Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 21
Arenlong Longkumer from Nagaland was announced as winner of the Strandberg India Guitar Contest on May 21.
The contest which began on April 9, was announced on Facebook by The Stockist. The last date for submission of entries was May 9.
The Stockist identifies itself as a joint adventure between Alberto Music & S B Music, with more than two decades experience in imports and channel of musical instruments.
The judges for the contest were Anthony Cammarota, Chandresh Kudwa, Shon Pinto and Keshav Dhar.
While there were many contestants from Nagaland, Arenlong, Toshimoa Jamir and Pong Di from Nagaland were among the 6 finalists picked by the judges based on the entries received.
The initial plan was to select 5 finalists, but according to The Stockist, due to a tie between two contestants, the judges settled for 6 finalists.
For someone who has always been into music, the contest was a perfect opportunity for him, as the prize was none other than the coveted Strandberg Boden Standard 6 Tremolo Maple Quilt Bengal Burst worth Rs 1,78,500.
Arenlong told The Morung Express that he came to know about the contest when his uncle sent him the contest details on WhatsApp. “Instantly, I went ‘wow!’ because the prize was a Strandberg guitar!” he shared.
“I have always loved the Strandberg guitar from the first time I saw it and I just thought there's no harm in giving it a go,” Arenlong said.
“I've always loved playing the instrument but like most people, I didn't make it a full time career because of circumstances. But along the way I have enjoyed playing shows whenever I could,” Arenlong informed on Thursday.
The winner was selected on the basis of a Facebook poll which ended on May 20. Arenlong received a total of 2802 votes while Pong Di came a close second with 2459 votes.
According to Arenlong, he was not expecting the win, even though the support he received was overwhelming.
“Winning was something I wasn't expecting. I know people said otherwise, but from my perspective it wasn't there,” he shared.
When the result was announced, Arenlong was taken by surprise. “It took a while for me to process everything,” he said, while expressing gratitude for all the love and support from family members, friends and well wishers online.
“I hope I live up to the guitar’s reputation and make people happy with my music,” he concluded happily.
Meanwhile, The Stockist announced that all the participants of the contest will be given a discount coupon to shop for anything they like on their webpage.
