Road Tripping Through Meghalaya

When I first heard I was travelling to Meghalaya in early October, I was disappointed I was not visiting India’s more illustrious tourism capitals. “Why not Mumbai, Goa or Jaipur?” I muttered to myself on the flight to Shillong from Delhi. In retrospect, discovering the culture of this less publicized land was a life changing experience for me - I still suffer from withdrawal symptoms missing the ‘the abode of clouds’.

I was a delegate on the 15th Know India Programme, a Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs initiative that familiarizes Indian Diaspora youth with the developments and achievements made by the country and helps them connect to the land of their ancestors. The program involved a three week stay in the country for 28 participants from Australia, Canada, Fiji, Israel, Iran, Malaysia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom. The program partnered with the government of Meghalaya, as well as Assam

The tiny state abounds with hills and cool temperature and was a welcome relief from the pressures of journalism. Travelling through the streets of Shillong, the first thing I noticed was the Christian character of this mystic land whose influences touches every aspect of Meghalayan life: from architecture to fashion, cuisine to music. Shillong is a little piece of Western Europe on the fringes of North-East India.

Rain, rain and more rain - Meghalaya is abundant in rich moisture. It is no wonder that the town of Cherrapunji in the Khasi hills holds the world record for the most rain in a calendar month. On my visit to the wettest town on earth and as fate may have it, I did not experience the famed downpour but instead experienced a rare glimpse of the valley of Bangladesh from Cherrapunji’s hillside. No words can describe this surreal scene. Like the final scene of a play, the clouds acted like the closing curtains bringing an end to this theatrical moment.

Sticking with the water theme, I visited three waterfalls: Noh Kalikai falls, Elephant falls and the Seven Sisters’ falls. The serenity created by the cool water meandering on the smooth rock course is an ideal spot for mediation and introspection.

A highly enjoyable but claustrophobic activity was hiking through the Mawsmai caves bare feet. Crawling through the small crevasses, navigating through the cold black pools of water and finally reaching the sunlight was the highlight of the trip.

I have been on many nature trails in South Africa but walking through the sacred grove on the fringes of the village of Mawphlang was very unique. The ancient forest is preserved by the tribes of Meghalaya for religious and cultural beliefs for centuries. Nobody is allowed to harm the forest - do not break a leaf or hunt an animal - otherwise you will be cursed and you will die! The only exception is for personal medical reasons. Our guide really thumped the ‘harm the forest and die’ mantra. I could not wait to get out of there.

Shillong, the state capital, has an indescribable charm. A unique tradition in Shillong is archery stakes - a gambling game where you must guess the amount of arrows that successfully hit the target by 20 archers who shoot at once. I picked my two favourite numbers 69 and 26. Unfortunately, I did not win but three of my friends did - they bet Rs.10 each and walked away with Rs.600. I am so jealous.

Shillong is also known as India’s rock capital and their passion for the genre extends to the highest level of government where the Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma sang a few Elvis hits for us during a government function. I have never partied to the Bee Gees, Eagles and Beatles before. It was truly a memorable moment.

I also had the opportunity to see Shillong from the back of a Harley Davidson at night. The shimmering lights of the city are entrenched in my conscious.

Meghalaya is a beautiful majestic land. I can’t wait to go back!