India"s "whistling village" keeps folk practice alive as residents communicate through song

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Villagers of Kongthong, in the northeastern state of Meghalaya, demonstrated their melodious and unique way of communication on Monday, which has brought them to fame as India's 'whistling village'.
The residents of the village are upholding a Khasi tribe tradition whereby they call each other and communicate through the use of song and whistling, as part of a folk practice called 'Jingrwai Lawbei.'
"We used to sing this song and make this sound right from the time we were kids, our parents taught us, we are passing it onto our kids," said Ibashisha Khongsit, a resident of the village.
"Even now I will sing this song to call my friend and to ask her something, she will respond the same way, we also sing like this when we're working,"added Khongsit.
The village has become a destination for tourism as a result of the unique lifestyle of its residents and is located approximately 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the capital city of the state, Shillong.
"This village [inaudible] is quite far and remote from the city (Shillong), so now it has become one of the most, we can say, famous places,” said Raphael Ralph Shadap, a local tourism coordinator.
The village was recently entered under the 'Best Tourism Village' category as one of India's top three candidates for a programme run by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

SOT, Ibashisha Khongsit, Resident (Khasi): "We used to sing this song and make this sound right from the time we were kids, our parents taught us, we are passing it onto our kids."

SOT, Ibashisha Khongsit, Local (Khasi): "Even now I will sing this song to call my friend and to ask her something, she will respond the same way, we also sing like this when we're working."

SOT, Raphael Ralph Shadap, Tourism coordinator: "The other villages, they speak normally. Here, we can say [that] some people when they call their children, they use whistling. That is [what] makes this village very special."

SOT, Raphael Ralph Shadap, Tourism coordinator: "This village [inaudible] is quite far and remote from the city, so now it has become one of the most, we can say, famous places. Because of these people who are staying in this village, they have this special communication, we could say. That's why this village is very popular not only in India, [but] even throughout the world."

SOT, Raphael Ralph Shadap, Tourism coordinator: "This type of communication [has been used] right from the time of their grandparents, the way they teach them to communicate in the family."
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