The past weeks have brought to light valiant efforts to counter the pandemic with the use of melody and help villagers cope with the lockdown with aid and empathy. I was fortunate to hear Meghalaya’s ‘Da Minot’ in an excellent live rendition at a virtual World Music Day programme in Calcutta on June 21. Coordinating this was a young Khasi musician, Hammarsing Kharhmar, who said: “This project is based on the traditional folk music of the Khasis and the spirituality and philosophy of the indigenous faith, Niam Khasi. I weave my guitar in between the local instruments, following their rhythms and tones.”
Hammarsing learnt to play the guitar at a very young age. “My father was my main inspiration but a video of Woodstock 69 that my mother gave me left a very big impact. By the time I got to St Stephen’s College in Delhi, I was more and more drawn towards it but it was still more of an escape, a way to just enjoy myself and pretend I wasn’t actually enrolled to study economics,” he admitted. “Eventually I ended up in Berklee College of Music, Boston, and moved to New York immediately after graduating. My 10 years in New York taught me so much more than in the corridors of music school. It made me appreciate the beauty and preciousness of what exists back home. I was fortunate to tour with some big names around the world but playing in small empty clubs to a few friends often left the best memories.”
Returning to Meghalaya in 2018, Hammarsing spent the last two years “fully immersing myself in the music and culture of the Khasis. The musicians I work with are absolute gems. Through them I can see that music is a very spiritual art form. I’ve never felt more inspired. The youth are the future and we have to help them love and understand what is theirs. To create from within. To let the soul be free,” he added.
Be the change
Interactions on the northeastern states continued in a dialogue with Jani Viswanath, whose organization, Healing Lives, is well known in Assam. “My first connect with Assam and the Northeast was in 2017 when I stepped in as the executive producer for the Assamese film, Xhoixobote Dhemalite (Rainbow Fields), by Bidyut Kotoky,” she explained. “I met Victor Banerjee, a star in the film, and in the course of my conversation realized that he had a residential blind school in Moran, Dibrugarh. On visiting the school and noticing the wonderful work, I decided to support it. Following my association with the blind school, the Indian Blind Football Federation contacted me to sponsor the Northeast Blind Football Championships in Shillong in 2018. One of the closest things to my heart is the Indian blind football team. The willpower, grit and determination of these boys and girls are truly exemplary.”
Once Covid-19 struck, Jani was in touch with some members of her team from Assam. They were a part of her second Assamese film, Jwlwi, the Seed, an award-winning Bodo film directed by Rajni Basumatary. “I asked Jeffrey, a team member whose family is from Badagaon, Udalguri, to shoot a short video of the village during lockdown as we wanted to cover the plight of villagers/farmers across India. On watching it, we decided to supply food rations to 160 families there.”
Healing Lives works in India, Kenya and Bangladesh. “In India, we will continue to provide food relief to the needy as many have lost jobs and income. This pandemic and the resulting economic turmoil will test our willpower. But we have to prevail,” Jani stressed.
This is our hope and prayer: May all those grappling with the pandemic, and yet healing lives, prevail.