By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 4: K-Pop artiste Aoora captivated audiences at the KoreM festival with an extraordinary performance in the Garo, Pnar and Khasi languages, marking a milestone as the first international artiste to sing in these local dialects.
Organised by the Arts & Culture department, the event celebrated cultural exchange between Korea and Meghalaya as part of the first-ever Indo-Korean cultural festival in the state.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed at the event between the Arts & Culture department and GINCON Korea, represented by Min, to facilitate artiste engagement and exchanges.
Principal Secretary Frederick Roy Kharkongor emphasised the festival’s role in building cross-cultural ties. “Today marks the beginning of the friendship, the artiste engagement, co-visiting of the artistes from Meghalaya to Korea and from Korea to Meghalaya. From this day onwards, there will be much more exchange,” he said.
Kharkongor also mentioned the potential for a twin cities agreement between Shillong and a city in Korea, and emphasised the department’s commitment to fostering cultural collaborations.
A highlight of the festival was the performance of The Greatest, a cultural anthem produced by the Arts and Culture department.
The anthem brought Aoora together with Meghalaya artistes Lamphang Syiemlieh, Jessie Lyngdoh and Ahaia D Sangma, blending K-Pop with local musical traditions.
Reflecting on the experience, Aoora shared, “To sing in Garo, Pnar and Khasi languages alongside such talented artistes was an honour that I will cherish forever. Music has the profound power to connect souls beyond borders, and today we witnessed that magic.”
Meanwhile, Arts and Culture Minister Paul Lyngdoh praised the shared cultural traits between Korea and Meghalaya, expressing optimism that exchanges like this would elevate local music, which he called “K-pop (Khasi pop).”
He expressed hope that the collaboration will bring new recognition to Meghalaya’s rich musical heritage.