Governor of Manipur and Nagaland AK Bhalla, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 3 Corps Lt General Abhijit S Pendharkar, and former Governor and Chief Minister Dr SC Jamir along with the finalists of the Fusion of the Bands 3, 2026, at the Rangapahar Military Station, on January 31. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 31
Desi Rewind from Mokokchung won the Fusion of the Bands 3, 2026, a Hindi music ‘Talent Hunt’ organised by the 3 Corps for music talents of Nagaland under the Indian Army's Operation Sadbhavna. The finale on January 31 saw six bands performing at the Bhagat Stadium, Rangapahar Military Station, Dimapur, to a big turnout.
Governor of Manipur and Nagaland AK Bhalla was among the crowd as the chief guest, besides the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 3 Corps, also known as the Spear Corps, Lt General Abhijit S Pendharkar, and former Governor and Chief Minister Dr SC Jamir.
The winner Desi Rewind won Rs 3 lakhs. The first runners-up– Jack in the Box won Rs 2.5 lakhs and second runner-up– NTTB won Rs 1.5 lakh.
The panel of judges for the finals consisted of Bethel Tsuzu, founder Director of Mountain Music Academy; guitar virtuoso Arenlong Longkumer, winner of the 2020 Strandberg India Guitar Contest, and musician and music entrepreneur Akum Jamir.
The journey to the finale of the talent hunt consisted of a three-stage process which brought together bands from all across the state to compete. The preliminary stage, conducted online on January 24, had 35 bands auditioning.
After a rigorous selection process, 12 bands – After Party, NTTB, Suhani, Desi Rewind, Sonder, Rock Revolt, Jack in the Box, The Muse, The Rusty Garden, Riff Collective, Symphonia, and Midnight Radio – were shortlisted by a jury of three judges, to compete in the semi-finals.
The auditions were judged by a panel consisting of Moatemsu, guitarist and vocalist of the DGP Band; Yangertoshi, a Deputy Commandant in the ITBP and also a singer-songwriter; and Alem Alia Jamir, proprietor of Tribes Entertainment.
The semi-finals happened live at the Manekshaw Auditorium, Rangapahar, on January 29. It saw After Party, NTTB, The Muse, Rock Revolt, Jack in the Box, and Desi Rewind making it to the finals.
The Muse received a special reward. The Governor presented the 5-piece band led by a 10-year-old vocalist and featuring 13-year-old members, with a Rs 30,000 cash prize as a token of encouragement.
The evening was peppered with performances from guest artistes like social media sensation Agu Kath, and the Mahila Police Band of the 15th NAP (IR), and CoZye, a beatbox and guitar duo.
