Nagaland Guitarist Imnainla Jamir Does a Hendrix for Indian National Anthem at Hornbill

Right at the outset of the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, guitarist Imnainla Jamir has already notched up half a million views and thousands of shares and likes on social media.

Some of that virality for the Mokokchung artist comes from getting a stamp of approval from Anand Mahindra, who shared a video of her performing the Indian National Anthem on his Twitter page. To make India sit up and take notice is not a small feat.  

The 23rd edition of the 10-day long Hornbill Festival was inaugurated on December 1st, coinciding with India’s assumption of the G20 presidency. The festival saw the launch of the historic leadership role that India embarks upon and amidst this backdrop, Imnainla ripped out a soaring solo in the presence of the Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar and international guests as well. 

In the era of social media, many videos and acts have gone viral not only because of sheer talent but also sometimes by fluke. Imnainla was at the right place at the right time with the right amount of talent. Don’t let her rendition of the national anthem fool you into believing she is just someone who can play the six-string. She is a talent spotted early when she was 16 and already holds brand endorsements.  

Over 50 years ago, Jimi Hendrix played “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the end of Woodstock 1969. His guitar cried and wailed and recreated the sound of the war and then peace and love. In three and a half minutes Jimi had scaled a mountain. Imnainla perhaps endeavored similarly to touch the hearts of lakhs of Indians with her performance. Among the hundreds of posts and comments on her rendition, most people refer to her as a sister from Nagaland. It warms the heart to see that a year earlier when Hornbill was shut on the fifth day due to a heinous act of violence, a year later the same Hornbill has opened the festival with a searing tribute to the nation and marked one-ness across this vast country. 

I was in Kohima last year at the time of the tragedy that claimed the lives of civilians in Mon and was annoyed to receive calls from friends asking if I was safe. People had a preconceived notion about the state of affairs because I was in a certain region. What I experienced was the decency with which the Naga people expressed their anger and frustration. I realized that I cannot blame my fellow Indians as they see this part of the country only on their screens and hear from T.V. news anchors backed by diminishing research and truth. 

Here’s to hoping that Imnainla’s rendition of Tagore’s music inspires people across the country to make it to Hornbill Festival and to come to Nagaland. After all, it’s one of few states which treats music and art as an industry and musicians as entrepreneurs.

Music has the power to stir hearts and overpower boundaries set by hate and ignorance. Imnainla’s 54 seconds is a beautiful call to the nation which will hopefully echo in the hearts of her fellow Indians far beyond social media shares.