The capital city of Meghalaya (literally meaning the abode of the clouds) does not disappoint at all. Clouds shimmer overhead like delicious cotton candy when it’s sunny and like a soft grey beard when it’s cloudy. It’s refreshingly clean for a hill station and the ‘no plastic’ rule is followed rather dedicatedly. These for me were the most heartening facts. After visting a series of messed up hill stations like Ooty, Kodaikanal, Yercaud, Darjeeling, Manali, Simla, Mussorie and so on…this literally came like a breath of fresh air. Yet another heartening factor was its people. They are endearingly simple with a ready smile and ever eager to help. In my imagination Heaven is a place which is breathtakingly beautiful, where people are like angels in white wings, where flowers and pure white clouds abound, where silence is not a luxury you desperately seek…and I found all this in Shillong. I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with the place.
Our stay at Shillong was at Aurobindo Institute of Culture. There was such a wonderful feeling of peace around the place. It was amazingly green and clean. Bursting with Gulmohar trees in full bloom – filling up the place with its riot of orange. There was a little lotus pond and a mysterious brook somewhere – we could hear the gentle flow of water – though we could not see where it was right away. The place has a little cottage with two crisp, clean rooms. Trust me its more relaxing that the most prestigious hotel suites in the world. The room is large with windows on all sides offering breathtaking views of the campus, plus ample storage space and a bathroom that’s half the size of a football ground! Ah…a perfect place to unwind. I shall be my husband’s slave forever now for unearthing this place from somewhere and booking us a room there!
Since we reached Shillong late in the afternoon there was not much we could do on that day. My husband’s army cousin (a Colonel) and his wife were there in Shillong as well and we spent the evening with them strolling around the local market. For shopoholics there’s plenty to do! Loads of clothes and bags – all exports from Burma and Thailand. Plus a number of shops selling local bamboo handicrafts. We ended up buying plenty of fresh, delicious seasonal fruits – lychees, strawberries, local mangoes…
The next morning we had plans to go on a day trip to Chirapunjee – the place that records the highest volume of rainfall in the world. So we also shopped at the local bakery for lots of goodies to eat on the way. And then headed home. Next morning – said the army cousin - we ought to report at our car park at 7:45 am sharp. Aye aye sir!
Quaint little Shillong Snippets:
- There is a serious shortage of milk in the region. So if you go there expecting the good ol’ doodh wali morning chai – you’ll be taken aback by the black tea placed in front of you (I was!). The other option is powder milk tea – which sucks. And ask why there is a milk shortage people nonchalantly answer – because all the cows have been eaten!!!
Potato is the dominant crop in the region. So expect puri and aloo bhaji for breakfast; fried aloo and roti for lunch and…surprise surprise aloo and gobhi sabji for dinner. The potatoes of the region are ultra delicious and you don’t get tired of it. Only that you start to feel like one at the end of 3 days!!
Last but the most depressing of them all is the illegal coal mining that happens blatantly in the region. The mining is controlled by the coal mafia – the government is simply paid a grant and asked to keep quiet. Apparently many little children have silently lost their lives in the mines – but then the mining also supports many families and you see that there really is no acute poverty in the region. So I don’t know if this is good, bad, or merely a necessary evil…
