SHILLONG: Come rain or shine, Shillong and its music are once again hand and glove; the June 21 event, ‘Music by the Lake’ series was an opportunity for art lovers to romance with the summer rain. This lake performance was put together by the fine arts students of Martin Luther Christian University supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
What a better day to musically challenge the weather if not on a World Music Day and while the rain gods tried to dampen the spirit, for the performers in Ward’s Lake there’s no turning back from taking the small stage and entertain.
The small crowd was then suddenly awestruck by the unusual sounds of the Sarod melting perfectly with the tabla as Tarun Kalita and Ronojit Kar put the show on hold with such style and humility. Among the other known faces are Shillong’s very own Rana Kharkongngor and flautist Benedict Hynniewta who, as usual, did a wonderful job.
ICCR Shillong – Regional Officer, Munish Singh said, “The music planning for this occasion was done keeping in mind that it falls well with the lake ambience. You have musicians in other parts of the world who perform only by the lake side – this might well be the influence coming from there”.
Of the students who created effortless wonders on stage is Ebenezer Sumer, the musician who enthralled the lake side audience with his rendition of ‘How great thou art’ and many more hymnal melodies.
The weather was comparatively cold, but that did not stop the audience from clicking photos to share it online then and there with friends. The sound system was soothing with Shillong’s household name Bari Khonglah engineering the audio elements, “Good music is what I expect from students because they are trained professionals, and i should be honest, some of the student talents today was very good”, he said.
As people were strolling by the lakeside and some of them peddling the boats, pleasing to the ears is the music in the form of soul, classical guitaring, rap and indigenous music of the hills. The indigenous elements plugged into the music had added value to the whole rendition.