Teen minstrel makes music - from Shillong to Switzerland

By Simantik Dowerah Jan 23, 2007, 8:52 GMT

New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) Music from the heart can transcend all rigidities. And when this sublime flow originates from 13-year-old singer Ibarisha Lyngdoh of Shillong, the serenity of the moment is at its awe-inspiring best.

This Class 8 student from the Meghalaya capital, known as India's 'Scotland of the East', has enthralled a variety of audiences with her distinctive voice.

Ibarisha's list of distinguished listeners includes President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Indian cricket team, whom she captivated on different occasions.

Ibarisha is currently practising hard for the opening ceremony of the coming National Games in Guwahati in Assam Feb 9. The Khasi girl will sing four songs - two in English and one each in Khasi and Assamese.

The budding soprano, who had her debut recital in Switzerland last year, is a member of the Shillong Chamber Choir led by Neil Nongkynrih. The choir was formed in 2001.

Ibarisha's maiden recital included Khasi folk songs from the Himalayan foothills besides music from composers George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach.

She also mesmerised music aficionados in Colombo last year when the choir was invited to perform in celebration of the 60th year of Indian independence there.

'Ibarisha sings from her heart. She has a great feeling and passion for music,' Nongkynrih, Ibarisha's music teacher, told IANS over telephone from Shillong.

Nongkynrih himself is a product of the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Trinity College in London and trained by elite British pianist Phillip Fowke and Viennese pianist Katrina Wolpe. He also has the rare honour of performing before the British royalty.

Ibarisha has transgressed linguistic boundaries as she can sing in eight languages - Khasi, Hindi, Assamese English, French, German, Italian and Latin.

'She does not understand the foreign languages except English but she can sing comfortably in them without mispronouncing the lyrics,' said Nongkynrih.

Nongkynrih is all praise for Ibarisha but has a few complaints too.

'Her high pitch voice is her asset and she learns her classical lessons fast. But she doesn't work hard enough. I want her to do more,' he said.

Ibarisha dedicates a minimum of five hours every day to practise with her choir.

Like a true pupil, unassuming Ibarisha does not contradict her mentor. 'I am not a good singer. I don't practise much. There are many who can sing better than me.'

Despite her tender age, the singer has received accolades from significant corners but her teacher is still awaiting the best from her.

'Sometimes she sings like a baby or like an old woman. I want her to sing like a 13-year-old,' Nongkynrih said.

Said New Delhi-based Ike Sinha, the choir's outstation director and coordinator: 'Young singers like Ibarisha are ambassadors of the vibrant cultural heritage of northeast India. They project that the region has something invaluable rather than the unrelenting militancy that often catches headlines.'

Nongkynrih is hopeful that his effort to touch the chord of music enthusiasts with the heritage music from the northeast would find a growing audience.

'We need better outlets, better publicity and more opportunity. But I am not for commercialisation of music like we do in Bollywood. A chartbuster song may not be of quality,' he observed.

'True music should belong to the people. It should have the message of peace and happiness and must last for posterity,' added Nongkynrih.

His thoughts remind one of the last two lines in William Wordsworth's 'The Solitary Reaper': 'The music in my heart I bore/Long after it was heard no more.'

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service