Indian drummers in Kolkata
© AFP/File

SHILLONG, India (AFP) - "From schoolchildren to professionals, we're mobilizing drummers from across the northeast" to play in October, Meghalaya tourism minister R.G. Lyngdoh said in Shillong, capital of the far-flung state.

Organisers hope the "beat session" in which the drummers will play a newly composed piece called "Positive Vibrations" will "change the world's perceptions" about the northeast where a host of militant groups are fighting for causes ranging from greater autonomy to full-scale independence, Lyngdoh said.

"The northeast is not just about insurgency and negative things -- we're capable of thinking positively and doing good things," he said.

Organisers are planning to get the 5,000 drummers to play together in an open stadium October 28 to kick off the state's week-long Autumn Festival.

The current Guiness world record for "largest drum ensemble" was set in 2004 by Grammy award winner Mickey Hart who assembled 4,374 drummers at the Global Festival for Peace in Laytonville, California.

"We're expecting representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records to witness this historic event," Lyngdoh said.

©AFP