Three music stalwarts from the Northeast — Sikkim’s Girish Pradhan, Manipur’s Rewben Mashangva and Shillong’s Rudy Wallang — recently came together for a casual jamming session that is winning hearts.

With music and stories of life taking the centrestage, the hangout offered a much-needed relief from the daily grind. No financial worries, no social media pressure. Just three legends connecting with each other through the power of music.

Girish, a Sikkim-born rocker and lead vocalist of the rock band Girish and the Chronicles, shared the video on Instagram. “Just a Blues legend (Rudy Wallang), a Folk guitar legend (Guru Rewben, also happens to be a Padma Shri recipient) and a Rocker, hanging out after a sound check, sharing music, life stories and 🥂. No Money talks, no corporate BS, no social media… Just plain old normal conversations. Gotta do this more often,” he wrote.

This moment came as a love letter to the Northeast’s rich musical landscape, where rock, blues and folk traditions thrive.

Rudy, hailing from Shillong, is one of India’s most iconic guitarists who has been in the blues scene for over two decades. It all began for Rudy in the 1980s, when he joined as the bassist of legendary blues-rock band The Great Society led by singer-guitarist Lou Majaw. After 12 years of being Majaw’s “right-hand man” and subsequently moving on to the role of the band’s lead guitarist, Rudy eventually left to focus on blues.

Not just The Great Society, Wallang was also a part of another classic Indian band, Mojo, which he formed with his fellow Great Society drummer Sam and bass player Ferdy.

His influence, particularly for blues, dates back to the early 2000s, when he co-founded the blues-rock band Soulmate alongside Tipriti Kharbangar at a time when there were no dedicated blues bands in India. Over the years, Soulmate represented India at international blues challenges in Memphis and other stages across the world, including concerts in collaboration with legends such as Carlos Santana.

Then there’s Rewben aka Guru Rewben Mashangva, a musician from Ukhrul, Manipur, who’s earned titles like “Bob Dylan of the Nagas” and “King of Naga Folk Blues”. A Padma Shri recipient, Rewben has been instrumental in reviving the traditional Hao music of the Tangkhul Naga community.

Having no formal training in music, Rewben was first introduced to the guitar by his friend who went outside Manipur for studies. After getting his first guitar from a Burmese buffalo trader, he realised that he didn’t know how to play the instrument or sing English songs. Thus, he began playing it in his own style. That’s how Naga Folk blues music was born.

Experimentation has been a defining part of Rewben’s career and his carpentry skills have shaped him over the years. When he wants to create the exact sound he wants, Rewben creates specific musical instruments. Hardcore fans have always been in awe of his guitar slide ring which he made from spare car parts and wears on his finger while performing.

At the intersection of blues and folk music, we had Girish from Sikkim, the ‘eighth brother’ to the Seven Sisters of the Northeast. Leading the hard rock band Girish and the Chronicles as the vocalist, the rocker has been making waves — both on national and international stages. 2025 marked a milestone for the band as they opened for a Guns N’ Roses concert in Mumbai and made it to the quarter-finals of America’s Got Talent.

The idea for Girish and The Chronicles, currently based out of Bengaluru, took shape after Girish left college to pursue music full-time. From being the first band from the Northeast to perform at a major European music awards festival to sharing the stage with rock legends like Alter Bridge and Poets of the Fall, GATC has been crossing milestones.

What keeps GATC motivated is their DIY ethic, a love for ’80s hard rock and heavy metal, and the desire to keep rock ‘n roll alive in the Indian music scene, Girish told The Telegraph Online in an interview.

The jamming session also found a fan in Bollywood music composer Vishal Dadlani, who couldn’t stop craving the indolent vibes of the meet-up. “What a room! Wish I’d been there too, just to sit back and listen and talk and laugh,” Dadlani, who himself used to be the vocalist of one of India's leading rock bands Pentagram, shared in a comment.