Music is in the blood of Genevieve Khongjee, says Pooja Bhula
SHE WEARS many hats – teacher, folk art connoisseur, writer… But the Genevieve Khongjee that one is most familiar with is as a versatile singer.
Genevieve, 41, demonstrated her class with her folk songs at Umiam Lake during Autumn Festival. Folk music is her passion, as is preservation and promotion of folk art on which she is coming out with a book.
Genevieve’s father Gloucestor Nongbet, 70, was an Indian Revenue Services officer in the Customs department. Work required him to travel a lot but every time he returned home he brought music with him. “Whenever he came home we would sit together. He would play the duitara (Khasi two-stringed instrument) and I would sing a new song he had written,” Genevieve says.
This tradition continues. Nongbet writes the lyrics in Khasi and composes the music, and Genevieve sings it to the world. “I create melodies to suit her voice,” he says.
Nature and god have always been the subjects of his songs. “If you are near a waterfall or the river hitting boulders, you will be able to hear the music. When I would go on my travels I would be inspired by nature to write a song and by the time I would return home my lyrics and notations would be ready. All I needed was one day,” Nongbet adds.
Nongbet was himself a good singer and won several local competitions in his younger days. He taught Genevieve music through conversation and his own singing. “He was my first teacher. He taught me the meaning behind the folk songs, which ones are for love, which ones for tragedy… When his songs played on All India Radio I would note down the lyrics and try to imitate him,” Genevieve says.
In 1983, 12-year-old Geneveive performed on stage for the first time at State Central Library for a school competition in which she got the third prize. “I remember being so nervous, by the time it got over I had cold sweat. My father wasn’t around that day, but after I gave him the news he rushed home the next day. He was simply overjoyed and took more interest in teaching me.”
That first time opened up the doors for Genevieve, and she left stage fright behind. She participated in school and college competitions and got invitations to sing for several occasions.
After graduating as a student of Bachelor of Arts from St Mary’s College in 1992, she took up teaching but that didn’t deter her from pursuing her passion for music and singing. She was asked to write the anthem for Pliti Syiem School in Laitkor, her first lyrical composition. Between 2000 and 2006 she worked as a Khasi folk song instructor with the State Department of Arts and Culture. But all this wasn’t enough. She went deeper into music with a Post Graduate Diploma in Music from NEHU.
“The course allowed me to explore other forms, classical ragas, tabla and so many things.”
Over time she also realized that folk music is losing its audience as more and more youngsters are inclined towards western music. “There is very little scope for those who want to pursue their career in folk music, the money is very small and there is no gradation on the basis of which people can demand a certain amount. So right after the diploma I started Tinkai Cultural and Welfare organization.”
The main aim of this organization is to promote and preserve the cultural values of people, help kids understand the cultural heritage and to interact with other likeminded institutions. Through this 10-member forum she teaches students folk dance and folk music for free and has been able to take them to different parts of India to perform. She has her eyes on some international events too.
Genevieve is also a State Advisory Member of Indian Folk Arts Federation and recently started Meghalaya Folk Arts Association that aims at aiding folk artists with schemes and other means. It will do a survey of the artists, document the heritage in the form of photographs, videos and other means and also try to give artists exposure at national and international level.
“We don’t even know enough about our own music. We need to do research on our instruments. If you see the drums of other tribes, if they tune it once it’s enough. Ours depends on the weather, when it is very cold the sound is low, when it is sunny the sound is loud.”
Genevieve is also learning classical singing from 63-year-old Mridula Dhar. Her guru says: “I test students for their voice and attitude towards learning before selecting them. Some will just learn a little, go for competitions and leave. Genevieve’s voice is so good and she is so keen to learn. For all students I take only one class a week, but for her I take two. In fact she is free to come whenever she wants because she has to go for shows as well.”
It has been five years of classical singing and one year of tabla learning for Genevieve. She spends four days a week fine tuning her skills in both and also religiously does riyaz twice a day. “I can’t take it if people interrupt me during my riyaz time in the morning and evening. Learning classical music has really helped me a lot, now I feel like how I used to sing earlier was so rough.”
Dhar wants her to go for talim (the next level in classical singing) and is also inspired to learn Khasi folk songs and music after teaching Genevieve. Genevieve has been a playback singer for several Khasi movies and will soon bring out a book on the wonders and legends of Meghalaya. It will talk about rituals, oral traditions and performing arts festivals.