The mortal remains of music maestro, Padma Shri Neil Nongkynrih, was brought to Shillong late last night for last respects ahead of his funeral tomorrow.
Members of the Shillong Chamber Choir accompanied the body from Mumbai with relatives and friends from Shillong to the airport in Guwahati.
His funeral has been scheduled for tomorrow at 2 pm.
Neil, a well-known concert pianist and the founder of the Shillong Chamber Choir, died on Wednesday in Mumbai at the age of 51.
He was born on July 9, 1970, to former Meghalaya minister and former chief secretary of Mizoram AH Scott Lyngdoh and Elvirial Nongkynrih.
His grand- aunt introduced him to works by Mozart and Beethoven at an early age. Most of his initial lessons in music were from his sister, Pauline Warjri, a jazz musician. In 1988, against his father’s wishes, he moved to the United Kingdom to study music in 1988 at the Trinity College and Guildhall School of Music in London.
Apart from the concerts, Nongkynrih was also teaching music in Oxfordshire.
In 2001, Nongkynrih came back to India and started teaching piano in Shillong. Subsequently, he founded the Shillong Chamber Choir.
In 2010, he led his choir to win India’s Got Talent, catapulting the little Shillong unit to national and international stardom. In 2015, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award.
Apart from the Padma Shri, Neil also received the U Tirot Sing Award in 2011, the Forbes Person of the Year for 2010-11 and he also served as a member of the World Choir Council.
He was a member of the Central Board of Film Certification from 2017 till the time of his death.
