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Cheking Sangma keeps tradition alive in Sadolbra

The 67-year-old musician talks about Wangala, life & the changing ecological balance in WGH traditional village

Cheking M Sangma is a master of traditional music and dance and has been leading a troupe from his village to the 100 Drums Wangala Dance for years now. He is the only veteran in his village, Sadolbra, in West Garo Hills who trains the youth in Wangala steps and music.

The nok’a’chik, or the traditional Garo house made of bamboo and straw, where Cheking lives with his family, has a display of musical instruments, including a harmonium. However, the dim-lit abode of the musician mischievously conceals the truth and allows a first-time visitor to explore the nook and corner. The sitting place for the guests is at the far end of the house where the kitchen and the verandah are constructed. One has to cross two segments before reaching the cosy kitchen corner that basks in the warmth of the hearth.

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“This traditional house can be deceptive from the outside as one might mistake it for a hut,” the 67-year-old musician said in Garo as he showed the guests in.

Bare-chested with just a traditional piece of cloth around his waist, Cheking looked anything but an expert musician. As he smoked his bidi and helped the women in their chores in the kitchen, he talked about the village and the people’s livelihood and struggle. He did not bring up music till the time the food was cooked. He barely smiled and spoke only when he was asked a question.

As all gathered around the fire in the front room and the women relaxed, Cheking took out his harmonium. For the first time, his face lit up. Even in the darkness, one could not miss the smile on his face and the shine in his eyes. He started singing a Garo song as he played the harmonium.

“I never had formal training in music. My parents were expert musicians and Wangala dancers. They were my masters,” said Cheking, who is a local priest of the Songsarek believers.

The veteran musician plays all the traditional instruments like a’dil (a wind instrument made from buffalo horn), drums, flute and cymbal. But his personal favourites are a’dil and drums.

By the time the music and the intermittent conversation proceeded, Cheking was in the groove, probably a little mischievous too. He brought out his a’dil and started playing as the audience looked in awe. Cheking said he made the instruments decades back. The horn is supported by a rubber tube, which can be replaced with a bamboo one.

The musician took a smoking break and handed over the instrument to one of the guests, knowing well it was impossible for anyone to play it without training and years of experience. Cheking was amused when he saw the struggle and took back the instrument to demonstrate the technique. None among the guests could master it and failed to live up to the master’s expectations.

Cheking had travelled outside of the state and the country with his team to showcase the traditional Garo dance and music. “I could only remember Delhi and Bangladesh. There were other states too where I performed,” he said as he tried to remember the names.

Besides being an expert musician, Sangma is also an instrument maker. The next musical instrument that he brought out was a drum that was crafted by him. “I used cow skin and wood from a local tree to make it. Though the instrument is years old, it is still sturdy,” he said as he prepared to play. His mastery was evident in every beat.

Cheking does not have a formal music school in the village but he is the master to come to when it is music. He teaches the local youth the Wangala dance steps and how to play the traditional instruments. This year, his team became the winner of the dance event at the 100 Drums Wangala Festival.

Sangma takes a break with traditional hookah. Photo by MM

The flute was next. Cheking stubbed his bidi and took the instrument. He closed his eyes and started playing. The ambience changed from festivity to poignancy. The audience fell silent. He continued playing the flute for minutes. “I like this instrument,” he reiterated.

Cheking has received several state awards and recognitions for his talent and contribution to preserving traditional music. When asked whether the youth in the village take interest in traditional music, Cheking said he tries to involve as many people as he can in the training and that way many have learnt to play the musical instruments. “The Wangala tradition will continue even if the world around us changes with time,” he asserted.

Ecological imbalance

Sadolbra is among the few villages in Garo Hills where the traditional way of life can be witnessed. Villagers there follow Songsarek, the Garo animist beliefs.

The village — which has two parts, A and B — is dotted with bamboo houses.

When Sunday Monitor visited the village recently, a group of women and men were flattening bamboos to make them into sheets. When asked, an elderly villager said these sheets would be used to build new houses and repair a damaged one.

A nok’a’chik generally has three sections — a front room where guests are welcomed, a bedroom and a kitchen with a balcony-like extension that is used to clean utensils and dry chillies and other condiments. The roof is made of hay. Cheking explained that when a house in the village gets damaged owing to natural calamity or other reasons, all villagers come together to fix it. A new house can be built in just three days as everyone works in tandem.

However, modernity has started seeping into the village as one could see concrete houses being constructed. This has led to an ecological imbalance at the local level.

The thatched roofs of traditional houses are habituated by swallows, locally called do’pachi, and other small birds. “Our roof too has several nests. For do’pachi and chanchurra (another variety of swallows), these thatches, which last for at least 18 years, are the best place for nesting,” said Cheking.

But with large-scale concretisation, these nesting places are vanishing. “From my knowledge and experience, yes concrete structures are making these birds disappear. Otherwise, they used to be around in barns, house roofs etc,” said Anu James, DFO, Forest Utilisation Division, Shillong.

“When I was growing up, there would be many traditional houses and these birds would come. It is true that people these days are going for RCC buildings but there is a reason too. Maintaining bamboo houses is expensive as these get damaged fast and one has to repair them every year. Also, raw materials are scarce these days,” said Binny Sangma, proprietor of Wild Tour Garo Hills.

Echoing Binny’s observation, freelance conservationist Bhuto Marak said the rise in the number of concrete buildings is owing to government schemes for low-cost houses and also a scarcity of natural resources.

On the reducing number of swallows, Binny said it was not true as “I see many swallows and probably they have found an alternative”.

“Nature should be left alone as it can heal itself. Too much of human intervention is not advisable,” said Bhuto when asked whether there should be an effort to protect these birds’ habitats.

Besides the ecological problem, the Songsarek village is also being threatened by modernity and a handful of people like Cheking are trying to preserve the traditional practices. On whether the state government is thinking of conserving the village, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner said there was no such initiative for Sadolbra and a traditional village is being developed at Chibragre near the Wangala festival venue.

~ Team Sunday Monitor

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