By Deepa Majumdar
Winter of 2024-25felt bleak, right from the start. Not because of the snow or the erratic weather. Mother Nature was not to blame for this bleakness. It was the state of the world. For me, the panacea lay, not in politics, or activism, but in the arts – specifically music, which Swami Vivekananda singled out as the greatest of all arts. With the snow outside and my glowing Christmas tree inside, what I craved was Christmas music. Not the manufactured,money-making type that leaves you cold, but soulful songs delivered in soulful voices.
This, I discovered, in the fabled Shillong Chamber Choir (SCC). Yes, I listened non-stop to SCC – especially their Christmas Carols and hymns. Their association with Shillong filled my heart with pride and joy. Theirsincere piety completed my felicity. Ibarisha’s song about the night divine – made the night feeldivine. After listening to SCC non-stop, I grew fond of these gifted young musicians – but sad that I had not watched them grow up.
Yet, more than the SCC members, it was their mentor and inspiration – Neil Nongkynrih, or “Uncle Neil” as the kids called him – that I longed to meet. An impossible wish, given his untimely death on Jan 5, 2022. But longings being what they are, they do not necessarily follow the rules of realism. It was as if “Uncle Neil” was calling me from the afterlife – urging me to remember him. I fulfilled my longing by watching several YouTube vlogs about his illustrious life.
Born on July 9th, 1970, Neil Nongkynrih is perhaps the most celebrated musician from the Northeast. Through many vlogs, I discovered a person who combined in himself, both a child and an adult. We each have an inner child – often a wounded one, which we are too insecure to express. “Uncle Neil” seemed to know how to switch back and forth from child to adult. A gifted storyteller, he was pure magic to children – because he wanted children to be themselves. Like a master gardener, he knew how to make his child-flowers blossom. The secret to this, he knew, was the feeling of security. Children blossom naturally when they feel secure.
An unusual person, with in-depth understanding of the nature and purpose of talent – he seemed to understand that all talents come from God, who bestows these gifts, for the sole purpose of serving humanity. This means God can remove a talent as easily as He grants one – often giving talents to those who have suffered – as gift and compensation.
Philosophers have always distinguished talents from moral virtues. For Aristotle, intellectual virtues (which could be interpreted as talents) are acquired through teaching, whereas moral virtues are acquired by habit. This means the two types of virtues are entirely separate – like parallel lines that never meet. Indeed, talented people can be scoundrels. Conversely, morally great saints and sages can be devoid of talents. So how does one connect, or at least coordinate moral with the intellectual virtues?
Given his extraordinary power of faith, “Uncle Neil” – it seemed to me – had discovered multiple ways of coordinating these parallel lines.First, he understood that we do not own our talents – a truism that compels humility before God, who is the Source of all talents. He, therefore, served God, by serving humanity through talent. In this age of vulture-capitalism, “Uncle Neil” understood the special risk of inordinate worldliness (through love of name, fame, and money), and of the trenchant claw of materialism that can pollute the arts – especially music. By insisting on humility – a virtue often missing altogether in musical maestros – heinfused moral virtue into the delivery of music. Indeed, the listener can hear humility in the voices of the SCC singers. Moreover, the choir (like the orchestra) teaches us to subordinate the “I” before the “we,” for the sake of the collective good– invaluable lessons in humility and unselfishness for all walks of life.
I share “Uncle Neil’s” dislike of child stars, while recognizing that it is not their fault, but that of their overzealous parents, who sell their children for the sake of name, fame, and money. If I had to name a musical antipode to SCC, I would point to Taylor Swift. More than Swift herself, I object to her capitalistic approach to music. The will-to-sell is so pervasive that it destroys all self-respect – polluting the arts with greed for name, fame, money and power. By insisting on humility, and self-surrendering before God, “Uncle Neil” protected the youthful SCC members from the toxin of worldliness that consumes so many gifted artists.
Second, “Uncle Neil” coordinated talent with moral virtue, by letting go of personal ambition – instead letting the stellar career of SCC unfold naturally, following its own God-given trajectory. Young though he was, he was faith-laden enough to understand that when God gives us talents, He also takes care of the careers we need to express these talents.
Third, he coordinated talent with moral virtue, by understanding that music must be delivered with purity of heart. Hence this injunction, which he taught Ibarisha – whether you sing for one person or many, you must sing with the same quality – a maxim that meets all requirements of karma yoga – thus sublimating and overcoming coming capitalistic temptations and tendencies.
Fourth, “Uncle Neil” coordinated talent with moral virtue by using music to heal a state torn apart by violence. Dreaming of replacing the sounds of guns, with those of music, he healed troubled Meghalaya – thus fulfilling his lofty aspiration,at least to an extent.
Finally, he coordinated talent with moral virtue, by co-mingling his musical gifts with extraordinary humanitarianism – especially towards the poor, and the specially-abled. Not only a gifted musician, “Uncle Neil” was also a rare mentor and teacher, who combined humanitarianism with tutelage, raising the SCC kids as his own. This was perhaps his foremost gift and calling in life – something that gave him meaning and purpose. Mainland Indians have marveled at the cohesion of the SCC choir members. The secret to their unity and cooperation lies, not just in their shared religion, ethnicity, language, or even their shared love for music – but in their shared upbringing – above all, in the mentor they shared. Like a fierce mother, “Uncle Neil” watched over them like a hawk – nurturing not just their musical talent, but their character, confidence, and overall wellbeing. This kind of rich kinship between mentor and mentee, or non-competitive cohesion among mentees – is well-nigh impossible in the famous music schools of the west, where the sacred relation between mentor and mentee is ruined by utilitarianism, ambition, cold professionalism, profit-mongering, and an undue, often inappropriate sense of “equality” between the mentor and mentee – stemming, not from wisdom, or humility, but from inordinate individualism, mistrust, and incapacity for true moral leadership. Thanks to his inspiring mentorship, the SCC was able to perform a post-colonial miracle – by combining western music with Indian genres – a fusion that would have been impossible in my youth – thus bridging the impasse between west and east.
After several years in the glamorous west,“Uncle Neil” left to return “home”to Meghalaya – because he had a home to return to. Many Indians, especially those with memories of abuse, have no home to return to. To the Dalit, the Muslim, and many women, the west is a refuge from the horrors of everyday India. They can never call India “home.” But “Uncle Neil” had a “home” to return to – not just because he was somewhat privileged, but on account of his uniquely affectionate nature. Yet, he seemed tormented. Like many believers and persons of faith, “Uncle Neil’s” interior life was perhaps tormented by what St. John of the Cross called the “dark night of the soul.” But given his divine longing, this torment was perhaps an impetus to his inner growth. One cannot help but be moved by how much he accomplished within a short lifespan. Although young, he understood that he did not have much time left on earth. Towards the end he seemed to be in a rush. Indeed, what he accomplished was extraordinary.
May “Uncle Neil” rest in peace, and may peace come to his grieving family and SCC members – especially his mother.
(The writer is a retired professor of philosophy from a regional branch of Purdue university, USA.)
