From Northeast to Southwest: Home Away From Home

Who cares about language these days as long as they are used for artistic things? Language issue is of secondary importance to music unlike in politics where language is a priority. This is why many young boys and girls in remote Mizoram and Manipur hummed to Hindi film songs even without knowing the least of what it meant.

Art and music defy language as a means of expression. Same is with the ‘high pitch yet full of feeling’ voice of Lalrindiki, better known as Daduhi. Beautiful things go beyond word to express and bypass the language barrier across nationalities. It is for this reason that we appreciate the music of heavy rock and roll music though you may never understand a word of their lyrics! ;)

Daduhi brought with her a unique style in pop music in Mizoram and popularized contemporary music to be followed by many new entrants. The music scene in Mizoram is way ahead of its and people irrespective of their languages hummed to the catchy tunes. I don’t know much about music and its notes neither was I aware of this woman who could unite passion and feeling in her songs, but certain events in life bring us to understand what you thought you will never understand.

It was in early July 2005, in Karnataka, one evening; I went to a laundry to get my clothes washed. The laundryman was listening to certain music which I thought was familiar from the distant. As I went to his shop, there it was, clearly and distinctly the very voice from the land where ‘I came from’. The song was Kar hla Di!I still remember.

But I never knew that it was Daduhi until the announcer from All India Radio declared that it was Daduhi. I was surprised to hear not just the song but why the people in Karnataka listen to Mizo songs. “I just love it, of course not the lyric because I cannot understand a word … but the tunes and music and this girl voice are nice,” said the laundry man.

I asked him whether it was just incidental that Mizo songs were broadcasted from AIR station. The laundry man told me that since, he don’t know the language he cannot be sure if other songs are played but several songs like this used to be broadcast from AIR. From that day on we became good friends and answered several questions he on had about Mizoram and the Northeast. Don’t forget I still had to pay him for his laundry work.

At that time I thought that there was no one from Northeast, except me, in this ‘remote’ coastal city of Mangalore. Even if there were there would not be any Mizos, I assumed. My guess became partially true till today with not more than five Mizos in Mangalore.

Now I no longer go to the laundry man and I don’t know if Mizo songs are still broadcasted.
But I do know that Daduhi’s voice was a great comforter and connects me to the people with whom I was to stay for the remaining two years. Being my first time from out of Northeast India and that too from North East to South West I feared that might not be able to make myself at home during my stay here. But life changes unpredictably.

Daduhi’s Kar Hla Di’ pledges to stay faithful to the lover and wishes for togetherness sometimes echoes in my mind. And I too wish that my “thinlai(will) a dam ngei ang”, sooner or later. Until then, “…Tawng leh ni her chhuak ang…Run hmun leng dun ve Nan” will comfort me with a note that I am not so far away from home. After all I am amidst people who appreciate the same music as I do.