Local bands preferring electric guitars to traditional percussion, residents passionate about Bob Dylan, Elvis, and Scorpions… In India, Shillong stands out as a musical exception. A special report.

In Shillong's shared taxis, speakers don't broadcast the silky voices of Bollywood nightingales, but rather the guitar riffs accompanying English-language lyrics from rock legends—from the King to Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan to Cliff Richard. Nowhere else in India is rock music revered with such devotion, though there's a marked preference for bands from before the 1980s.

"Today, music is fast food," declares Tipriti, the charismatic singer of the band Soulmate, a duo she forms with guitarist partner Rudy Wallang. At 25, Tipriti sings the blues. Since the release of their aptly titled album "Shillong" three years ago, her face—a striking blend of Asian features with high cheekbones—and her voice, reminiscent of a Black American diva, have captured Indian music channels.

"They say that in Shillong, one in three residents is a musician," says Larsing Ming, owner of the "Centre Point" hotel. At "Cloud 9," the establishment's bar, he occasionally invites local bands to perform on stage. This music enthusiast has also spent recent years organizing a major outdoor concert for New Year's Eve. Last year, 20,000 people attended the event.

For programming, Ming has an embarrassment of riches. His protégés include the girls of the girlsband Afflatus, who freely blend rock, punk, and funk; the guys of Snow White, who sing in Khasi (the local language, akin to Cambodian) over electric rock; and the band Summer Salt, which favors a more pop approach to self-proclaimed "experimental indigenous rock." But there are also all those who play for themselves, in their garages and especially… in church.

"Ever since we were young, it's in church that we've seen electric guitars, drum kits, and keyboards," explains Tipriti of Soulmate. She herself started singing at mass and met her bandmate Rudy while recording a gospel compilation. Shillong indeed brings together all branches of Christianity in a curious melting pot of denominations.

As early as the 19th century, the small town was chosen as a summer capital by the English, nostalgic for the cloudy skies of their homeland. They were joined en masse by missionaries who brought their music—both sacred and secular—which Shillongites continued to listen to long after independence, courtesy of Voice of America radio.

But the living legend of rock in Shillong is Lou Majaw. For over 35 years, this Khasi guitarist has organized an annual concert for Bob Dylan's birthday. Some years, media and sponsors show up, and the long-haired old rocker in his snug shorts can afford a proper venue.

And when lean times arrive, Lou Majaw pays out of pocket to make the event happen. A passion that inspired the Tourism Department of Meghalaya State to organize in 2007 the "world's largest guitar ensemble" happening. Record broken: for a few minutes, 1,730 guitarists played together the mythic "Knocking on Heaven's Door." The love affair between Shillong and rock has a bright future ahead.