Guru Rewben Mashangva also known as the father of Naga Folk Blues was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri award for his distinguished service in Arts by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan today.
The president conferred the Padma Awards to 119 recipients.
The 60 years old musical genius was born and brought up in Choithar village of Ukhrul district and has come a long way through sheer hard work and entirely self-taught. With inspiration from church music during his childhood days, the son of the carpenter became famous for using traditional instruments in his music.
The musicologist also promote folk arts by refining them so that they can be fashionable for modern platform.
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Guru Mashangva also in the past was honoured with Manipur State Kala Akademi in 2005 award for his commendable contribution toward Tribal Culture, and certificate for training “shishyas” in Tangkhul Naga Folk Song, 2004-2006, under the Guru Shishya Parampara of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and accolades such as North East Excellence Award by Indian Chamber of Commerce, 2009, “in recognition of his innate musical mastery and knowledge of Naga Folk Music”, and National Tribal Award by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for his contribution “in the field of Tribal Art and Culture, 2011-12.
In an exclusive interview with Ukhrul Times, Guru told, “I feel like I am a bridge that connects antiquity with modernity. My ability to manipulate different musical instruments also contributed to the recognition of my works. Since other musicians don’t know how to play these indigenous instruments (Tingteila and Sipa), my music stood out distinctly”.
To read the exclusive interview read: Excerpt of a telephonic interview with Padma Shri Guru Rewben Mashangva