In this Indian Village, people don't talk to each other, they sing

In the lush green folds of Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills lies a village that sings instead of speaks. Here, the air carries melodies, not words and every person has a name that is whistled, not spoken aloud. This enchanting place is Kongthong, famously known as India’s Whistling Village, where identity itself is a song.

Siasat.com explores this enchanting village in Meghalaya, where every person’s name is a melody and every call echoes through the hills.

A Name That’s a Tune

In Kongthong, every child receives two names, one official and one musical. The official name appears in documents, schools, and government records. But the name that truly matters in daily life is the one composed by the mother, a personal melody known as “ Jingrwai Lawbei”

Soon after birth, each mother hums or whistles a unique tune for her baby. That tune becomes the child’s identity, used by everyone in the village. Locals believe calling someone by their spoken name is disrespectful; the melody is their true self.

Each person’s whistled name has two versions: a short one for close communication and a longer one that can echo across valleys and fields. These musical calls help people connect even across thick forests and misty hills, where normal speech might fade away.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sushmita Das | TRAVEL (@travellingsushi)

Tradition Rooted in Culture and Nature

The Khasi people of Kongthong have practiced this for generations. Some say the custom began when villagers used whistles to communicate safely in the forest, or to avoid alerting spirits who could understand human language but not tunes. Others see it as a natural response to their hilly, echoing terrain, where melody travels further than words.

The practice also reflects the matrilineal culture of the Khasi tribe. Since family lineage passes through the mother, it is she who composes and bestows the tune, a gesture that symbolizes love, protection, and identity. No two tunes are the same, and when a person dies, their whistled name is never reused. It dies with them, preserving their memory in silence.

Preserving a Living Melody

Kongthong is home to 700+ people which means 700+ unique tunes .The village has even been nominated for recognition under UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list and featured in India’s Best Tourism Village initiative.

Yet, as younger generations move to cities, elders worry this age-old practice may fade. Local schools and community groups are now recording and teaching the tunes to preserve the “language of whistles” for the future.

A Song in the Hills

For visitors, Kongthong offers something rare, a glimpse of a world where music and identity merge. As the hills echo with these tender, personal tunes, one realises that in this village, a name is not just a word it’s a song born from a mother’s love.

Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News, Technology, Entertainment, Sports, Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS.