Festival part of an international conglomerate of indigenous cultural celebrations
Khasi Music on cloud nine at India’s heritage city of Ahmedabad, as Shillong’s folk-fusion troupe Summersalt yet again took the baton to enthrall the people of the city at Anant National University. The band’s energetic performance, as the university’s socials put it, is one that helps position the music of the Khasi people on the summit, where the students and the general public enjoyed every note of it.
The victory shout Hoikiw resonated at the main campus’ venue, as people from corners of India, corners of the world, played their part singing and in many ways learning and supporting the Khasi public address system called Pyrta Shnong. The audience went on to participate in khasi-sing-along, as the band belted their originals like Mluh, Kyllut kaba ma and the Bollywood acclaimed number Hoi Kiw Chalo Chalo.
Summersalt’s visit was part of the annual WITH Festival hosted by the university to celebrate indigeneity and indigenous knowledge systems. WITH is a globally distributed festival celebrating and connecting artists, artistes, media makers, storytellers from around the world to build a community of change makers. This year’s festival was held simultaneously in Ahmedabad-India, Quito-Ecuador, Miami-USA and Sao Paulo-Brazil on February 21st and 22nd.
Shillong’s household name in performing arts took the music of the Khasi Hills to Ahmedabad, beginning with a workshop on Khasi Music on February 21 and attending a panel discussion on Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices. The band then gave a full-blown live performance on the following day, February 22, presenting the music of the hills to a captivating young audience. During the charismatic performance, Summersalt displayed the richness of Khasi Music and even used home-tools like the traditional rain gear Knup as musical instrument and spoke briefly on the unmatched beauty of the place and the mystique nature of the wettest places on earth vis-à-vis the public introduction of the knup.
As festive lights filled the lawn on the west-side and the stage lit-up on the east-side, on the fly and very unusual, the band for the first time introduced Khasi song writing in the midst of a performance. Playing it by ear, the process was quick, informational and inspirational, so much so that it fits in well in the vibe of the evening. As an allied activity, on the day before the performance, the band conducted a cultural-musically charged workshop to introduce Hynniewtrep Culture through Khasi traditional music.
The workshop covered ranges of themes from how music is embedded in the DNA of the Khasi people, the Khasi way of songwriting, Ka Sur Iawbei or the Heart Song of the Khatarshnong villages, Meghalaya’s traditional musical instruments and the role of music in the Khasi way of life. The workshop was well received by the design-background students of the university who were introduced to Khasi music for the first time.
From this year, WITH is embarking on the theme ‘Global Indigenous Futures’, calling leaders and change makers from across the world to join hands. This year’s festival is celebrated with the International Conference on Indigenous knowledge systems and practices for a sustainable future at Anant. WITH this year, attracts cultural practitioners from Chambal-Rajasthan, Majuli-Assam, Shillong-Meghalaya, Bhopal-Madhya Pradesh, Janwaar-Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir. These practitioners will also offer workshops at Anant for students and others to learn, engage and exchange knowledge.
This year WITH had 40 + artists & artistes from Meghalaya, Assam, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. Dr Anunaya Chaubey, Provost, Anant National University, “WITH is organised in only four cities globally, and Anant is the proud host of the Indian edition. The festival aligns with our core philosophy of celebrating inclusivity, diversity and Indigenous knowledge—elements that hold the key to developing a sustainable future.”
“For Summersalt this event was very meaningful, as we got to repurpose Khasi Music and present it fresh to the young people who received our rendition fairly well. From the first song itself, students came to the stage-front to enjoy every bar and every note that we played and connected instantly with the sound of the Duitara, the Tangmuri and Ka Ksing Shynrang. So uplifting to see people who are not of our own culture taking interest to learn and vibe with Khasi culture through Music at an instant”, said Kit Shangpliang of Summersalt.
Prof Vijay Sekhon, Associate Professor and Lead, Interaction Design, School of Design and Director of WITH Festival at Anant National University, added, “WITH is a culture-building initiative that enables students to work together, experiment, broaden their worldviews and collaborate with global artists. As the exclusive host of WITH in India, Anant remains committed to amplifying Indigenous stories and fostering meaningful knowledge exchange.”
For the band, this is another step to traditional cultural discourse and has been Summersalt’s intentional practice, whenever the band gets the opportunity to talk about the ethos of Khasi music & culture. The recently concluded festival proved that much more of this story-sharing needs to happen in the future. “We hope investments in such culturally meaningful events will continue, so it can allow us to introduce the indigenous cultures of Meghalaya to the world. In the long run, we have reasons to believe that such investments will help Meghalaya to secure its prominent positions in the cultural landscape of India and the world”, said another band member, Gregory F Nongrum.
Last month, the band was in Mumbai as cultural ambassadors to perform at The Gypsy Travel Festival, a premium tourism business to business mart. The Mumbai performance at the Jio World Drive was again a pleasant surprise that allowed the band to present and highlight Khasi culture and worldview. In the coming months, the band with the support of well-wishers and fans, intends to engage in more cultural centric events to help in the spreading of knowledge of khasi music and promote meaningful cultural tourism in Meghalaya and north east India at large.