SHILLONG: They can light up the dark with their music though they continue to live in the dark.
Hilter Khongphai (drummer), Rimiki Pajuh (guitarist), Dilbert Lyngdoh (basist) and Wanlamphrang Nongkhlaw (vocalist) are members of the all-blind band called Light After Dark that performed on Saturday for a fund-raising dinner organised by Trio, an event management group, at Hotel M Crown, Marba Hub, Police Bazar.
Not many in Shillong know about Light After Dark but those who have checked the internet say they might be the only all-blind band in the world. If so this group has a future.
The band members on Saturday thanked their music teacher mentor, Zoma Sailo, for the platform they got.
All the members studied at Bethany Society where Sailo also teaches music. Now on their own as an independent band, the members want to make it on their own like every other rock band. However, they have limitations. A band requires a repertoire of musical instruments which they don’t yet have.
Recently, the band was invited by Colours Television for an audition for a reality show in Guwahati but lack of resources prevented them from travelling down and staying there for a couple of days until the audition was over. They lost a great opportunity to showcase their talent.
And talent they have in plenty.
Just watching them pluck at the guitar strings and the drummer perform with such gusto was a pleasure for the audience.
Trio, the three-member organisation comprising Mary Hangsing Khongmen, Kim Hangsing and Patricia Nongtraw, have taken up the task of creating awareness about Light After Dark because of their own commitment to music and nurturing musical talents in Meghalaya.
They don’t want people with talent, especially a band like Light After Dark, to feel unsung and unheard.
On Saturday evening, Trio presented the band with a drum set and a Stranger base amplifier to enable it to perform better.
Speaking to this correspondent, the members said God has given them special musical talent which they wish to nurture and their idea is to bring peace and harmony through music.
Meanwhile, Sailo is a music teacher with a difference. He wants to provide an opportunity to those who do not have the wherewithal to learn music.
He teaches at the Centre for Excellence at the Soso Tham Cultural Centre and also at Bethany Society, among others.
The soul connection between Sailo and his students is almost spiritual.
“Who says that one can see only with the eyes? If the heart can connect it speaks a better language,” said a member of the band. Sailo just has to play one chord and the band picks it up immediately.
Meghalaya’s hidden talent only needs to be discovered, said a member of the audience, adding that the youth here need mentoring to come out of their own and lauded Sailo for doing what he does with young people.
