Hallelujah!

The Nagaland Chamber Choir has become the first Indian choir to win two gold medals at the World Choir Games

- Bhanuj Kappal

On an overcast July afternoon, a big crowd of local politicians, civil society figures and media personnel had gathered outside the airport terminal at Dimapur in Nagaland, holding flags and welcome banners. Cheers went up as they sighted their quarry: a group of 30-odd people from all walks of life, who sing together as The Nagaland Chamber Choir (TNCC). The group had just made history in Gangneung, South Korea, where they won two gold medals at the prestigious 12th World Choir Games. This was their welcoming committee.

After a round of hugs and an exchange of bouquets, the choir formed up for a stirring impromptu performance of the Don Besig and Nancy Price classic ‘As Long As I Have Music’. Heavenly harmonies filled the air outside the airport terminal. “We are determined to sing as long as we have music,” Dr Limawati Pongen, TNCC’s co-ordinator, told the assembled crowd in an emotional speech. "That is our commitment, and we will see what comes our way next." Choral music has a long history in Nagaland, dating back to the late 19th century when American Baptist missionaries first brought Christianity to the region. Every church in the state has its own choir, as do most schools.