Sound From The Hills: Narrating Mizo folk tales through music

By Aparmita Das | SHILLONG:

With a duration of 14 minutes and 52 seconds, the song “Liandoa te unau”, which is an amalgamation of Mizo folk tunes, describes the advent of Western Culture into the Lushai Hills, now known as Mizoram.

The song was sung by a group called “Sound From The Hills” from Mizoram, and it dictates how the ‘White man’ (and the plains' dwellers) came into their humble abode among the clouds and helped the Mizo folks adopt a more "modern" concept on society as a whole.

The members of “Sound From the Hills” include Frederick Lalduhawma- Vocalist, Lyricist, Composition, Asst. Co-Producer; Rothangliana Ralte- Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards, Composition, Co-Producer; Booma Hangsing- Electric Guitar, Composition, Executive Producer; Buanga Sailo- Bass guitar, Composition, Producer; Tetea Vanchhawng- Raw Chhem, Tui Ri, Phenglawng (Mizo Folk Instruments), Composition; Lalchhandama Bawitlung (LB King)- Electric Guitars, Composition; Sunny Manbha- Ka Bom (Tribal Rhythm Section); Mamawia Colney- Drum Orchestration; Bame Ryntathiang- Piano; Alfred Sailo- Tribal Music Researcher, Writer, Lyricist, Narration, Vocals; Vanneihtluanga- Music Direction, Video Script, Dialogue; Munish Singh (ICCR) - Music Direction, Band Representative.

This song also features artistes like Lily Veng Cultural and Drama Club, C. Luri, G'nie, Sayed Rahi Umair, Sucheta Bhattacharjee and four-year-old Esther Hnamte.

“Liandoa te unau” also portrays the history of their culture in fragments.

"The head-hunting people who we once were, the paganism that has since been abandoned, the stories of fabled hunters and fairest of the maidens in the land, all presented in the 14 or so-minute long musical drama. It may be called a sonic and visual behemoth," said the group.

Hailing from the hills of Aizawl in Mizoram, the guitarist of the group and the composer of the song, Booma Hangsing has had the opportunity of performing with many different people and showcasing his talent all over the country and abroad as well.

He started as a guitar player for the Mizoram-based band “Boomarang”. The band has performed in many major festivals and venues in the country, and this is where Booma made a mark in the Indian Indie music scene. Fast forward a decade and a few years, his interest in music has the same vigour, but only, it has taken a shift from Western Rock to Folk Fusion. And this is because he wanted to bring Folk music of the North East into the limelight.

When asked about what drove them to compose this song, Booma Hangsing said, “We at 'Sound From The Hills' have spent the better part of the past few years trying to compose a musical drama through the narrations that we grew up with. So, it is essentially a culmination of our roots, the stories that have been a part of our culture for centuries now”.

“Liandoa te unau” was released on January 12 and has so far garnered 46K views on Youtube.

Speaking to TNT-The Northeast today, Booma Hangsing said that the song is basically an introduction of the band, and its aim to burst into the World Music Scene.

"One of my favourite lines in the song goes 'Ka bo love, ka la in lar dawn chauh ani' which in rough translation means 'I am not lost, I am only yet to show myself', which I feel, aptly 'prophesises' the coming of the 'Sound from the Hills'- an announcement for the inevitable cascade of melodies from the hills (and plains) of the Northeast," said Booma.

The ending phrase of the song states, "You can't spell unity without the U and I". Therefore, the message of the song lies in the simple word “UNITY”.

Booma mentioned that if everything goes according to plan, they will be releasing an album that is currently in the works, and they also plan on having more collaborative efforts like this from all over the country.

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