The Northeastern state of Meghalaya has a very rich heritage of music. To preserve and nurture this long heritage, the Tourism Department of Meghalaya launched the Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project.
Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya is popularly known as the Rock Capital of India. Music is an essential part of all fun activities and celebrations in this part of the world. It is also the home to internationally famed Lou Majaw. To keep this tradition alive and to promote tourism through music, the Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project was kicked off recently.
The main idea is to encourage and empower musicians of the state to pursue music as a profession. It also aims to encourage the event managers and organised along with the small vendors of the various equipment. All these while promoting the cafes and restaurants by attracting more crowds and thus increasing business.
The plan is to host multiple music events in different locations of the state. There will be two types of events as a part of this project. The first will be street performances or open shows and the second is cafe gigs. These locations are places with tourist interest and where most of the tourists visit. For the month of July, events will hosted in Shillong, Sohra and Jowai. While both new and experienced performers share the stage for greater visibility, the tourists also get value addition for their trip. A special events calendar will also be created for ease in planning ahead for the trip.
