem to flourish in peace and prosperity. After the Gorkhaland agitation, arts and culture have taken a nosedive. However, the online revolution is happening; YouTube and MySpace are providing platforms for artistes to still express themselves and showcase their musical talent."
Adds Rai, "In this region music needs to evolve to bring out the intensity – or even the musicality itself - to the next level. After all, natural talent can only get you to a certain stage; you need hard work after that. I believe this is the case elsewhere in India where people really take music as a career and steer it to greater heights. It’s mostly poor technology, equipment, recording studios and access to trainings and performances that are becoming a deterrent for our aspiring artists.”
Shillong Chamber Choir’s Basaiawmoit echoes the same thoughts, “It’s definitely true that people in the Northeast are at a disadvantage. We don’t have a school with trained faculty that can measure up to international standards of music. One of our plans for the future is to start a music academy with support from the government and help aspiring students set higher standards than the present ones. We teach music, but right now, because of our performance schedule, we do not get enough time. We should definitely do it full time at some point.”
But many are just thankful that they can enjoy the “gift of music”. Remarks Gopal Mothey, member of the band, ‘Laid Back’ – which has just recorded an original album, “One thing is for certain and that is we got together to do music, keeping it to its simplest form. Our tunes are inspired from feelings that pass through us like a breeze. We thank God for the gift of music in our lives.”
Courtesy: Women’s Feature Service
