SHILLONG, Jan 4: It was on January 5 last year that the news of the passing away of Neil Nongkynrih, director of the renowned Shillong Chamber Choir (SCC) at a hospital in Mumbai stunned the nation and not just the people of Meghalaya. So well-known was Nongkynrih that condolence messages poured in from across the world.
While the choir members were plunged into sorrow but not despair, people wondered who would lead the SCC henceforth without its larger-than-life director no longer around to lead, guide and mentor the members. But one year down the line, the SCC is as robust as it was and continues to perform at different venues abroad and in the country.
SCC’s lead singer and spokesperson William R Basaiawmoit told The Shillong Times: “It has been the most trying year of our careers and I dare say, the most trying year of our lives. But how God and each of our well-wishers have seen us through these months, has been nothing short of miraculous. We are filled with a deeper sense of gratitude now than ever before. Giving our all to our music and more so to the Shillong Chamber Choir and what it stands for, is all we have known for over 15 years now. And yes, losing our dear Uncle Neil was the deepest of trials, but we dare say that we’ve come out of this year stronger and more united than ever before.”
Speaking of their music, William said that the choir is on the lookout for major albums and studio deals which are around the corner. An upcoming film and the release of three spiritual albums titled Songs of Dawn in Khasi, English and Hindi languages are in the pipeline.
Addressing the audience during a performance in Mumbai recently, William said: “To all our supporters and fans, every clap of applause, every encouraging word and comment, and every heart of support for us in these past few months has been a tremendous encouragement. And all the glory goes to God for all the goodness He has shown us through each of you. Have a blessed New Year and thank you again from your Shillong Chamber Choir.”
He said many had questions about the future of the SCC after Uncle Neil’s passing.
“But it was also after his passing that his true humility and wisdom became more evident. For years, he was actually grooming us and pushing us to the fore, honing our different strengths without us fully understanding its actual impact, until now,” he said. The big test came a few months after Neil’s passing when the SCC was offered to do some music for their biggest-ever film project and they did what they knew best, which was to pray to and have faith in God. One evening, moments before they sent the first draft to the director, they were all gathered in their studio at Whispering Pines, Shillong and after having heard it one last time together, they couldn’t help but shed grateful tears for the fact that they were not left as orphans.
The director of the film loved what they did without any editing required. “Such mighty experiences give us tremendous faith and this was but one of the many times where we have been continually seeing Uncle Neil’s mentorship show its fruit and bloom in the works prepared before us,” William said, adding that they are often asked in interviews about who the new leader of the SCC is.
“There is no leader for there will never be another Uncle Neil, but yet we are all leaders, in our different fields. And this is accompanied by a very healthy understanding that we respect one another’s strengths because it’s so evident to us now that what one can do, the other can’t and what the other can, the one can’t. A most beautiful relationship is thus being formed amongst us,” William said.
The SCC continues its challenging journey of practice, discipline and above all, looking after the Shillong Chamber International School, started by Neil Nongkynrih some years ago.
