The Shillong Chamber Choir is perhaps the most popular choir act to have established its presence in India. They have made choral singing accessible to everyone by their innovative mashups with Bollywood and international hit numbers – songs like Vande Mataram, Yeh Dosti-Ajeeb Dastaan medley and Hey Jude-Tere Bina mashup.
During this lockdown their music hasn’t gone silent, they released a song called ‘sar jo tera chakraye’ to soothe the frayed nerves. But they also embarked on a new journey, which is perhaps more exciting – ‘Uncle’s Home Delivery’.
It’s a delivery service that the choir members started during the lockdown to help hundreds of elderly people, healthcare professionals and frontline COVID-19 fighters, because they are the most vulnerable group of people who may find it difficult to step out of their homes to buy essentials.
The choir has turned its huge practice hall into a warehouse of sorts, and each member has been assigned specific jobs like taking orders, sanitizing vegetables, handling meets, keeping accounts and eventually delivering. What’s more, it’s being done by following all precautions. The choir members work with masks and gloves on. Those who step out to deliver, do it in their PPEs. Currently Uncle’s Home Delivery is serving more than 500 people.
And there’s an exciting story behind the name – ‘Uncle’s Home Delivery’.
“Our founder, our mentor, the person from whom we have learnt everything is Neil Nonkyngrih. We call him ‘Uncle Neil’. That’s why we thought our venture should be called ‘Uncle’s Home Delivery’.”Rishila Jamir, Shillong Chamber Choir
Neil started the choir back in 2001 but the choir became an international sensation only after they won the ‘India’s Got Talent’ show in 2010.
Although ‘Uncle’s home delivery’ is a paid-for service in Shillong, the choir is providing free rations to underprivileged families in six villages of Ri-Bhoi district in Meghalaya.
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