Falling in love with music

The Evening Club in Police Bazar was abuzz with visitors at 9 pm on April 9. Weekends are a time to relax but that night was special. It was music, memories and Lou Majaw.

“I will be 75 years younger next week and I still fall in love,” said Majaw to a cheering audience, the number of which would have been impressive had the club had enough space to accommodate the fans of ‘Shillong’s Bob Dylan’.

The legendary singer’s declaration followed his, and of course the listeners’, rendition of Elvis Presley’s Falling in Love with You. “All of you are singers. That’s wonderful,” the singer said after the performance.

In his shorts, sleeveless denim jacket, a gamocha around the neck and multi-coloured socks, Majaw looked anything but a septuagenarian. His energy and sense of humour kept the audience, including the young ones, entertained throughout the interactive event at the city pub. There was music and the visitors had the liberty to ask any question to the veteran singer.

Majaw will turn 75 on April 14. “It is a beautiful feeling to be 75 and I am blessed to live so long,” he told Sunday Monitor earlier on the day. And what could be a better way to celebrate his birthday than a series of musical soirees in his home town and the neighbouring city of Guwahati.

The celebrations started with two shows in Guwahati, one at the India Club and the second at Royal Global University. These were followed by the event at Evening Club.

“What do you have to say about love,” someone from the audience at the club asked Majaw, who quipped that there was no age or boundary for love because “I can’t help falling in love”. As he took questions from the excited listeners, he came down the dais and interacted with them.

The conversation on love continued as another member of the audience asked about his view on the constraints on Khasi women to fall in love with men from other communities.

“But what about the love of his life,” Sunday Monitor had asked him.

To this, Majaw laughed aloud and agreed to share a secret. “I do not think I ever shared this with anyone. Once I was in love with a girl and she wanted to get married. So, a friend helped me get the necessary official papers and asked me to put my name on the document. But on the day of signing the official papers, she did not turn up. In retrospect, I think it was a blessing in disguise,” he laughed.

Majaw remained single as he feels that “it would have been difficult to live with Lou Majaw”.

However, his commitment to music never faltered even by an iota. Majaw, like several other artistes, has his own rituals before every show. He abstains from alcohol despite requests. He also stays away from food at least three hours before a show. “I just have a glass of water. I feel one with my music and guitar. It becomes the source of my joy. I enjoy my work and I say so to others. Of course, after work, I enjoy my drinks,” he informed.

From Louis Majaw, Bright Morningstar (as he was called in Seng Khasi School) to Lou Majaw, the singer’s journey on stage is a musical adventure. He started earning as a singer from an early age. “I ran away from Shillong in 1967 and went to (erstwhile) Calcutta. I performed there with several senior musicians of the time. Many of them have passed away and only three or four of them are alive,” he said.

Majaw is one of the most prominent singers from the North East who is recognised without an introduction. But the singer believes that he is still learning, from his journey and interactions with people across the country and around the globe.

The singer can often be spotted walking the streets of Shillong with his guitar and indulging in random conversations with roadside vendors, passers-by to music aficionados. When asked how he remains a common man despite the name and fame, Majaw was candid. “I do not understand the whole business of celebrity. For me it is celebration of life. We are all human beings sharing the rain, sunshine and the rainbow.”

“I would also travel by bus in Guwahati and people would be surprised and asked me why I was doing so. My answer would be, ‘this is public transport and we are the public,” he added.

It is not humility but a way of life for the singer. “I am still learning even after so many years. I love the sound of guitar and it has become a part of my body,” Majaw said.

While Majaw’s joviality and simplicity would impress many of his fans, he has always been a tough task master for young singers. The singer said in the eighties, he, along with other local artistes, decided to help the budding talents and train them in stage performance to create a level playing field for all.

“I believe in three Es — Earn, Experience and Exposure. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to help young artistes but many of them could not cope with my way of teaching. However, some enthusiastic youths from outside the state even offered to pay me from their pocket money. But I was not interested. Music for me was a gift and I did not have to buy it. So, I could not take money from them as I knew it was difficult for them to survive. Later, we dropped the initiative,” Majaw recollected.

Two songs after, the audience at The Evening Club was already soaking in the energy of the veteran singer. “Is anyone joining me on stage for a song,” he threw the question to a group of young listeners. A name was suggested but the person refused to showcase his talent.

“Well, as you remain indecisive, let me continue. This time, a song that I wrote for a beautiful lady years back,” said Majaw as he strummed his guitar. The Saturday night was still young.

~ Team Sunday Monitor