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 2,748 km2 and has a population of 825,922 (as of 2011). , it is the most ...

Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...

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—eac ...

hilly region of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Kongthong, India's entry for

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

World Tourism Organization The United Nations World Tourism Organization or UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which promotes responsible, sustainable and universally-accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. Othe ...

(UNWTO)'s ''World's Best Village Contest'', is also aiming for the

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

status. Kongthong is a popular tourist destination known for the panoramic picturesque views and the unique culture of inhabitants who use the

whistled language Whistled speech is a form of speech surrogacy in which whistling is used to mimic speech. Speakers of more than 80 languages have been found to practice various degrees of whistled speech, most of them in rugged topography or dense forests, whe ...

''"Jingrwai Iawbei"'' and build the remarkable ''

living root bridge Living root bridges are a kind of tree shaping in which rivers are spanned by bridges formed out of the roots of ficus plants. Due to their being made from living, growing trees, they "show a very wide variety of structural typologies, with ...

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 A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural knowl ...

, and villagers call each other by whistling the lullaby.

Background

Etymology

Kongthong acquired its popular name the ''Singing Village'' from the ''"Jingrwai Iawbei"'' -

whistling Whistling, without the use of an artificial whistle, is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. Th ...

, 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 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 2,748 km2 and has a population of 825,922 (as of 2011). , it is the most ...

. It lies uphill in remote area between Sohra ( Cherapunji) 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 Khasi () is an Austroasiatic language with just over a million speakers in north-east India, primarily the Khasi people in the state of Meghalaya. It has associate official status in some districts of this state. The closest relatives of Khasi ...

- 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 f ...

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 Local bodies in Tamil Nadu constitute the three tier administration set-up in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a system of local government which forms the last level from the Centre. Chennai Corporation (now in Tamil Nadu) in the ...

and Sohra Vidhan Sabha constituency, which is a

reserved constituency Reserved is a Polish apparel retailer headquartered in Gdańsk, Poland. It was founded in 1999 and remains the flagship brand of the LPP group, which has more than 2,200 retail stores located in over 38 countries and also owns such brands as ...

for the Scheduled Tribes (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 Dawki or Dauki is a town in West Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, India. Geography It is located at , on the border between India and Bangladesh. Dawki Border-crossing Dawki Integrated Check Post or ''Dawki border crossing'' is on Dawki-Tam ...

(southeast, a

haat Haat Bazaar () is an open-air market that serves as a trading venue for local people in rural areas and towns mainly in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India. Haat bazaars are conducted on a regular basis, usually once, twice or thrice a week, a ...

and immigration checkpoint on

Bangladesh–India border The Bangladesh–India border, known locally as the Radcliffe line, is an international boundary, international border running between the republics of Bangladesh and India. Six Divisions of Bangladesh, Bangladeshi divisions and five States and ...

) 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-gaug ...

(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 (earlier

Cherrapunji Cherrapunji () - popularly known as, or Sohra - it's original native and official name, is a sub-divisional town (Proposed District) East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It was the traditional capital of ''ka hima Sohra'' ...

used to be the wettest, now taken over by nearby

Mawsynram Mawsynram () is a town in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in Northeastern India, 69 kilometres from Shillong, the state capital. Mawsynram receives the highest rainfall in India. It is reportedly the wettest place on Earth, ...

as the wettest). 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. The waterfall is located in the Indian state of Meghalaya, near Cherapunji (now known as Sohra), one of the wettest places on Earth. Nohkalikai Falls are fed by the rainwater collected ...

, 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 Homestay (also home stay and home-stay) is a form of hospitality and lodging whereby visitors share a residence with a local of the area (host) to which they are traveling. The length of stay can vary from one night to over a year and can be prov ...

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 The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

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 ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...

(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 village ...

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 ...

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 ( , "Gomeran whistle"), also known as ''el silbo'' ("the whistle"), is a whistled register of Spanish that is used by inhabitants of La Gomera, in the Canary Islands. It was historically used to communicate across the deep ravines ...

whistling language in

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

with 22,000 practitioners and

Turkish bird language Turkish bird language () 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 speakers. The language ...

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 In music theory, a scale is "any consecutive series of notes that form a progression between one note and its octave", typically by order of pitch or fundamental frequency. The word "scale" originates from the Latin ''scala'', which literal ...

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 ...

affiliates

Seva Bharati Rashtriya Seva Bharati is an Indian non-governmental organization (NGO) which engages in community work. Organization Seva Bharati is inspired by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the official community service umbrella of allied o ...

and

Rakesh Sinha Rakesh Sinha (born 5 September 1964) is a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha since July 2018, the upper house of the Parliament of India. He is the member of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS). Sinha authored the bio ...

- a member of the

Parliament of India The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...

, 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