Skendrowell Syiemlieh |
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Skendrowell Syiemlieh (died 2008) was aKhasi folk andGospel singer. He was a mastermusician and an accomplished artist of the folk instrument known as theduitara. He was also theplayback singer for the Khasi filmU Manik Raitong.[1]
Syiemlieh was the recipient of many awards, including a best vocalist award in 1975, and theU Tirot Sing Award for Arts and Literature in 1991. He was actively associated with theAll India Radio Shillong since 1962.[2] Syiemlieh was posthumously awarded thePadma Shri Award in Arts by theGovernment of India in 2009.[3] Many of his musical albums were recorded atUsha Uthup's Studio Vibrations inKolkata.
The Telegraph (Kolkata) reported on 5 January 2009:
A major lacuna intribal societies is the absence of documentation of their cultural wealth and of recognizing personalities who have enriched their culture through songs,poetry,literature, and theperforming arts. Khasi bard, singer, and radio artist Skendrowell Syiemlieh spent a good part of his adult life serving the society through songs for which he created his own lyrics and tune. Every singer is in some ways a historian who is either lamenting the current state of affairs, extolling the immediate past or inspiring hope for the future. The Khasis have a natural flair for singing. This is perhaps one reason why no one is celebrated as an outstanding singer. Syiemlieh died this year, unsung and unrecognised by his own people. It took aGuwahati-based trust, the Jeewan Ram Mungi Devi Goenka (JRMDG)Charitable Trust, to recognise this humble soul with alifetime achievement award, posthumously, on December 6, 2008.[4]
Syiemlieh's music style was a mixture of Khasi folk music and Western country narrative style that blended both folk instruments such as theduitara and flute with guitar, violin, and drums. Almost all of his recordings employed backing vocal harmonies. He would often begin his songs with the words "Ha sngap ho para ngan iathuh khana” (Listen o my brothers and sisters, I will tell you a story)"[5]
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