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Keeping Alive Traditional Folk Music in Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India

A septuagenarian folk artiste is engaged in his lifelong crusade to preserve the rich heritage of Garo folk music and indigenous instruments typical of the region

The Garo tribe, one of the three tribes including Khasis and Jaintias of Meghalaya, the northeastern state of India is known for its rich tradition and culture for centuries. So is their music and the traditional instruments. But with the Western influence, the younger generation is fast losing interest in the roots with the heritage under threat of fizzling into obscurity. But in the thick of this flux of modernity, a musician in his seventies is enduringly making all-out efforts to preserve their age-old traditional music for posterity.

A Maestro of Garo Folk Music

This lone crusader does not find his name in block letters in the pages of history. But his undying endeavour is still keeping alive the legacy of traditional musical instruments integral to the culture and heritage of his tribe.
He is Raphael Ch. Marak, a folk musician who is a maestro of a traditional musical instrument called ‘Chigring’, made from bamboos with strings attached to it. Marak is, in no uncertain terms, the only living legend who can craft this instrument maintaining its traditional and ethnic form explicit with purity and ingenuity.

Tireless Efforts To Preserve Culture

Even today, he is deeply engrossed in his trade of making this instrument, an art which he has inherited from his ancestors. He is also an exponent of few other ethnic musical instruments made out of bamboo. ‘Otekra’ is one among the notable which is a traditional and unique bamboo flute.
Raphael Ch. Marak also has to his credit a rich and timeless collection of folk songs of which he has composed both the lyrics and the music. Till date he has produced around nine CDs which still enjoys immense popularity not only among his community, but in the entire state of Meghalaya.

Career’s Pinnacle

One of the high tides in his illustrious career was composing music for a Garo album, titled "Oe Mo Gasua" meaning "Yes Indeed Its Wonderful" that featured Usha Uthup, India’s pop queen of 80s.
Marak through his ingenuity has also gathered fans from various parts of the globe. The wrinkles on his aging face seems to disappear when he narrates how a German music enthusiast bought his creation, the Chigring from him.
This lone crusader of folk music among the Garos have received accolades and acclaim from several quarters. But in his own words his real victory lies in preserving the heritage and tradition of the unique music of his people.

Passing On The Legacy

A die-hard optimistic, Marak hopes to pass on his rich legacy of folk culture to the young generation. And he definitely has a few enthusiastic takers in his native village. Marak has also performed in several parts of North-east India and also in some parts of the country.
Such endeavours deserve to be saluted from the core of the heart.