A Band Of Visually-Impaired Strike a chord in Meghalaya

'Light After Dark'- a five piece musical band from Shillong has been striking the right chords among the music lovers and it is currently the hot favourite among the night club owners with even managers lining up to hire them; more so after the state election department recently engaged them for pre-poll campaigns.

Even though the members of the band are all visually challenged, they, however, has not let this become an obstacle and today they have become an inspiration for many.

Each of the members of the band are in their mid-20s.

The band played during the Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 and also at the La-Tomatina Fest at Umiam Lake and IIT-Guwahati's TedX show.

"Everywhere the band played, the response has been overwhelming," said Zoma Sailo- a music teacher who is also the mentor of the band.

Recalling about Light After Dark's formation, Sailo said that the five members of the band learned music under him and initially he had to blindfold himself to get a feel of how the troupe members perceive the musical notes.

The band was formed in 2013 and initially it had four members- Wanlamphrang as the vocalist, Rimiki Pajuh as lead guitarist, Dilbertstar Lyngdoh as bassistand Hilter Khongshai as drummer. The fifth member- Plamiki Lapasam- joined the band as vocalist and guitarist earlier in 2019.

"Disability has never come in the way of our performances," the members unanimously say whenever they are asked if the inability to see has ever hindered their progress.

These youngsters are known to play almost anything- from rock to reggae to traditional tribal beats popular with the Khasi culture.

It is worth mentioning here that the group's big break came when the Meghalaya election department hired them for its pre-poll campaigns. That became the turning point of their lives and since then there has been no looking back for them.

These group of musicians band has quite a few numbers of supporters and fans, not just in Meghalaya and northeast, but also in places like Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

It can be aptly said that being blind is not the end of the world but the beginning of something truly wonderful.