Realising Dreams: Story of the Guitar Maker of Markasa

As the saying goes, “Passion is priceless” it cannot be bought nor sold. In a quest to uncover this tenet, Sunday Shillong unravels a story interwoven with zeal, hard work and the grit of a man to climb the mountain of life to take a peak at success.

Bringing to our readers is the story of a man in his mid-30s, hailing from a village of Markasa in Eastern West Khasi Hills, who, despite the lack of training and opportunities, refused to let go of his passion for musical instruments.

His name is Markynsai Diengdoh, a skilled craftsman and luthier.

From doing less sought after jobs such as cleaning toilets, Diengdoh rose to become a well-appreciated guitar maker across Markasa and beyond.

The driving force: his spirit, determination and immense love for musical instruments.

Diengdoh is popular in Markasa and even beyond for his array of musical instruments – ranging from the traditional Duitara to the western instruments like the ukulele and the banjo.

His passion for musical instruments developed at a very young age but limited resources prevented him from acquiring any training in this field.

Lack of formal training in the field compelled him to shift his focus to other crafts like that of carpentry.

“Yes, when I tried my hands at carpentry, I realised that I was actually good at it (laughs). So I learned the trick of the trade and was engaged in this profession for some time,” Diengdoh said.

However, his love for musical instruments was always intact through the intervention of the internet – YouTube bloggers and their videos, Diengdoh learned the art of making string instruments and continues to build his craft.

At the first glance, Diengdoh, with a cowboy hat on, durable jeans, leather boots and a guitar in his hands, resembles a country artist.

“What can I say, I like dressing like this; I like the style,” he said laughingly.

“I am not a musician per se. I am only a guitar maker. I am appreciative of my friends – Raymond Myrthong and Khrawkupar Nonglait, who are skilled musicians, who also encouraged me and helped identify and specify the correct tune for each of my instruments,” he added.

Initially, Diengdoh would only limit his skills to the Duitara but like many others, the pandemic induced lockdown gave him a chance to hone his skills. He tried his hands on the acoustic and electric guitars; and with the help of Google and YouTube, he was able to sharpen his mastery in the art.

“I make many instruments but I focus on acoustic instruments. They are a little difficult to make because it produces sound through the sounding board. The measurements, the choice of wood, the tone, and intonation are very important,” he said.

“I never thought that one day, I’d actually sell my own crafts, that is the hand-made guitars. It is a good feeling to be making something that one truly loves and even better when one hears the melodious sound that’s come out of it,” he added.

A two-roomed workshop, filled with string instruments and other materials, is Diengdoh’s second home. He, and his two friends – Raymond Myrthong and Khrawkupar Nonglait, spend hours learning from each other – tuning and retuning the guitars while sharing a joke or two for recess every now and then.

Raymond, whose dress-up is similar to Markynsai, is skilled in playing the acoustic guitar, while Khrawkupar, in a black t-shirt and leather jacket, plays the electric guitar.

“I am fortunate to have met people like Raymond and Khraw. They have been with me through thick and thin. My journey as a guitar maker would have been very difficult had it not been for them,” expresses Diengdoh, while turning towards his friends with a cheerful grin.

His craftsmanship also caught the eyes of many prominent personalities like Aldous Mawlong and Lou Majaw.

It was a chance encounter, said Diengdoh when he was referring to his meeting with Aldous Mawlong.

He was introduced to Mawlong, who is the Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya and Chairman of the Shillong Fashion Society, by bureaucrat A Nongbri.

“Bah Aldous has had a huge role in inspiring me and pushing me to do better,” he says and in jest, he adds, “I bet you (Mawri) wouldn’t have known about me hadn’t it been for him (Mawlong).”

“We were visiting Markham one day and on the way, my colleague wanted to meet Markynsai; and to my surprise, I saw an array of musical instruments in his workshop,” Aldous Mawlong said.

Mawlong thought that it is important to promote young and budding talents, such as Diengdoh by providing them with a platform to showcase their expertise to the world.

“You see talent is everywhere; talented and skilled individuals are not restricted to urban centres and Markynsai is just one of the many hidden gems in the state,” Mawlong said.

With the assistance of prominent icon, Lou Majaw, Diengdoh has clients from as far as the United States! Of course, he is not short of any local clients either.

In a conversation with one of Markynsai’s friends, Khrawkupar Nonglait, the value of companionship and respect for one’s hard work were emphasized.

“I want to convey to the people that every instrument here was made with enormous hard work, love, and dedication. So it becomes difficult for the maker to sell it at a throw-away price. We must respect and support the maker’s labour and not bargain to the extent that he derives no benefit from it,” Nonglait said.

On inquiring what makes these instruments unique from the ones that are already sold in the market, Diengdoh reveals, “What makes it so different is the choice of materials that I use.” Educating us, he added, “Instead of plywood that most companies use, I make the guitar using solid wood but a bit of crafting and sound modulation is of course needed. It is a tedious process but the fruit of labour is always sweet.”

In his message to the youth of the state, Diengdoh said, “God sent us to this world with a specific set of skills and it is up to us to identify them. We have to look for it. I had tried many jobs in the past – I was a carpenter, I cleaned toilets, I was engaged in other fields like painting and drawing – all of which was a learning experience for me,” he said.

He emphasised the importance and significance of every profession and stressed the need to follow one’s heart and to ensure that the burning passion to do what one loves is not extinguished by fears and doubts.

Diengdoh’s journey is just one of the many inspiring and untold stories in the state.

Meghalaya, being one of the states in the country with a large youth population holds the key to changing the course of the future, provided they get access to the opportunities and platforms to mould, shape and hone their skills and talents.