In pictures: Shillong drum rolls into the record books

The Meghalaya Tourism Minister, RG Lyndoh, said the event was "historic", and that it would send a "positive message" to the world about India's seven north-eastern states, which are sometimes better known for militancy and ethnic conflicts.

Representatives from Meghalaya's three major indigenous groups, the Khasis, the Garos and the Jaintias all took part in the event. So too did indigenous drummers from the nearby state of Nagaland.