Morung Express News Kohima | May 13 The most popular Naga artist of the 1990s, Methaneilie Solo Jütakhrie, today spoke at the second Café Conversations series ‘Story Nights’ of the Global Shapers Kohima Hub at Ozone Café. Interacting with a cozy gathering of young fans at Ozone Café, Methaneilie shared his passion for music and his journey as a musician in Nagaland. Born on July 2, 1955, Methaneilie was permanently handicapped after an accident during a game he played when he was six years old. Confined at home for most of his childhood thereafter, he found passion for music. “Back then, we could access music only through radio. I could not afford a guitar, so I made one with my own hands. I have preserved that guitar till today,” said Methaneilie. He said he drew inspiration from Jim Reeves, Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi. He has composed 187 songs, and performed in numerous concerts. “I do not follow any of the structured musical notes but learned to compose songs with my own Do Re Mi,” said the singer, speaking in Tenyidie, his speech translated to English by Kezhazer Angami. Methaneilie’s biggest challenge came in the form of poverty and lack of education; he could study only up to Class 6. He was once offered to sing in the Indian film industry in 1984 but declined, worried about his lack of knowledge in Hindi. Sharing his passion for music, the legendary artist said that he could compose two songs in a single day in his prime time. “Those days, my heart and mind was in music,” he acknowledged. Musicians in Nagaland, yesterday and today Replying to a question on the Nagaland of yore, Methaneilie said that he missed integrity in the Nagas the most, a virtue followed by everyone back then. Despite progress among Naga musicians, Methaneilie was of the view that young musicians today do not work as hard as in the past. He advised young musicians not to indulge in substance abuse, to put their best efforts into music, respect elders and mentors, seek their advice, and stay rooted in humility. Nagaland City Kuribole One of Methaneilie’s most popular songs, ‘Nagaland City Kuribole’, continues to be a favorite. Besides pointing out humorous idiosyncrasies of each tribe, the musician also points out the lack of integrity among leaders. “I wrote this song at a time when Nagaland was undergoing a crisis where tussles among the government led the elected members to continuously switch allegiance. I also felt that I needed to point out the faults of not just our leaders but our own people,” observed Methaneilie, who wrote and composed the song as a satire. The inspiration to compose the song came while he was on the banks of Doyang River; it took 13 days for the artist to fully compose it. “During my prime, I could sing 40 songs in a row without taking a break but now, it is a struggle. Although my strength and energy is fading, I still sing for the love of music,” said Methaneilie. He concluded Story Nights with ‘Siekelhouko’ (meaning ‘future generations’) and Nagaland City Kuribole. Global Shapers Hub is an initiative of the World Economic Forum. Global Shapers, Kohima Hub, comprises of people from diverse fields and has been engaged in mental health programs, environment and sanitation projects in Kohima, apart from its Cafe Conversations.