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This whistling village of Meghalaya walks into the ‘Best Tourism Village’ award category: Prune 

Some happy whistles are in order as Kongthong, the whistling village of Meghalaya has been chosen for the ‘Best Tourism Village’ award nomination. The awards organized by UNWTO (The World Tourism Organisation) have welcomed the nominations of two other Indian villages as well. These are Ladhpura Khas in Madhya Pradesh and Pochampally in Telangana. The Ministry of Tourism recognized the immense popularity of Kongthong village among the travelers and declared the happy news worldwide. 

In this village of Kongthong, situated 60km away from Meghalaya’s capital city Shillong, the locals call each other by melodious tune identities instead of names. When a baby is born, the parents compose a distinctive tune that becomes a lifelong identity. While they are given regular names, the unique lullaby remains the top way for the villagers to communicate. 

This tradition known as ‘Jingrwai Lawbei’ has been running among the resident families for generations. And these distinctive songs come in two versions, a short song, and a long song. The short one is normally crooned at home as a pet name, while the longer version of the song is based on folklore used to ward off evil spirits in forests. Also, if anyone faces danger in the forest, these tunes help the locals get rescued by humming the songs to identify themselves. 

A unique and treasured beauty

The Khongthong village is a treat for sore eyes with lush greenery and stunning views. There are dense rainforests and meadows on all sides. The locals reside here with simplicity and harmony, and their source of work is farming and hunting in forests. The hamlet is habited with about 700 residents, and the remote village is adopted by Rakesh Sinha, a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar. While the dreamy beauty of the place will leave you mesmerized, the soothing sounds hummed around by the locals makes it stand out as one of the best tourist attractions in the world. 

The musical tradition carried forward by the locals is also used as a courting ritual. The villagers enjoy a celebratory evening on a full moon night every summer, where a young unmarried man hums his song. The one who does it well marries a single woman of the village. 

The best time to visit this beautiful destination is from October to the end of May as the weather remains pleasant during this time. And if you want to experience their unique musical tradition, there is no better place to visit than this! 

To learn more about exciting travel destinations, visit the Prune website at https://prune.co.in/ or download the app now!