SHILLONG: The Shillong Chamber Choir has just returned from the musical odyssey in Russia where they performed in three cities, Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekatarinburg.
When the elite Russian audience, used to high octave classical songs, heard that an Indian musical group was playing to commemorate the Namaste Russia Festival of Indian Culture in Moscow, they hardly imagined that the group would look anything like the Shillong Chamber Choir.
And when Ibarisha Lyngdoh, the choir’s soloist, sang the Russian classical O mio babbino caro by G Schicchi and Puccini, the audience were stunned. But that has been the trade mark of the Choir — to leave the audience wanting for more! And to leave them guessing about which part of India they come from!
No sooner had the Choir returned from their musical sojourn when they played host to the Nagaraj family from Bangkok — their devout fan of many years and like many other fans they only heard them over YouTube. RN Nagaraj Prasadh, his 89-year-old mother, his wife and six-year-old daughter, Nileema arrived in Shillong on Friday last.
Nagaraj an Indian businessman running a firm called Intellect Design Arena — a Polaris Group Company, shared his amazing story of the spiritual connect he has with the Choir only by listening to their songs and having never met them. Last year he got in touch with them and travelled alone to Shillong in the month of June. His friends asked him why this obscure place instead of some exotic beaches. He told them they would never understand.
“This year when I decided to bring my family here, my friends thought I’d gone crazy. But I can tell you that I have spent the most precious and the best 48 hours of my life with the Choir and with Neil Nongkynrih and his family at Whispering Pines,” Nagaraj says with an overpoweringly emotional touch. His 89 year old mother meanwhile animatedly chats with the Choir members.
Nagaraj’s daughter Neelima is extremely fond of the song Manwa Lage sung by Ibarisha for the music launch of Shah Rukh Khan’s film Happy New Year in 2014. Nagaraj says he has to keep playing the song for her on the Ipad for the nth time. “She just loves Manwa Lage and Yeh Dosti and although she doesn’t speak Hindi, she sings these two songs. We had to make this journey for her,” Nagraj confided.
To the Choir Nagraj said, “ You touch lives of people in faraway land without realizing the impact you have on people. You have motivated me and indeed the greatest journey is achieved by motivation.”
The Shillong Chamber Choir put up a one hour performance for the Nagraj family and for another surprise visitor, Col DPK Pillay, who was in Shillong for a security conference.
Pillay known as the hero of Manipur for saving the lives of two young children in 1994, who along with him got caught in the crossfire during an encounter with NSCN militants. Although Pillay himself received severe gun wounds he made sure that the two kids were evacuated first and taken to a hospital on a helicopter much to the chagrin of the pilot.
Only when the two children had reached a hospital did the chopper return to pick up Pillay. “I was gasping for life and didn’t think I would live but here I am.
Speaking to the Choir members and to the little students of Shillong Chamber School, Pillay said, “A soldier’s duty is to save lives, not to kill. A soldier stands to protect the weak and defend those who cannot defend themselves. The way to destroy your enemies is to make them your friends. The villagers of Longdi Bapram in remote Tangmelong prayed for me so I survived,” Pillay said, narrating his fascinating story to an audience that listened with rapt attention.
Today Pillay is a hero for the villagers for whom he has got the Prime Minister’s sanction to construct a 100 km road to link them to the district headquarter. Recently he visited the village to a hero’s welcome.
That people with such inspiring stories regularly find their way to Whispering Pines (the Choir’s residence at Pohkseh) is nothing short of a miracle.
The Choir’s journey itself, since they won India’s Got Talent in 2010, is nothing short of miraculous. Tthey have travelled a long way performing at some of the most happening occasions in the country and abroad.
Yet they live simple lives and bless people with their songs. Two months ago John Felix who walks on crutches after being struck by polio and another ardent fan of the Choir from Nagpur, visited Shillong with his family of six to pay his tribute.
For the Shillong Chamber Choir the journey is an amazing one.
