"With her smoke and honey voice, 22-year-old Ale Metha is almost the Norah Jones of Nagaland.
She counts among her fans even state Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio who often calls the young schoolteacher to sing at functions.
At these events, Metha, a devout Christian, plays a dual role - she dances a traditional war dance where in the end a man is mock scalped and then croons in her nightingale voice about Christ as her saviour.
Therein lies a huge dichotomy. "The dance, yes, that would be considered pagan in rigid Christianity," Metha, an English graduate, grinned almost apologetically as spoke to IANS.
"But it's part of my ancient culture, I cannot forsake it. Just like I cannot leave Christ, my lord, god. So the two have learnt to live together.""