- Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma performed songs at the Pineapple Festival finale in Delhi
- The event highlighted Meghalaya’s music, culture, and the Chief Minister’s music program
- CM-MGMP supports over 7,000 artists and has hosted 38,000 performances to date
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma stole the show after picking up a guitar and singing with young musicians during the closing ceremony of the 4th Meghalaya Pineapple Festival at Dilli Haat in New Delhi.
The performance turned the festival's finale into a celebration of Meghalaya's music and culture. The young performers were part of the Chief Minister's Meghalaya Grassroots Music Programme (CM-MGMP).
Videos from the event now going viral show Sangma singing the popular Bollywood song "Jab Koi Mushkil Pad Jaye, Tum Dena Saath Mera." In another clip, he plays the guitar and sings the classic English song "Life Is Older, Older Than the Trees" from Take Me Home, Country Roads.
The crowd was seen cheering, singing along, and recording the performance on their phones.
Speaking at the event, Sangma said the Meghalaya government was supporting young musicians through the Chief Minister's Meghalaya Grassroots Music Programme (CM-MGMP). The government financially supports the artists so they can grow their talent, build a career in music and earn a livelihood, he added.
He said more than 7,000 artists were part of CM-MGMP and over 38,000 performances had been organised so far. Tourists visiting Meghalaya can watch these musicians perform at different tourist destinations across the state, he added.
The three-day event, from July 10 to 12, showcased the state's organically grown GI-tagged Kew pineapples known for their low acidity and exceptional sweetness.
Tourists and residents of Delhi who attended the festival praised Meghalaya for promoting its agricultural products, cultural heritage and unique identity on a national platform.
A major highlight of the festival was the signing of agreements (MoUs) with Flipkart and the National E-Market Services Limited (NeML). The partnerships will help pineapple growers in Meghalaya sell their produce to more customers across India. With this, farmers will get better access to online platforms, organised retail stores and large institutional buyers.
