By Adity Choudhury
On July 16, I had the unique experience of witnessing a musical evening, titled Ki Sur Na Pubon or “Message from the Cave” inside the Arwah – Lumshynna cave in Sohra, organised as part of the ongoing Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project, aimed at spreading “awareness on the importance of preserving our fragile ecosystem”.
Blessed with waterfalls, living root bridges, and cave networks, Sohra remains an important tourist destination. This makes it important for visitors to know about “nurturing and protecting whatever they come across during their travels… to take care of ecologically significant and sensitive spaces”. Clean Sohra Campaign (CSC) collaborated with Meghalaya tourism, Meghalayan Age Limited and Springboard Surprises to make this show a grand success.
In line with this theme, young folk singers from Sohra performed special songs and interacted with the Shillong-based band, Summersalt.
The morning of the event started as any other morning, with my excitement barely concealed. Conversations with Lumbor Thongni, Spotify playlists and Mylliem putharo (ground-rice bread/cake), doh syiar (chicken) and sha saw (red tea) made for a lively drive. We reached Alan West Kharkongor’s (CSC leader) residence where artistes and organisers gathered for lunch – a space of laughter, love and anticipation of the show ahead.
On our way to the cave, I asked Thongni about the meaning of Arwah – two rivers meet inside the cave, hence the name.
We met two CSC members – Wallam Kupar War and Alwin Sumer, who joined us as we walked towards the Cave – the former (War) showed me two paths – the rougher, more adventurous trail for seasoned hikers, leading to Arwah, and the beautifully designed route for tourists. We took the latter.
A Geological Survey of India information board gave a brief overview of this cave. Lost in my thoughts, I cautiously navigated the slippery paths and loose rocks. Thongni’s words brought me back to the present. He showed me the fossilised remains of an unknown prehistoric organism on one of the walls of the cave. There it lay, greeting unsuspecting attendees of the show.
We spoke about the cave systems in Sohra. On enquiring about the choice of the venue, he said, “Arwah is really spacious. No other cave has this quality, making this special. That’s why we chose this venue.”
Giving us company, the two rivers flowed. Soon, people filled the space, with some sitting on the mura or the cane stool. Between my fear of a clumsy fall and getting a decent spot to enjoy the event, I observed the red lights, sound check and the singers arriving on the spot. Kit Shangpliang of Summersalt welcomed everyone warmly, while Kharkongor introduced every performer.
The first band, Sohra Sienmang, sang several songs – almost every member of the band sang Khasi songs, setting the tone of the evening.
Everyone felt the vibe of the songs celebrating our natural world, the duitara, the folk version of Hoi Kiew and Khun Ka Ri or children of the state. Singer Leonard Syiemlieh sang songs in his mother tongue, with one of his songs referencing, U Sier Lapalang. Summersalt’s performance got the audience clapping, dancing and singing along. They also performed their song, Hoi Kiew, from the Bollywood film, Rock On 2.
Post show, we rushed back to Shillong, with a classic rock playlist making the return memorable. It was 7:30 in the evening. Crickets chirped, making us aware of our surroundings, away from the clutter of city life. Sohra, ever so beautiful, seemed like an enigma with the evening lights.
Guitar, drums, soulful voices, and an audience member – a young woman – doodling the instruments in her notebook – are what I remember now.
A part of me remains in Arwah, still listening to the sounds of the natural world and echoes of the songs reverberating through the ancient walls of the cave. Most importantly, I carry within me the realisation that barriers don’t matter where music is concerned.
(The writer is Features Coordinator with The Meghalayan)