By Our Special Correspondent
Umiam: On Saturday and Sunday, the Orchid Lake Resort at Umiam was choc-a-bloc with young autumn revellers. Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum (MTDF) have left no stone unturned to provide the people of Meghalaya, nay, of the North East and indeed several visitors from across the seas with pure entertainment.
On Saturday, ‘Na La Rympei’ a Khasi rock group with a repertoire of Khasi traditional musical instruments finely blending in with Benedict Hynniewta’s exquisite flute sounds gave the audience a taste of modern Khasi folk music.
Snap Paka a group excelling in Khasi phawar (chants) were at their best with subtle satire and the traditional “Hoi-Kiw as a suffix to each phawar. Equally delightful was the famed Manipuri Tangtha and Pong Chalam where drummers not only danced but also threw themselves in the air in a perfectly calibrated move. That a person can play a rhythm and jump in the air doing a full circle is a measure of his acrobatic genius as well.
But the main podium was not the only entertainment arena. There were more stages for artistes wanting to showcase their singing talents. And some of them are worth listening to as they could turn out to be the geniuses that Meghalaya is looking for.
In terms of food and snacks the venue provided an eclectic range of food from Mizo, to Naga and a plethora of stalls selling Khasi delicacies and other stalls selling snacks as well
The surprise package this time was a grand fusion of North East’s best – the Shillong Chamber Choir, Fourth Element a musical group led by Ribor MB and the Mizo Chiraw performed not to the expected Mizo percussions but to William Richmond’s
Full throated “We Will, We Will Rock You” and then to a more vigorous step in tume with “Rock and Roll Music.” This item had the crowd wowing for more.
That the young and nimble Mizo women dancers could keep pace with the quick rhythm in a non-stop performance that involved jumping from one bamboo grid to the next without getting their feet locked by the bamboos that tap-tapped to a fixed note, is also a display of rare genius in footwork. And best of all is that the girls performed this dance without looking stressed but with smiles lighting up their faces. This was the show-stopper of the evening completely in sync with the ambiance by the lake.
Shillong Chamber Choir started with some solemn Khasi songs by the boys. Then the stage lighted up as the girls dressed in their stylish best held the audience spellbound with Abba hits – “Fernando,” and Dancing Queen and quickly switching over to Boney M’s, ‘By the Rivers of Babylon and Rasputin finally concluding with Bollywood greats … Ajeeb dastan hai yeh and Yeh Dosti. The range of SCC’s music cache is phenomenal. They can do Khasi, Western, Hindi with equal ease and that’s their forte.
The finale of Autumn Fest was truly representative of the current juncture at which the seven sisters stand.
Although all food stalls, seating areas and arenas for staging acts were made of earthen and rustic materials such as clay, bamboos and straw, the offerings at the section near the entrance both in terms food and culture had a western concept. Food was dished out by Café Shillong, Bombay Bites and some other eateries and the arena in which the programmes were staged in this section was named, Gen-X Stage. The lineup included bands playing music, playback singing and magic shows.
In contrast, the main area, close to the shoreline, offered the traditional perspectives of the tribes from stalls offering delicacies of the different north eastern tribes to a variety of performances such as the Tibetan Snow Lion, Khasi Shad Thma, Kshatriya dance of the Assames, Raas Leela of Manipur and more. And in the midst of all this the main area also had asides such as rock climbing, sliding and an art gallery displaying a collection of photographs and paintings.
For the audience it was ‘paisa wasool’ as the price for the entry passes was worth every penny.
Gratified at the crowd response, MTDF Chairman, RG Lyngdoh said, “We are a great team and this is teamwork at its best. Each one is putting in his/her best foot forward. Way to go… MTDF