WORLD'S COSTLIEST WOOD

The price of this wood is comparable with that of silver, which is a costly metal used in jewellery. No doubt, this is the worl'd costliest wood. Santalum album, or Indian sandalwood, is currently endangered and consequently very expensive.

Although all sandalwood trees in India and Nepal are government-owned and their harvest is strictly controlled, many trees are illegally cut down and smuggled out of the country. Sandalwood essential oil prices have risen up to $1000-1500 per kg in the last 5 years. Some countries regard the sandal oil trade as ecologically harmful because it encourages the overharvesting of sandalwood trees. Sandalwood from Mysore region of Karnataka, Southern India is widely considered to be of the highest quality available. New plantations have been set up with international aid in Tamilnadu in order to facilitate the economic benefits of sandalwood. Today, in Kununurra in Western Australia, Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) is being grown on a very large scale. Huge plantations surround this picturesque little town.
Sandalwood Prices, 1900-1990

Year Rs/Ton

1900 365
1933 1,000
1965 6,000
1970 10,000
1980 31,000
1987 78,000
1990 160,000

WORLD'S LARGEST DRUM ENSEMBLE

Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum (MTDF) organised the largest drum ensemble with 7,951 drums playing simultaneously at Jawaharlal Nehru Open Stadium, Shillong on Oct 28, 2006. The music piece titled 'Positive Vibrations'was an opening act for the Autumn Festival (Oct 28-Nov 5, 2006) at Shillong, capital of Meghalaya and lasted for 10 minutes.
Thus the city had entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest drum ensemble. From schoolchildren to professionals, all available types drummers from across the northeast were mobilized to perform in the event. The drummers, mostly tribes people, schoolchildren and members of the police, performed the orchestrated piece called ‘Positive Vibrations’ composed by a local musician, Rudy Wallang.

Meghalaya’s Tourism Minister R G Lyngdoh said: “This is a historic moment for us. People across the world would now know that Meghalaya is a vibrant place and a tourist destination.” Mr. Lyngdoh played an important part in organising the record breaking performance.

“The 7,951 drummers have created a new Guinness world record with their scintillating performance Saturday,” Michael Sean Whitty, an adjudicator from the Guinness Book of World Records, said on Sunday. Some 25,000 people chanted “hoi kiw, hoi kiw”, a local victory cry as Whitty announced the creation of the new world record, handing organisers a certificate to confirm the achievement. In the absence of any permanent adjudicator, Whitty had to fly here from Britain to oversee the world’s largest drum ensemble. Whitty added that a growing number of entries from India making it to the Guinness Book of World Records, its officials are contemplating the appointment of a permanent adjudicator for the country. “We have one in China. We are now thinking of one for India,” he said.

The previous 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.