Imnainla Jamir caught the nation by storm with her guitar performance of the national anthem at the Hornbill Festival in December 2022. Village Square speaks with the sensational guitarist about performing the national anthem, the challenges of being a female musician, tackling racism and the journey ahead.
Jamir: Thank you. I’m from Mokokchung, a beautiful town in Nagaland and that’s where my journey started. My hometown has always been vibrant and musical – full of wonderful and talented musicians. As a kid, I recall going to small shows and concerts to watch these musicians perform and was so inspired by their performances to become a musician myself.
Jamir: Well, I’m a self-taught guitarist. My brother was the one who first taught me how to play the basic chords. That way, I would say it was my brother who had the greatest musical influence on me. He taught me the basic chords, the roots of blues and jazz, after which I started learning on my own. It went on from there.
Initially, I started playing in small gigs in my hometown. One of my first major events was at the Hornbill International Music Festival 2018. I’ve moved to Kohima since and I’m currently doing my grade exams at the Symphony Academy in Kohima.
Jamir: Honestly, being a woman and growing up in a society where everyone is racing after a ‘behind-the-desk’ career, it was quite a challenge at the beginning to take to the stage and do something different from what most people would usually do.
For a girl to be a part of a rock band or go on solo tours was seen as taboo or unadvisable by most of the society because of the male dominance that exists in the music industry. Personally, I went through many such situations initially.
But now I am glad to see that many female musicians and artists are taking the stage and doing what they love and our society is gradually growing positively towards female roles in the music industry.
Jamir: Throughout my journey as a full-time musician I’ve had my ups and downs. There have been many situations that were motivating as well as many which were simply disheartening. But I should say all these situations have changed my perspective about life. It has marked the beginning of finding a new phase in my life where I’m truly understanding who I really am and who I was meant to be.
Jamir: Actually, it was not my idea to perform the national anthem. The Government of Nagaland approached me and asked me to perform at the opening ceremony of the Hornbill Festival.
Jamir: I’d say it was a very special moment for me to perform the national anthem in the presence of the Vice President of India. Unlike any other informal songs that I usually play, playing the national anthem in a very formal approach was an honour for me.
Jamir: I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive feedback and the reaction I have received over social media as well as in person.
Jamir: Well, one can say that this topic is controversial like the two sides of a coin. On the one side – yes, many young Naga populations still face racism in certain parts of the country.
However, on the other side, as the nation and the world get more connected, facilitating cultural exchanges, people are getting to know more about each other’s culture leading to the growth of respect for the same. This, hopefully, will help root out racism in the long run.
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As an Indian Naga, I pray for unity among us in our hearts and hope that we take the beacon of love and peace with us wherever we go. Let’s all hope and work towards weighing in more into this positive aspect.
Jamir: Right now my focus is my music education. My journey has just begun and I am most definite that the right time will come for a pan-India performance and eventually the global stage. Thanks to social media and streaming platforms, musicians have the opportunity to make it big today, no matter where they are from.
As for the immediate future, I am currently working on my first solo music video and I will be putting up my music on all streaming platforms.
Jamir: One piece of advice I’d like to give is for them to never give up. Maintain keen focus, be determined and have faith in yourself. Always acknowledge the Almighty God in all you do knowing that anything is possible.
The lead image shows Imnainla Jamir during a stage performance (Photo courtesy Imnainla Jamir)
Worngachan A Shatsang is a freelance journalist based in Ukhrul, Manipur. He writes about football, rural life, farming and environmental issues. He is a Rural Media Fellow 2022 at Youth Hub, Village Square.
