SHILLONG DIARIES

January 13, 2012

Friday

Working for your cult-fest has its own ways of surprising (sometimes disambiguated as shocking) you. One day, in the dead of night, you are busy watching the particular soap episode that you waited for a week, and some 4 hours later after leaving the episode midway, you are on your way to the small town capital somewhere in the hills (of which there are so many around here) a hundred kms away, to address a group of college students and coax and mindwash them so much so that they think of Alcher before they think of defecating first thing in the morning. Also, if you are lucky enough, you’ll find it is the coldest day that particular town ever had this winter (and of course, you forgot to bring your jacket) and a secret group of truck drivers have staged accidents all along the highway to give you a chance to enjoy your 80 rupee bus ride to its fullest. Disclaimer : Generally people are not as lucky, and this one account is perhap’s only a Halley’s Comet, and might seem exaggerated. Nevertheless, sitting here in a Mizoram State Transport Bus with frosted windows already, that has been sitting idle in the middle of traffic for the last one and a half hour, a mind enlightened from a day’s blissful experience can only do so much.

I have seen Shillong in passing before. It looked beautiful then, as it looks now. Situated at an altitude of 1496 m above see level, it is the closest you will come to finding a proper town in the hills, I think. Replete with 45 degree roads, churches and made up of many a small hillock, this place also boasts of a lake which is one of the largest in the north east and is famous for scenic spots, shopping and cheap booze. Shillong, I mean. Not the lake. (I am pretty sure, without that latter part about the booze, so many students wouldn’t flock Shillong everytime they have the opportunity.) But all that said, if you are new to the North East, like most of us students are, you’ll like to visit this place and get your new facebook display picture. (Yes. Another one of the sad truths of life. That’s what everyone does when they go to the mountains. The pose in which the pic is taken varies from the narcissist content from one person to another, of course. Some sit with their shades on with the valley stretching away beneath their asses and an expression so solemn Socrates would start believing he never was a thinker, others have this religious belief that their pic should be taken while they are in the air, and keep jumping until the best snap is taken! Its almost become a cult at IITG, the dp-in-the-hills thing. Chances are, once you graduate, and if someone wanted to know if you had been to IITG, they’ll check your display pics on fb. If you have one, you were an IITGian. If you don’t, that degree on your table is forged! Not that it matters, but just to avoid all that fuss, I think I’ll get one dp for me too the next time I am around.)

How a bad day makes you digress!

Anyway, the bus is moving now. It has remained stationary for so long that this moving actually feels weird! And it would be unfair if I didn’t tell you about the good parts of the day. We were here to meet a group of college students, and tell them about our festival, like I mentioned earlier. That went well. Its always good to know people, and not just because a majority of them were good looking girls. We spent the greater part of an hour discussing Alcher, while it hailed on the tin sheds above our heads. (I love this fickle mindedness of the mountains. Sun one moment, rain the other.) They were pretty impressed with what Alcher had done in such a short time. Who wouldn’t be! After we left the college, a starved me had my favourite chicken at a local restaurant overlooking Central Point. We the got onto this bus which will get us to Guwahati at some point tonight. Just a while ago, they had stopped on this dhaba so everyone could have their dinner. I sated my soreness by gorging on a fish dish, the best I have had in ages! Everything in this world will make sense as long as you have good food and a good reason for work. I have the latter in Alcher. I found the former in the fish!

Its been a long day. Save the inconvenience caused in traveling, the work was pretty good. And with Alcher only some three weeks away, everyone’s excited and eager to put in their best for the festival. I think I’ll make the most of this prolonged bus journey and go finish a blog I was supposed to write. But before that, I think I’ll need to take a pee.

This night’s bloody cold!