Man from India's Nagaland state gets Padma Shri for folk music

Kohima : Moa Subong, one of the founding band members of a folk fusion band 'Abiogenesis' from Nagaland's Dimapur region, is one of the Padma awardees announced on the eve of India's 74th Republic Day.

He was conferred with Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award in the Art category. Subong's band plays traditional Naga music and also performs modern rock music. Notably, he innovated a new and easy way to play the instrument called 'Bamhum' -- a wind musical instrument made from bamboo.

He created a new music genre called Howey and an instrument called Tikzik.

Talking to ANI, Moa Subong expressed his happiness over the news he received on Wednesday evening.

He said that he was so elated as he was not expecting this at all, and feels that this award has brought recognition to fellow Naga musicians, innovators, and craftsmen.

Achievers from a range of professions and diverse areas of the country figure in the list of 106 Padma awardees this year, with the majority, picked from the field of Arts.

The list comprises six Padma Vibhushan, nine Padma Bhushan and 91 Padma Shri winners. Nine of the awardees are women while seven will receive the award posthumously.

The awards are conferred by the President at a ceremonial function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, around March or April every year.