Skip to content Skip to navigation

Rhythm of the hills concludes

The beautiful state of Meghalaya came alive at Betasing in South West Garo Hills Saturday with at least 32 troupes exhibiting their rich dance, music and heritage before a strong crowd of over 15,000 people.

A power packed performance of dance and music displayed the collage of colours, rhythm and synchronization of music and songs. The performance showcased all major tribes and sub-tribes of the state, including Kuki, Biate, Ruga and Bodo.

The electrifying performance pushed the adrenaline of the crowd to an extreme, as people were seen rejoicing and dancing. The theme song – Krimkro Krimkro dake hai  (Let us make music in unison) aptly demonstrated the unity of all tribes.

The festival – Rhythm of the hills, organised by arts and culture department in its true essence enchanted the people.

“We need to promote and market the event in a bigger scale to attract visitors, who can experience the rich and vibrant culture of the people”, said chief minister Mukul Sangma, bowled with the performances.

He said that government was willing to allocate dedicated funds to make the festival more grandeur. “The standard of the festival should be upscaled and our exclusive culture should be branded”, he added.

He suggested that the dances should be made more attractive and colourful.

“We have a clear agenda to make our festival known regionally, nationally and globally. The stories of our microscopic population will surely generate interest amongst travellers. We have to popularise our food stories, culture and lifestyle”, the chief minister exhorted.

He said that the festival has given an ample opportunity for the youths to display their talents. “Our youths should take benefits of this festivals to unleash their talents. They should expose their hidden talents and horn their skills”, he said.

Speaking at length on documentation and promotion of culture, the chief minister said, “We have to create our own identity to boost the economy of the state through such festivals”.

In the past several years, Meghalaya has been organizing several festivals across the state to showcase the culture as an “exclusive product” to attract tourists. He said, “Meghalaya is rich in natural resources and vibrant culture, we have to take full advantage to make it a viable alternative and source of livelihood for our people”.

“Every performer should excel in their respective roles, amplify their efforts and build up on their professionalism, so that we can create stories about our tribes and spark interest among the people across the globe”, he said.

He also said that this kind of programmes would help to bring out the hidden talents out of the young boys and girls and help them to excel in particular art other than the conventional studies.

Highlighting about the efforts of the government to promote the diverse culture and traditions of the people of the state through such festivals, the chief minister stressed that we need to promote the exclusivity of every tribe and every part of the state.

“Let the good things emanate from every part of our State and let us be known globally from the right perspective”, he added.

Other dignitaries presents at the festival were arts & culture minister Clement Marak, sports & youth affairs minister Zenith Sangma, parliamentary secretary Ashahel D. Shira, director of arts & culture M. War Nongbri.

Author info

Saidul Khan's picture

Based in Tura, Meghalaya

Add new comment

Random Stories

A flood relief camp in Marigaon

Here comes Modi

30 Jul 2017 - 12:18am | AT News
Caught in a barrage of criticism, prime minister Narendra Modi is on a day long visit to Assam to take stock of the flood fury after the state counts nearly 80 people dead. According to sources in...

Modi confirms berth for Sonowal

26 May 2014 - 1:00pm | AT News
Its confirm. Sarvananda Sonowal get a berth in the Narendra Modi’s council of ministers on Monday. Modi himself confirmed it to Sonowal at a meeting in Gujarat House in New Delhi in the morning....

BJP defamation case against Himanta

18 Apr 2009 - 1:34pm | editor
After days of will-they-won’t-they, the AGP and BJP have file a defamation case of Rs 8 crore against Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma for his allegations of a crore rupee deal between the two parties...

World Environment Day observed by KVK Goalpara W

World Environment Day observed by KVK Goalpara W

6 Jun 2013 - 6:59pm | Benjamin Kaman
World Environment Day was observed Madang village in Dhanubhanga, Goalpara by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Goalpara with active participation of the farmers of the village. The day long programme consisted...

Other Contents by Author

A faculty from North Eastern Hill University (Nehu) today made an endeavour to brand Meghalaya and other Northeastern states of India as an “unexplored tourist destination”.  Speaking as keynote speaker at the 13th International Conference on Business Management and Legal Studies at Bali, Indonesia assistant professor in the Department of Management Dr. Sunildro L.S. Akoijam enlightened the gathering on the success of India Tourism campaign – “Incredible India”.  Talking about the campaign, which has made its attempt to create awareness on tourism potential and behaviour change, Dr Akoijam presented a paper on Branding of Tourism Destination: Recent Trends and Strategies....
A modest crowd of young and elderly women today gathered at Chandmari playground here to embark on a mission to revive and restore the custodial rights of women in Meghalaya’s Garo hills.In matrilineal Garo society, the women as head of a particular community (clan) in a village enjoy rights over land and natural resources in an A’king land (community land/area). Head of a particular clan is given the title of a Nokma, the village head.Traditionally women are head of a village, while their husband were suppose to assist them but over the years things have changed and men are at the centre stage for taking decision related to village affairs.Mother’s Union, one of the oldest women’s...
It was a spectacular end for Dimchrang Festival 2016 as four sensational bands of Garo hills and Still Waters from Sikkim enthralled over 8000 plus crowd here yesterday evening. The evening mood was set with four local bands -- Titans, Ultimate Page, Quantum leap and Brighter than bright making the crowd go gaga with cover, original and Christmas numbers. The stage was on fire with the entry of Still Waters from Sikkim, which featured Abishek Gurung, finalist of a popular TV reality show. The well-known vocalist greeted the crowd, which saw a thunderous applause. In sync with this year’s theme -- “youth as change maker”, the vocalist was asked to interact with the youth during the...
The tone for Christmas was set on a high note with the festival titled – Mistletoe jingle in the hills, which was held yesterday at Dikki Bandi Stadium here. This was one of-its-kind Christmas festival, which brought together choir groups from different denominations under a single platform. Renowned Nagaland based band – Alobo Naga and the band and Shillong’s Aroha choir group performed at the event, which swayed the crowd as they sang in praise for Jesus Christ. Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma and chief secretary Barkos Warjri attended the programme. The festival conceptualized by the department of arts and culture department and presented by district administration of West Garo...
A minor girl aged about 12 years was alleged molested by cops at Araimile locality in Tura, which has raised a huge hue and cry. The victims' family have filed an FIR, prompting the Superintendent of Police (SP) to arrest all the three accused.  The henious incident took place on December 29, when the victim along with her uncle were returning from a nearby market in an auto rickshaw. The police patrolling team stopped the auto rickshaw and abused her uncle on the pretext that he was a suspected cadre of Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA).  The incident occurred around 11:30 pm.  Eyewitness to the incident told that three police personnel were in a gypsy...
Samarjit Arengh (name changed), a youth working in a block in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district is worried. He fears retaliation by outfits operating in Garo Hills, as he has failed to listen to their diktat.  Nobody is being spared in Garo Hills region as rebel groups are looking for ransom - be it 'poor' or 'rich'. The modus operandi of these outfits are very simple - if one is not being able to pay. They ask the entire office to collect money and give them. Infact, outfits are negotiating on the amounts.  Government employees working in remote areas of the region are the worst sufferers. They don't have much option - it is like pay or you are under their scanner....
Rakme Sangma (named changed), aged about 40 years from a village near Phulbari in West Garo Hills, a mother of two daughter feels cheated. She alleges that the block office has given them substandard material for construction of a house under Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY).  After making several visit to the block office, she was listed as the beneficiary for the scheme. However, the result has disappointed her. She wants to complete the construction of her house but the materials are of very poor quality, especially the bricks that has dampened her spirit.  There are many like Rakme in neighbouring villages of Phulbari, who are victims of ignorance. According to IAY...
Christmas may be a religious celebration to mark the birthday of Jesus Christ but it is more than just a one day affair in Meghalaya's Garo Hills. The five district of Garo Hills remains soaked in merriment as people from all walks of life celebrated Christmas with solemn and gaiety.  For many, Christmas means light, colour, cakes, christmas tree and Santa. But for the Garos', it is beyond. There is an age old practice called the Song Kristan Dance, which means Christian Dance from the village.  "It is basically a dance form, which was celebrated since time immemorial by our forefathers, when they accepted Christ as their saviour", said Benjibosh D Sangma of Dainadubi,...
Maitrayee Bordoloi has received the prestigious DRS Sshield Corporate Award,2013 from Amity University, Noida for Excellence in Academics, Exta Curricular Activities. Bordoloi have passed BA LLB (Hons) from Amity University in 2013. She is currently working at Thomson Reuters as an Associate. She is the youngest daughter of Pratap Bordoloi and Dr. Ruma Bordoloi of Guwahati
The entire Garo Hills region is soaked in festivities. Market is full of colourful lights, glazing stars and other decorative items. The mood is set right for the advent of yet another eventful Christmas.People from different parts of Garo Hills are visiting markets in Tura to do their shopping. Tura Super Market is flooded with clothes and other items. Like many others, Dimre Sangma from Baghmara was seen buying the best of clothes and shoes available in Tura market. “I have purchased clothes, shoes for me and my relatives. Baghmara has less options, so we have come to Tura to get the best from here”, said Dimre Sangma.Manikram, a shop owner in Super Market said, “We are doing brisk...