Kongthong, popularly called the ''Singing Village'', is a village and tourist attraction in the

East Khasi Hills district East Khasi Hills is an administrative district in the state of Meghalaya in India. The district headquarters are located at Shillong. The district occupies an area of 2752 km² and has a population of 825,922 (as of 2011). , it is the most ...

of Meghalaya state in the

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

hilly region of India. Kongthong, India's entry for United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)'s ''World's Best Village Contest'', is also aiming for the

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

status. Kongthong is a popular tourist destination known for the panoramic picturesque views and the unique culture of inhabitants who use the whistled language ''"Jingrwai Iawbei"'' and build the remarkable ''

living root bridge A living root bridge is a type of simple suspension bridge formed of living plant roots by tree shaping. They are common in the southern part of the Indian state of Meghalaya. They are handmade from the aerial roots of rubber fig trees (''Fic ...

s''. Tourists and language researchers from several nations, including America, Germany, and Japan flock here. Each native of the village has a unique name, which is a whistling lullaby, and villagers call each other by whistling the lullaby.

Background

Etymology

Kongthong acquired its popular name the ''Singing Village'' from the ''"Jingrwai Iawbei"'' - whistling lullaby, where each native has a unique whistling lullaby name for him and her and they call each other by whistling this lullaby.

Geography

Kongthong village is a serene and picturesque hill village in East Khasi Hills. It lies uphill in remote area between Sohra (

Cherapunji Cherrapunji () or Sohra is a subdivisional town (Proposed District) East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is the traditional capital of ka ''hima'' Sohra (Khasi tribal kingdom). Sohra has often been credited as being t ...

) and Pynursla ridges.Villages by Blocks in East Khasi Hills district
eastkhasihills.gov.in, accessed 14 September 2021.

Culture

Demography

The village has a population of nearly 500 to 700 people.

Jingrwai Iawbei whistling language

People of Kongthong belong to the Khasi tribe who speak the Khasi language - a spoken language. However, Kongthong also has a remarkable tradition of assigning unique whistling tunes as the name to each member of the village. Kongthong is known for its unique language, developed as a consequence of its geographical isolation, in which Jingrwai Iawbei (lit. ''"melody sung in respect of the root ancestress"'' in Khasi language) is assigned as the unique name to each newborn by the mother which becomes the permanent identity of the person. This name is not a word, instead a unique

call name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

or caller tune in the form of a whistle, i.e. ''"the caller hums a tune, which is a unique "name” that can only be understood by the villagers."'' This naming of babies is a matriarchal tradition in which mother repeatedly hums the specific musical tune in the form of whistle, which the growing babies gradually become accustomed to, and this unique whistling tune or ''jingrwai Iawbei'' lullaby becomes the unique name and permanent identity of the person. Every child is assigned a unique lullaby or tune as their name which is transmitted among children and adults as the unique name of the person. All villagers call each other using the unique caller tune assigned to them as the name. Each ''jingrwai Iawbei'' or unique name of a person has 2 versions, shorter and longer. According to the researcher Piyashi Dutta, who has researched this tradition, ''"Each clan has a root ancestress. Each time a tune is created for a child, respects are being paid to her. Jingerwai Iawbei is a melody (jingrwai) sung in respect of the root ancestress (Iawbei). There are matrilineal implications attached to this tradition"''. There are several folklore about the origin of the tradition, which are centred around ''"how a man when struggling with some goons climbed on a tree. He whistled the names of his friends to come and rescue him, without letting the goons have the slightest idea"''. This unique way of communicating has attracted tourists as well as language research scholars from across the world.

Religion

Inhabitants practice a traditional religion called the '' Seng Khasi''.

Integration

Administration

The village has a middle school up to 8th class. The village falls under the ''Khatarshnong Laitkroh''

Development Block Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photographi ...

and Sohra Vidhan Sabha constituency, which is a reserved constituency for the

Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

(ST).

Economy

The economy of the village is based on agriculture. Villagers climb down the hill for long trips to markets to sell their crops where they also buy week's worth supplies for the whole village.

Transport

Kongthong, located nearly 65 km southwest of Shillong, which as of 2017 remains remote as the village but recently connected to a motorable road. Cherrapunji (southwest), Khatarshnong (north), Pynursla (southeast), and Dawki (southeast, a haat and immigration checkpoint on

Bangladesh–India border The Bangladesh–India border, known locally as the International Border (IB), is an international border running between Bangladesh and India that demarcates the eight divisions of Bangladesh and the Indian states. Bangladesh and India share ...

) are nearby larger towns - all of which are connected by national and state highways.

Shillong Airport Shillong Airport is a domestic airport serving Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, India. It is located at Umroi, situated from the city centre. History The airport was constructed in the mid-1960s and became operational in the mid-1970s ...

(65 km northeast) and Shella Airport (75 km southeast) are the nearest airports.

Mendipathar railway station Mendipathar railway station is a railway station located in Resubelpara Municipal Board Jurisdiction, Meghalaya, India. History Government has considered the technical feasibility of linking Shillong and Gauhati by monorail or narrow-gauge ...

(272 km northwest) is the nearest railway station.

Tourism

One can travel to Khatarshnong and then to Kongthong, which winds through hill routes with gorges on one side and cliffs on other and is a remarkable experience. Kongthong is renowned for its natural beauty and unique tradition of assigning a unique singing whistling tune, called the ''jingrwai iawbei'', as the unique name to each inhabitant. The village is surrounded by panoramic hills, some of which are among the wettest place on the earth with highest rainfall. The area has living root bridges, water falls, and geographical formations such as the ''Jingkieng Myor'' which is a natural stone bridge connecting two cliffs with ''Wah Sohra River'' flowing hundred feet under it. Tourist enjoy the Hospitality of the local homestays.

Nohkalikai Falls Nohkalikai Falls is the tallest plunge waterfall in India. Its height is . The waterfall is located in the Indian state of Meghalaya, near cherapunji(Sohra), one of the wettest places on Earth. Nohkalikai Falls are fed by the rainwater collecte ...

, Mawsmai Cave, Mawkdok Dympep Valley, Laitlum Canyons, Wah Kaba Falls and honey bee farms are important tourist attraction in the area.8 Spectacles That Make Kongthong A Unique Beauty
Oyo, accessed 14 September 2021. ''"The Traveller’s Nest"'' in Kongthong, with comfortable traditional eco huts, is a community homestay run by the natives which also serves as a base for exploring the region.

UNESCO Heritage and UNWTO's ''World's Best Village''

Kongthong was India's one of 3 entries for ''United Nations World Tourism Organization'' (UNWTO)'s ''World's Best Village'' award in 2021. Government of India is also trying to obtain the

status for the village. UNWTO's ''The Best Tourism Village'' award is given to those villages which demonstrate innovative and transformational approach in leveraging the tourism as an opportunity to conserve their heritage and develop their rural community towards UN's

Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

(SDGs), diminish economic and social disparity, reduce the population flight, and conserve and enhance the bio-cultural diversity.

Living root bridges

The area is known for the ''living root bridges'' including those at Kongthong,

Nongriat Nongriat is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya State, in north-eastern India. It is perhaps best known for its living root bridges; one an impressive double-decker suspension bridge called Jingkieng Nongriat. The vill ...

and other nearby places, all of which are tourist attractions. Sohra (Cherrapunji) and

Elephant Falls The Elephant Falls are a two-tier waterfall in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. The mountain stream descends through two successive falls set in dells of fern-covered rocks. History The original Khasi name for the falls is Ka Kshaid Lai Pateng K ...

are other popular tourist destinations nearby.

Conservation and development

The villagers, who have concerns for the survivability of their unique tradition of ''jingrwai iawbei'' tunes as the names of inhabitants, have been demanding an upgrade of the school to higher classes and teaching of the whistling language in the school.

Silbo Gomero Silbo Gomero ( es, link=no, silbo gomero , 'Gomeran whistle'), also known as ''el silbo'' ('the whistle'), is a whistled register of Spanish used by inhabitants of La Gomera in the Canary Islands, historically used to communicate across the deep ...

whistling language in

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

with 22,000 practitioners and

Turkish bird language Turkish bird language ( tr, kuş dili) is a version of the Turkish language communicated through high-pitched whistles and melodies. It was originally used by Turkish farmers to communicate over large distances, and is now down to 10,000 speaker ...

with 10,000 practitioners are taught in the school and both were recognised as the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013 and 2017 respectively. Whereas, ''jingrwai iawbei'', with only 700 practitioners, is not taught in the school, thus causing the concerns for its conservation. Dr Piyashi Dutta, a published researcher on ''jingrwai iawbei'',Piyashi Dutta and Kedilezo Kikhi
Folk Practices of the Khasi Tribe: A Description of Jingrwai Iawbei in Kongthong village
Sociological Bulletin, Vol. 65, No. 2 (May - August 2016), pp. 237-252. highlighted the challenges in documenting this whistling language which is just a floating sound without the lyrics or proper musical scale.

RSS RSS ( RDF Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed that allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format. Subscribing to RSS feeds can allow a user to keep track of many di ...

affiliates Seva Bharati and

Rakesh Sinha Rakesh Sinha is a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India. He was serving as a member of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Trust Board (2019-2021) and is also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Ho ...

- a member of the Parliament of India, have adopted Kongthong village for its development.

References

External links

Folk Practices of the Khasi Tribe: A Description of Jingrwai Iawbei in Kongthong village
by Piyashi Dutta and Kedilezo Kikhi in Sociological Bulletin. {{Whistles Villages in East Khasi Hills district Geography of Meghalaya Tourism in Meghalaya