Cherrapunjee

I fail to understand why do the North eastern states are always at cross with the center, if put boldly, Mainland India ? To my utter shock I came to know that, even today, 15th August and 26th January though holidays, are not celebrated in Shillong the state capital ,forget about the interiors, but every enterprise remains closed as if in protest. As a tourist, locals might be putting up a facade but if you land up there for a job ? I don't know what the outcome would be? I am putting this after talking with many men on the street ! Of course many places in these states have yet to see even the  'P' , as in the progress, but the ball shouldn't stop there. Rather than having total freedom it would be better for all the states to remain together and have more autonomy within the frame work of constitution, may be with newer, wider agenda. Few learned people from every state should sit together, chart out minimum beneficiary program and the rest should rest with the states, so this constant bickering with the center and also among-st the states won't be there, which is hampering the progress of India as a nation in general. [ European Nations realized this, so came under one flag of EU. Every nation had different identity, but for the common goal of progress, all decided to come together, even having same currency and We ? We already ARE together, question is of understanding the need to be together. ]

I have been saying it again, that I am not a political student/ observer of any kind, but this is what I felt as a common man and I think it should count !

Back to travelogue !

The Elephant head falls on the way to Cherrapunjee are practically in the town of Shillong. Fall is in 3 tiers but extremely American. That is too much tourist friendly. No raw touch of nature anywhere, whatsoever. Nice steps, nice railings on either side to have proper hold and few streams of water rolling down lazily pretending to be waterfall. Nothing spectacular to keep mouth gaping!

Cherrapunjee. The wettest place on earth ! A definite short note in geography exam paper. One hears so much about Cherrapunjee so many times since childhood, that you start feeling as if you know the place by heart. But how many of us know that it is  known by yet an another name ? Yes it's also known by name Sohra. Though historical , it's more commonly used now ! Another pin to the bubble. Cherrapunjee does not hold the title of THE wettest place on the earth any more, it has been snatched away from her by small place known as Mawsynram ! Well do not want to go into details, tour manager gave the information, I checked it, and it turned out to be correct.

The road to Cherrapunjee was excellent but the mountains through which it went ? Well, little disappointing. They did not at all look like Himalayas, texture was mostly like our own  Sahyadri, western ghats. But Sahyadris are better afforested, these seemed to be having less trees than seen so far, practically bereft of trees at places. Was it the hint mother nature was giving us of the things, those were in the store ?  May be, because this part is mined for coal and we saw  heaps of coal at many places with that peculiar smell  pervading  the air.
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And the bubble burst. Cherrapunjee is absolutely nothing like one expects. It turned out to be damp squib ! Only damp , not even wet !  I expected dense forest ,so dense that making it difficult for the sun rays to penetrate. Flora and fauna in so much of abundance that one finding it difficult to keep the tracks. None of it whatsoever. On the contrary ,it's a barren plateau, bereft of any trees, forget about typical dense rain forest like terrain ! It was difficult to assume that once it was wettest place on the earth.

Another piece of information was more devastating. Cherrapunjee  at times faces water shortage in summer months !!!! 

I did not know how to react ! Had been to Egypt. In Aswan the last rainfall was 16 to 17 years ago. So the boys in their teens don't know what the rainfall is ! And we ? India as nation ? Even God is not helping us, and why should he/she ?

Ramakrishna Mission runs a school here that holds high standards. Had a chance to speak with one of the swamijees there. According to him the conversions are still being done and the reason for it seems to be economical. Girls from the local tribes aspire to seek education but the boys laze. The learned girl does not want to get married with tribal buffoon so changes the religion and gets married to the boy who is highly educated, but from other religion, mostly Christian. Every where ultimately 'Do Waqtki Roti' is most important !

The thing to be proud about is, the school admits Christian boys and girls but do not attempt to reconvert them !

Due to heavily descended clouds and dense fog we could not see any of the falls of Cherrapunjee. Nohkalikai fall is the tallest fall in India, falling straight 1115 feet down and named after a woman who committed suicide, jumping off the cliff. This was happening second time and I did not understand the logic. To be named after, why one has to jump off the cliff. There are dime a dozen institutions in every part of India named after the 'Royal' family of India , its every member, but it's never heard that anybody of the clan jumped off the cliff ! [ Take it as black humor, nothing personal whatsoever ]

Waited long to see 7 sisters fall on the other side. Same story got repeated, not even a glimpse due to dense clouds, so gave up and headed for Mawsmai caves.  And these turned out to be real adventure.

These are lime stone caves full with stalactites and stalagmites.At places you have to literally crawl other wise there are 100% chances that you will break your head. It took as if years to cross it and its not even one of 1st twenties in the state!

Back to Shillong. Took a round of Police Bazaar. Again nothing new. Now tiredness was telling its presence but few more days , one in Guwahati and one in travel !