The Transforming Face Of Villages In North East

A man, riding a bullock cart on a muddy, cow-dung laden road with paddy fields and greeneries all around, directs the bullock, hurr hurr tete tete into his house.

- Sarungbam Pushparani

His thatched house is small and cosy. In his little land, he grows seasonal vegetables, beautiful marigold and banana trees. There’s a small pond within the boundary of his compound that serves as a source of all water requirements – washing, cleaning, bathing, gardening, etc, etc. Then, there are poultry family happily loitering with a care free attitude within the premises, which is guarded by a gate made of bamboo poles. Fishes, on the other hand, enjoy a world of comfort in the pond eagerly sneaking out to have a look at what’s happening above the aquatic world. This is a scene of a village where I have grown up, and this is what I have assumed for every village in Manipur.

Mawlynnong, God’s own Garden

However, I was awestruck and my whole idea of village goes for a toss when I visited Mawlynnong, a small village nestled in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, about 3 hours drive from Shillong. It does amuse me a lot that a village earns world recognition only because of one reason – Cleanliness. All the media and travel channels rushed to the region to cover its story and uniqueness. And after reading about it, I also landed at Mawlynnong, which was conferred the‘Cleanest Village in Asia’ in 2003by Discover India.The title is an outcome of community based eco-tourism initiative.

After leaving behind many worth-capturing places, and passing through several kilometres of winding bamboo-lined narrow roads, I reached the welcome board that reads ‘Welcome to God’s own Garden’ making me even more curious. The pucca roads, bamboo garbage bins, creatively manicured blooming gardens and trees all around – the colourful village laid out its arms wide to give me a royal welcome. There are many small restaurants serving tea, snacks, and local food. Home-stay facility is also available.