By Chris Higginbotham and Chen Lin
China.org.cn Multimedia Team
In the village of Shillong in Northeast India sits a unique house. From the outside, it probably looks like other houses around it. But inside, it's far from average.
Neil Nongkynrih's walls hold the Little Home School. It's not a clever name – it's a little school in his house. Inside you might hear underprivileged children learning English. You could hear a disabled child learning about political science. If you stay long enough, you'll most certainly hear some of the most beautiful music on this planet.
"If I tell you what we do, it sounds very boring. We sing, we pray, we tell jokes and we learn," Nongkynrih said.
The school is part of the Shillong Chamber Choir, which is visiting China before competing in the first World Choir Championships. The choir visited China.org studios to discuss their group and to sing a couple of songs.
Nongkynrih started the choir in 2001 as a way to get back to music he loved. He was a promising piano soloist, having recorded his first concert when he was a teenager. He studied in London, but his life there was unfulfilling.
"I don't think I was made for a solo career. I was never happy," he said. "I was just playing what everyone else was doing." He wanted to get into vocal music, to have the freedom to make his own music, and to give something back to his community.
The choir and the school have given him a satisfaction that piano didn't offer. They have also brought joy to his father, Scott Lyngdoh, who is president of the arts society that oversees the choir.
