Shillong, July 26: The U Soso Tham Auditorium at the State Central Library came alive on Sunday evening as The Art of Living, Shillong Chapter, presented “The Nirvana Station” – a Musical Extravaganza and Bhajan Jamming, held under the banner of the World Forum for Art & Culture’s Sattvik Beats initiative.
The programme, which began at 5:00 pm on 26th July, drew a full house of over 500 music lovers from across the city, who stayed on their feet through much of the evening as the ensemble moved between devotional bhajans, contemporary arrangements and extended live jamming.
The performance was led by the acclaimed group The Nirvana Station, fronted by vocalists Ms. Anagha Karvir and Mr. Anivart Jhunjhunwala, whose musicians brought a rare blend of energy and stillness to the hills of Shillong.
What began as a concert soon became a collective experience, with the audience joining in the choruses and the auditorium resonating as one voice, a hallmark of the Sattvik Beats format, which seeks to make devotional music participatory rather than performative.
The organisers placed on record their sincere gratitude to Shri Sanbor Shullai, Cabinet Minister of Arts and Culture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Printing and Stationery, and Legal Metrology, Government of Meghalaya, and to Smti. Camelia Doreen Lyngwa, Director of Arts and Culture, Government of Meghalaya, for their support and encouragement, and for making the U Soso Tham Auditorium available for the evening, a venue that carries the name of the Bard of Khasi literature, and one the organisers described as a fitting home for such a gathering.
The event was made possible through the generosity of a large number of sponsors and well-wishers from the Shillong community, whose support the Art of Living Shillong Chapter acknowledged with deep appreciation.
The Chapter also thanked the Meghalaya Police for security and traffic arrangements, and its volunteers, technical crew and kitchen team, who worked through the day behind the scenes.
The Shillong Chapter indicated that the response to Sunday’s programme has encouraged it to plan further cultural and musical initiatives in the city in the coming months.
