Unlocking dreams: Two kids from Assam find the key in Nagaland

Our Reporter
Dimapur, March 22 (EMN): Two 12-year-old boys from neighbouring Assam make the journey from their respective hometowns to a music academy in Dimapur, persuaded purely by their love of music.

For a 45-minute piano class, Ryan Paul travels from Lumding every Saturday to the Mountain Music Academy in Dimapur. The distance between Lumding and Dimapur, by the railroad, is 69 km.

According to Paul’s father, his son’s interest in music prompted him to send the boy to the academy in Dimapur since there was no such facility in Lumding.

Through a friend of his, the father could admit his son at Mountain Music Academy.

Initially, the arrangement was pitchy: the timing of the classes was not in consonance with the train schedule.

However, on request, the academy agreed to “resolve the timing issue”.

Now, the weekly classes run from 2.20 pm to 3.05 pm. After that, they take the train that leaves Dimapur at 4 pm, according to the father.

On Saturdays, the father shuts his ‘paan shop’—the family’s only source of livelihood—at Lumding; and accompanies his son to Dimapur.

According to him, ‘the best part of teaching provided by Mountain Music Academy’ is discipline; and he has ‘never seen any institute provide one teacher per one student for an entire piano class’.

‘Education is very important but I am not sure if I can support his pursuit in future as nowadays, for good education, they charge a lot. But for the time being, I can manage through what I earn from the shop,’ he said.

The other 12-year-old boy is, Ankur Newar, who travels from Dibrugarh. Newar also takes piano classes at the same academy.

According to his father, it is not easy travelling such a long distance; but for the son’s interest and future, he is ready to make the sacrifices.

Due to the distance, Newar usually can take only two classes in a month. Sometimes, he has to take ‘double classes’ as it is very difficult to make the journey every Saturday, the father added.

According to him, there is music school in Dibrugarh but ‘it is not systematic’; moreover, the son had insisted on taking music lessons only from Nagaland.

Newar aspires to be a music director in future.