Fusing Indian rhythms with Naga voices
Jotsoma, 26 July (MTNews): Advisor to the Chief Minister and Chairman of the Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), Abu Metha, launched the ‘Ta Dhom’ project at RCEMPA, Jotsoma on 26 July. Nine music artists in hip-hop and beat boxing genres were selected for the Ta Dhom project.
Ta Dhom Nagaland is a fusion music collective that aims to fuse Indian rhythms with Naga voices and sounds and will be mentored by maestro Viveick Rajagopalan.
Viveick Rajagopalan, the founder of the Ta Dhom project, shared that Ta Dhom is a multi-lingual rap project representing the country with different languages and cultures. He said that in 2019, he discussed with Theja Meru to start the project in Nagaland, and through the project, he hopes to connect and bring communities together. He lauded the Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA) for their work and urged the artists not only to receive but also to share and give back what they have learned. ‘Ta’ and ‘Dhom’ symbolize the idea of two worlds, two ideas, and two cultures.
Abu Metha, who launched the project, said that the talents and capabilities of young people from Nagaland and the Northeast are no lesser than anybody, with music, arts, and dance ingrained in their DNA, and the rich culture of Nagaland is reflected through their music and dances. He stated that TaFMA is a Special Purpose Vehicle instituted by the State Government to push music, convert music and arts into an industry, promote entrepreneurship, and give impetus to the musical fraternity in Nagaland so that their dreams and aspirations can be pursued with the support of government machinery.
With more than 200 communities in the Northeast, with diversity as one of its strengths, Metha said that the Northeast has so much to contribute to the world, and if given the opportunities, Nagaland and the Northeast can make India shine brighter.
Highlighting the achievements of the youth at the national as well as international levels, he said that through these young talents, they have now become the new generation of ‘Naga Ambassadors’.
Metha stated that TaFMA is at the forefront of collaboration with institutions and artists, which has created opportunities and given a platform to artists to perform at the highest level. He assured that the government will continue to push the envelope and create opportunities the musicians deserve, and informed that a team from TaFMA will be participating in the next WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo), going to be held in Spain. He also stated that Nagaland will be hosting the next edition of the Asia Music Summit.
He expressed hope that with TaFMA’s active presence on social media, more opportunities will be created for musicians to reach a wider audience, transcending man-made boundaries across the globe. With the collaboration and addition of Naga ‘flavour’ to the Ta Dhom project, he hoped that it would be a success, and said that the support of the state government is assured.
Chairman of TaFMA, Theja Meru, shared that the project will be a fusion of Indian rhythm, the taals, and the Naga chants, vocal singing. He expressed hope that with Naga musicians being very talented, this is one channel through which the country and the world can learn about the rich culture of Nagaland.