Inside India's Whistling Village in Kongthong, Meghalaya
- sevensistersarchive
- Dec 2, 2023
- 8 min read
Did you know there is a village in Meghalaya where people’s names are songs and whistles?
Did you know no one was talking about it until three years ago?
I travelled with Harmon Dhar (The Rider and his Ukulele) to India’s only known Whistling Village in Kongthong, East Khasi Hills. The route there was breathtaking. The village itself was extremely illuminating in the way its locals chose to live life. And the legends about whistling require some clarification.
Here’s how it went.
Journey to the Whistling Village
In Northeast India, the journey to any place is often so good, it threatens to supersede the destination.
Harmon and I left from Shillong around 9 a.m., after renting a scooter from Keating Road. It cost us Rs. 1400 to book it for two full days. You can also take share taxis, although you will have to switch share-cabs midway. It is less than Rs. 300 to get to Mawjrong from Shillong.
The road from Shillong to Kongthong and Shillong to Sohra (Cherrapunji) is the same, until you reach a sleepy little village called Mawjrong. To go to Sohra, you continue straight. To go to Kongthong, you take a left.
After you take a left at Mawjrong and cross the monolith, you are on the Khat-ar Shnong Road. Here, the concept of civilization recedes and recedes, although it never comes to a complete halt. Kongthong was about 25 kms away from Mawjrong.
On this stretch, we crossed a lot of villages belonging to Khasi and War tribes. We crossed a shop (that extended to the ledge), where people sold Coca-Cola, chips and tea. But one would be hard-pressed to find shops that sell groceries, meat or cigarettes.
Cliques of locals stared at us as we passed. Harmon, open-soul that he is, greeted them with a friendly ‘kumno’ (how are you?) or 'khlein' (all good?) as we crossed. Harmon is a Jaintia from Haflong. Khasi comes easy to him.
The road from Shillong to Kongthong took two hours and some change, but the way we travelled meant that we took nearly four hours to arrive at Kongthong. We took plenty of breaks because of how casually breathtaking the view was. We even saw the mountains that border Bangladesh!
Here are some pictures.
Kongthong: Fact and Fiction
Since Kongthong has been called a whistling village, many assume that people whistle here. But people hoot. This is not the same as whistling. In fact, in many Northeastern cultures it is considered bad luck to whistle in the middle of the woods. Whistling can attract the spirits of the forest, and the spirit may choose to follow you home and beget ill-fortune.
I guess ‘Hooting Village’ was not very alliterative.
Each person born in the village is given a unique singsong hooting name. They are also given an ‘official’ name (i.e., a name for birth certificates or tribe recognition), but within the village, the singing name is preferred. This, for example, is Rothell Khongsit’s singing name:
The name of this language is called jingrwai lawbei.
There are 723 villagers in Kongthong (as of October 2023). This means there are 723 unique songlike names.
The way this tradition emerged was that, when a new baby was born, the mother sang to the newborn. That song became the way they were called. It is even considered disrespectful for fellow villagers to call them by their ‘birth-certificate’ name. Once, a kid was playing outside his house. His mother (presumably) called to him by hooting. The kid responded by hooting back. And then they had their conversation in Khasi.
Hoots are infrequently heard throughout the village. The sound will likely carry, regardless of which pocket of Kongthong you are at.
One can somewhat compare the hooting tradition to the ‘daak naam’ concept of Bengalis, in function, if not in style.
When and how this hooting tradition came to being is not known. It could have begun a hundred years ago. Or a thousand. Someone has speculated that the hooting emerged from parents calling out to their offspring through the forest, and realizing that their hoots carried over greater distances than phonetic sounds. But these are speculations. Northeast India has always been underreported and under-archived, and Kongthong is no exception.
There’s something really romantic and pure about making a song out of a name. It harkens the mind to a more primal time. A time when life was not as complicated, and the climate was not as fickle. When surnames were not as varied, when cultures did not plant their flags on absurd hills, when the virgin land was not bifurcated into a thousand provinces, when the unculled nature was as bounteous as it was dangerous, and when the only necessary condiment to apply on cooked pork was salt.
This is definitely the vibe that engulfs Kongthong: the feeling of trespassing back to a simpler time.
Think of your nickname. Think of the different names that your boyfriend or girlfriend calls you with. Chances are that there is a songlike quality to your pet name. It is the same with the people of Kongthong with extra steps.
Let’s understand this and not exoticize the villagers. The only difference between Kongthong and us, is that the former wear their love language on their sleeves.
Kongthong: Beyond Whistles and Hoots
Let us not relegate Kongthong to a village that is characterless beyond its singing origins. The destination was just as pretty as the journey, and that is saying something. This village is gorgeous. Personally, since Kongthong was the first village I lived in in the entire Northeast, it was doubly interesting for me.
Kongthong is several kilometres from civilization. No one contracted COVID-19 here. The closest thing to Kongthong was a small market around 5 kms away, and that was shut the day we got there. Because of this, the villagers largely fend for themselves. Kongthong grows mulberries, ginger, oranges and many other things. They rear chickens. They are self-reliant in every food spare paddy.
The village has a Presbyterian church and a primary school. There is a puja place for Seng Khasi worshippers, called Madan Ñiangpyrhai. One can saunter through all its lanes and slopes within half an hour. It also has a clinic, a tea stall, and two grounds where people play football.
A fair few of its residents follow the Seng Khasi religion. ‘Seng Khasi’ is an umbrella term for a group of religions that existed (and still exist) before British missionaries condescendingly labelled them as ‘pagan’.
Houses in Kongthong are constructed in the style of modern villages. You will not find many houses built of straw and bamboo. The village is similar to villages you will find in Assam. Their homes have tin roofs. Their fences are made of stone. There is always the smoke of firewood. There is construction going on there currently.
There was a neatly arranged outdoors seating area for their village meetings. In fact, the whole of Kongthong is extremely clean. It has dustbins every fifty meters. The air is pure to smell. Now that I think about it, even the stretch from Mawjrong to Kongthong was pristine.
To clarify; no, this is not a village where whistling has evolved into an entire language. There is no whistling/hooting for pronouns, prepositions or abuses. The hooting is only for names.
People here speak War-Khasi. It is basically the Khasi language with a thicker accent that is characteristic of Wars. The War community (pronounced “वार”) are a sub-tribe of Khasis.
It was warmer in Kongthong than in Shillong. That’s not saying much, since Shillong is one of the colder place in Meghalaya. In Kongthong, I was told that the weather can drop to eight degrees at its coldest, but never to five, two or zero.
Any conversation I had with locals was minimal. Villagers do not speak Hindi well, and their English is surprisingly good, but talk to them in Khasi and they will treat you like their long-lost brother. Harmon (Duolingo machine that he is) was very fluent in Khasi. He instantly formed a rapport with our host and got some kwai for us.
There is an unspoken rule here, as there probably is in all of Northeast India: Guest is God, but even the Guest must treat the Host as God. If the host welcomes you, humbles themselves before you, offers you food from their kitchen, and ensures you are comfortable, that should not make you entitled. You must also be similarly humble, ensure that they don’t have to move heaven and earth while you sit idly, and not litter the area.
The language barrier is undoubtedly a huge one, but it does not have to be a decisive one. Universal acts of kindness will universally exist.
Ten Commandments of Kongthong
At the junction of the first playground was an erected signboard that displayed the rules and regulations of residing in Kongthong. It was signed by the Syiem of Sohra Dorbar, since Kongthong falls under the jurisdiction of Sohra. Here it is loosely translated by Harmon himself:
Jingmaham – Rules to Abide By
You’re not allowed to sell or brew alcohol in this village
The residents of the village should not permit or encourage outsiders to sell alcohol or any kind of drugs within the premises of the village
One should neither say anything that would hurt the sentiments of other people, nor engulf in any wrongdoing that would bring shame to the village
You’re not allowed to look down on each other, nor shame anyone in the village
You’re not allowed to burn the forests, nor pollute the river in and around Kongthong
You’re not allowed to throw plastic, glass, pieces of metal randomly anywhere in the village
You’re not allowed to dump stones and block the roads that would cause problems to the passers-by in the village
You’re not advised to walk around the village after 10 p.m.
Whosoever are from outside, either for business or for holidays, has to inform the Sordar (Headman) of the village
Whosoever are coming from outside of the village to sell products of any kind; they have to conclude their business by noon, and not stay over in the village
Indigenous Agro Tourism Cooperative Society (IATCS) of Kongthong
Our host was Phidingstar Khongsit. Phidingstar is like the warden of the Kongthong Travellers Nest (where we stayed for the night). He was also our host.
Phidingstar works for the Indigenous Agro Tourism Cooperative Society (Ltd) of Kongthong. This Society was founded by Rothell Khongsit.
Rothell worked in government and the North Eastern Council for 12 years before realizing that he had to quit, to commit the time to empower the village he was born in. He founded the Society in 2013 and used his contacts in the government to make Kongthong known for tourists and travellers.
This ‘boom’ in recognition only happened around 2019, when Prof. Rakesh Sinha visited Kongthong. Meghalaya's Chief Minister Conrad Sangma may visit in December 2023.
It is because of Rothell and IATCS that we know of Kongthong. It is because of them that travel bloggers like Shenaz came here. They are part of the reason why Kongthong has an Amrit Mahotsav Gate, a tribute to U Tirot Singh, a NREGA Employment Scheme and functional water-pipes that connect to most homes of Kongthong (something even Shillong cannot boast of).
Mr Rothell is wary of letting too many tourists inside at the same time. "We don't put any signage," he said. "We do not want people to rush here. Ordinary people will come here, and they won't understand anything."
Having seen the state of Police Bazaar in Shillong, I am inclined to agree.
Kongthong: Tips for Travellers
COSTS: It is recommended you travel in a big group to split costs better.
1 person = ₹2000
2 people = ₹2300
3 people = ₹2500
4 people = ₹2800
6 people = ₹3500
Kongthong is only accessible by road. The roads get very thin and very rocky. Carry helmets and first aid kits to be on the safe side.
Ensure you are at Mawjrong before noon so that you are good on time. If you are travelling by car and passing through Shillong, add one more hour to your travel time.
Eat a full meal at Mawjrong before proceeding. Even though we reached Kongthong by 1 p.m., we were not provided lunch and had to wait until dinnertime.
Carry dedicated garbage bags instead of littering.
Alcohol is prohibited, but you can drink as long as you (a) inform Phidingstar/Rothell in advance (b) buy alcohol from outside (c) drink indoors and (c) don’t interfere with the peaceful, quiet and clean ambience of Kongthong.
Even though it is not as cold as Shillong, get warm clothes. And clothes for a ‘rainy’ day.
Carry All-Out or Odomos without fail.
Try to stay for more than one night, so that Phidingstar or Rothell can introduce you to the locals. Do not expect them to show you around on the same day as you arrive. They also have to go about their business and, more often than not, their business means travelling for several kilometers.
Contact Rothell or Phidingstar and book your stay at Kongthong Travellers Nest here. Please contact us here if you have specific questions.
!! If you travel to this place, please do not litter. Not a packet of Lays, not a cigarette butt. Many local religions worship the sun, moon, stars, plants and animals. Please do not dirty their homes and insult their Gods. They do not mock your laws, please also respect theirs !!
Comments