Wayfarer's window!

The newest state of the north east India. Our closest sister, separate at birth. Now our heavenly neighbors. A song....in the language that we share! This follows the devastating earthquake in the hill state a year ago!

Sourabhee won the country's billion hearts when she was crowned the first female Indian Idol. Hailing from far away Tripura, she came in as a refreshing breeze from a little known North eastern state of India. You may want to listen to one more song of the North eastern collection..(well, not exactly in the local language this time...but the singer Sourabhee definitely is from there).

The music of Bhupen Hazarika. Strongly flavoured tea. The land of the Bramaputra. Assam. One song from the state. Patriotic, deeply rooted, moving.

A few things I remember about Nagaland, North-East India, from my last visit there. The war cemetery in Kohima, with nothing less than a thousand grey graves of slain warriors...halting the Japanese advance into India during the second world war. The local market, complete with strangest wares for the local dishes...snails, frogs, birds...let me not go too much into the details...but would have loved being invited for a meal! The baptist church, a landmark in the town which could be seen from all around town.The Christmas there had the biggest religious gathering I had ever seen, where the devout swelled right out of the church building right into its courtyard and streets. The rice beer, always served plentifully to every guest. The smoked pork...delicious. The music...soul stirring. Here we go..a toast to Nagaland...some quaint songs to enjoy. and now a funny one in Naga accent and locally flavored English language:

In the several days we were  in Aizwal,Mizoram, of the seven sisters of North eastern India, we listened only to the local music channel on Television. On the last day there, we could not resist the compulsion to buy a few music CDs and take them home. Music seemed so perfectly suited to the rolling expanse of blue hills and the wafting motions of the mighty clouds. The people themselves were every bit of what we were not used to seeing in other parts of the country. Open, gentle, helpful, unsophisticated yet trendy, hardworking and humble, uncomplicated...simple. Last Sunday, I was even more awed by their simple practice of setting apart a fistful of rice in every meal as an offering to the Lord's table. Now with my own heartfelt thankfulness to Mizoram, may I share a soul-felt song?

They were called the seven sisters. Vivacious yet variant. Lands of music, vibrant hills, gentle people. Sisters of my own people. Tucked away in the North east of India. Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal and now Sikkim. (Sometimes I wonder why Darjeeling doesn't make it to the list!!!). I am glad to be related through friends and family to each of these states. I am delighted by the music of each of these places. I am awed by the gentle spirit and undaunted devotion of the people. Therefore this series of songs...which I have picked up from these places: Starting with a video that was presented several years ago by a family friend from Shillong, Meghalaya. While the lyrics were in a Khasi, a language unknown to me, the music was so wonderful that I listened to it...again and again.....