Kamakhya, Root Bridges & Laitlum Canyons

During the trip:

Places Visited:

3!

Places we stayed at:

Ri Kynjai (to die for) and a small guest house around Cherapunji

Food I ate: Nothing too different than I normally would

Was another work trip, worked with a few Don Bosco schools in Assam/Meghalaya for 2 weeks and closed it out with a short trip to Meghalaya. A short note I wrote about that experience.

Strife with on again off again conflict, the NE region was off-limits for any kind of travel, at least for me. So when work came to me through Adhahayan, I was wary. But I had to go. After a decade of harping about wanting to work in the education space; actually work not talk about it, not consult for it, not feel good just by thinking about eventually working in it etc. I had to go. Armed with nothing but a curiosity to see, understand and do, I marched bravely into the NE region of India to work with some of the schools in that region.

The experience was one of epic proportion, epic, no disclaimers. All schools had beautiful large playgrounds, freshly painted buildings, rivers and streams flowing around, acres and acres of green - the only differentiating factor were the people - people who ran it and the people who were part of it .

People in the school: The system was simple, schools set up in multiple locations with the intent to provide access to the remotest regions of the area. They all had very similar support structures and similar challenges. But the energy of the ones that chugged with all their might to move forward was palpable the minute you walked into the school. The schools had more students than they could handle, had a resource crunch for everything possible, needed more of every kind of training - teacher, parent, student, systemic etc but it still sparkled. The people made the difference. The rocket sciencey thing of it was, the care and the genuine need to deliver the promise of an educational institution. That’s it. They found their ways through the everyday challenges with solutions rather than excuses. They were present. They worked with the community to stand with them rather than against them (this took years and quite a few serious conflicts before the turn around happened). And they showed the children that they mattered, in small but consistent ways. And most of all their need to learn and grow bordered on gluttony - they incorporated all what we suggested with a life or death urgency. And they sparkled.

The people who came to the school: Half of the students traveled more than 7km one way - through the hills, some crossing water bodies - walking, cycling, public transport etc. Some parents (dads/moms) came to drop and waited patiently for school to finish and took them back home. When we spoke to them, their expectation was simple - teach my child. They didn't demand different learning styles, clean classrooms, space for the students to sit comfortably, in turn hesitated to complain about anything - lest the education was taken away. As the only other choice was the government school, which rarely had teachers showing up on a daily basis. Many principals did not show any signs of registering the enormity of the responsibility placed on the school to deliver the promise - the ones that did, sparkled.

The people that was me: We had to stay on campus as that was the safest option while traveling through the remote areas. So, it was immersion in its truest sense - I saw the extent of the challenge and the joy of progress of an inch. I felt the frustration of the people running the schools and the hope of the parent patiently waited at the gate. I cringed at the injustice of all things unfair (from ineffective teachers to libraries locked up for 15 years for no reason) and celebrated the fact that some alumni returned to give back to the school.

It was the first time that I did not crave to go back home - 17 days. It was the first time I allowed lizards to share the room with me, cause with that came the lightning bugs - think it was the other way around! It was the first time that the bathrooms mattered less and less and the work mattered more and more. Above all, the fear that I was all talk and no action was finally put to rest. And it was the first time that within 3 days of coming home, I wanted to go back.

1. Kamakhya

We were late to go in, the temple was already closed. My first temple where sacrifices were the norm. I did see a few pigeons held captive, maybe even a goat. Honestly was very mixed about it (at that time). Was I okay with being in a temple where life needed to be sacrificed to appease? It was part of life a long time ago but we have moved on, haven't we? Who decided to keep some traditions and look down upon the rest? And therefore condition us to feel the same?

One of the Shakti peethas, she is the goddess that represents the menstrual cycle. Again dissonance in absorbing the information, women menstruating were always unclean, weren't they? Even the most educated ones tell me even now that, 'why do you want to mess with it, don't come in if you have your period'. At that time I ended up feeling less than. Is that what the temple is there for, to make you feel less than and more than?

Wandered around the temple, a small innocuous shrine caught my attention. Tara she was, the female Buddha. I was elated. Walked around, not much is written or said about it. Checked online too, not much information. Was just good to be there

Didn't hurt at all that the Brahmaputra was meandering forcefully nearby.

2. Root Bridges

Some 500 years old, engineered along with the help of the trees by the Khasi tribe who were looking for permanent solutions to cross over to the other side.

The drive itself was too exciting. The root bridges man. We got in late evening, settled, talked with the guest house people about which one to walk down to. We picked the least travelled one with uneven steps. Why, because we could. It was sheer madness but so exhilarating. There was no one else (theme of my trips), the villagers guided us to the start of the steps and we began our descent. Over 3000 steps, uneven, completely moss covered and only gigantic mosquitoes to keep us company. Humid air and intermittent drizzle. We saw no one else. just walked down without any idea as to how far it was and where we would reach. Would hear waterfalls once in a while and get excited, but couldn't see them.

Then, boom! There it was, was very tentative to walk on it, was worried for the tree. But got over it quickly enough. Was so so worth the trek down, drank from the flowing stream (which becomes a furious one during monsoons) with crystal-clear water and sat quietly for a long while.

The trek up was laborious, ninja hens were on the lookout. Got out safe and sound to tell the tale. Another day, another story.

3. Laitlum Canyons

On our drive to Cherrapunji, we got lost trying to find these canyons. Eventually, with the help of some boys, who seem to have a lot of free time, found the canyons. Natural beauty as good as any other country can be found in India too, if you have the patience to go through what you need to and look for it. Again not much written about these canyons, but spectacular they were. Have been looking to find out more about the age, formation etc, but no luck. Beautiful nevertheless.