MOKOKCHUNG, OCTOBER 12: The Changtongya Town Baptist Church Youth Ministry celebrated its musical festival with Takowati, language officer, Directorate of School Education, Nagaland, as the special guest on October 11.
Altogether18 bands and singers – both old timers and young upcoming ones – took the stage and enthralled the audience through their melodious renditions of gospel songs.
It was a time for revisiting and also celebrating the rich heritage of the past singers, especially those gospel singers from Changtongya Town Baptist Church (CTBC) who took a keen interest in gospel songs from the seventies. The music festival was also a time to revisit and explore the deep meaningful spiritual aspects of gospel music, with an aim to inspire the younger generation in the field of music.
The special guest, Takowati, while speaking at the festival, exhorted the gathered musicians and music lovers that songs have many meanings and logic in them.
While lauding the CTBC-Youth Ministry for organising the music festival, the special guest, however, lamented the lack of enthusiasm of the present generation in music.
He encouraged the young composers to add the right meaning to their lyrics while structuring their songs so that their songs and compositions inspire the listeners.
While lamenting that many singers and composers are given to indulge in drugs and alcohol, Takowati urged the young and upcoming talented singers and composers to keep away from harmful addictive substances so that their talent and creativity can be more productive for the society.
Changtongya once produced numerous talented composers and musicians in the past.
CTCB Youth director, Imtisunep Ozukum, while speaking on the sidelines of the festival, said he has identified the music among the youths. It just needed to be ignited, he asserted, while adding that the festival was to refill the blessings of the forefathers ushered by the musical pioneers in the Changtongya area.
The pastor of CTCB also asserted that the church is always behind the youths in the town and is ever willing to promote the youths and music in the church as part of the church ministry.
