Kongthong Village in Meghalaya Whistles to Beckon PM Modi

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Kongthong village in Meghalaya is known for the typical whistling communication of the villagers. On Tuesday, they created a whistling tune to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the village.

This whistling melody was created during the visit of the Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Rakesh Sinha of the BJP to this remote hamlet on Wednesday. This was confirmed by Sinha himself who has got the whistling tune recorded and ready for dispatch to the PMO.

Referring to the place as a site holding aloft the rich traditional and cultural legacy of Meghalaya and the country, the MP told a group of newsmen at the NEHU Guest House that during his visit and in the course of his interaction, the residents made the whistling call to have the Prime Minister as one of their visitors. “They were saying that they like PM Narendra Modi and they asked me to request the Prime Minister to visit the village. I said I have a condition that you prepare a tune for him and one elderly lady distinctly prepared a perfect tune for Modiji in my presence. I heard the tune, and will send it to Modiji,” stated Sinha while heaping all praise on the village in Meghalaya that has long gathered attention for the communication in varied forms.

Adding a sentimental touch, The BJP leader stated, “This is a kind of invitation to Modiji. A mother is sending an invitation to Modiji through the tunes to come to this village.” Praising Kongthong village for having a unique feature where a mother prepares a tune for a child, Sinha said that this is the uniqueness of Indian diversity. He insisted that modernity should not kill traditions because both can go hand-in-hand.

Sinha spoke about Kongthong on the floors of the Upper House recently where he spoke about the intangible traits of the village that could make a passage into the cultural heritage of the UNESCO. Sinha stated, “I have visited the village as my moral duty and out of curiosity to know the people and to enjoy the lap of nature.”

He was also of the view that there should be archives and museums for such tunes and that every tune should be preserved. “I would suggest the Vice-Chancellor of NEHU to start a department to conduct a research study on such traditions. This would help to evolve the whistling tradition, and explore its scientific, psychological and traditional concept,” the MP added.

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