What could have been asked for more? The northeastern part of India is a hidden gem of India. Why is it a hidden gem? Because despite a steady stream of Indian and foreign tourists every year, only a few venture out into the northeast, which is much like a Pandora’s Box. With natural beauty, biodiversity, heritage, authentic local cuisine, and the best of native folks and their folklores, there is hardly any room for complaints. Yes, here we are talking about the perched atop a hilly terrain, and overlooking the Bangladeshi plains is Meghalaya,  which in Sanskrit means “the abode of clouds.” amongst the Seven Sister States of northeastern. I fell for Meghalaya for more than many reasons like breathtaking waterfalls, the eerily beautiful Living Root Bridges, Limestone caves, and Monoliths.  A long list indeed!

Meghalaya is a hilly state that can be categorized into three different parts- West Meghalaya Garo Hills, Central Meghalaya Khasi Hills, and Eastern Meghalaya Jaintia Hills. Meghalaya is bounded by Assam on the north and Bangladesh on the south and west.

Shillong: In the rainy season of 2022 My family and I  decided to visit this beautiful paradise which is called the “Scotland of India”. We started from Delhi for Guwahati. There are two ways of going to Shillong. You can select Shillong airport or Guwahati airport and can have the mindblowing experience of natural beauty by availing yourself of the services of a car or a bus. We took the second option and landed at Guwahati airport.

We reached the city around 1 pm and began our journey to Shillong by a minibus which drove 11 of us through Assam, waiting excitedly for the cool breeze of Jaintia Hills.

A three-hour drive uphill from Guwahati takes us to Shillong, the capital of the state which lies at a height of 1,496 meters above sea level. En route, We passed the first halfway mandatory stop at Nongpoh, where we had savor a cup of tea while watching the breathtaking beauty of the hills. Local women behind small stalls were selling pineapples and bananas, honey and pickles- all range of common to rare pickles right from the chilies to mango to bamboo pickles in bottles. We bought bamboo pickles. We started through green mountains, and thick Himalayan foliage and enjoyed the pollution-free mountain air. We drove past hamlets, small fruits and momos stalls, and a beautiful water body,  which was situated 17 km before Shillong. I asked locals the name of that water body or the lake: “Barapani or Umiam lake”. It’s not a natural lake but a dam, a manmade lake, they said. Later I found that it is indeed a reservoir and an artificial lake and was formed by damming the Umium river and covers about 220 square km. This is the first hydro-powers well past the near project in this part of the country. Barapani is a major tourist attraction

Umium Lake

Umium Lake

Soon We reach the outskirts of Shillong. We had booked our accommodation well in advance and that was a big relief. We stayed at one of the most reputed and picturesque hotels in the northeast – Pinewood Hotel. It was perched in a secluded area, away from the hustle and bustle of the town. After having a cup of refreshing tea, we decided to visit the busy streets of the town. One of the most talked about and lively places are the Police Bazar. Famous for its roadside shops for the street smart shopper or the swanky malls for handicraft items. We were not able to explore it much because of its extremely jam-packed roads.  Our driver was not able to find parking and was not allowed to park the car by the roadside. We slipped into an eatery that we spotted near us and had khasi dinner (though it was like a hard nut to crack to find veg food in khasi dinner somehow we could manage whatever little variety of veg items we were served). We retired to our hotel room and decided to explore Shillong on the next day and were anxious to tour Cherrapunji on the third day.

The next day after having breakfast in the hotel, we headed to the Don Bosko museum.  Don Bosco, the center of indigenous cultures is the perfect introduction to the people and culture of North East India. We spent 3-4 hours here is highly informative as you get to know the rituals, customs, attire, old weapons, occupation, way of life  food, etc. of various tribes of North East India. Replicas are built to make it easy to understand and for children to enjoy a visit here. The skywalk on top also gives an amazing view of Shillong city. Don Bosco museum is highly recommended for all.

Elephant Falls

Elephant Falls

After The Don Bosco, we moved to Elephant Falls. This unique fall gushes out water in three tiers, the bottom one is the most spectacular. There are about 150 steep steps that take you down till the bottom of the fall. The crystal-clear stream of water cuts through the protruding rocks vigorously. We took a small boat ride which took us to the extreme close to the Fall, tiny droplets gave us the feeling of being so close to the magnificent fall. After visiting the Fall, we had our lunch and proceeded to the highly-recommended Shillong peak, situated very close to Elephant Falls. We had heard a lot about the spectacular bird’s eye view of the city that this peak offers. However, while we were on the way, we were welcomed by our hosts, the Meghalaya clouds. It suddenly started raining. And when it rains in Meghalaya, it doesn’t just rain, the clouds literally come close to you and embrace you. We went up to the top of the hill and lo! the view was something like that we could see nothing but fairy-tale-like clouds covering the entire city. Yes, the clouds did play the spoilsport as far as the view was concerned, but none of us regretted being literally on top of the rain clouds.

However, if you visit the peak when it isn’t raining, you can see the Himalayas and the Bangladesh plains from here.

Meghalaya is a wonderland for wildlife. The state is gifted with species like red panda, gorillas and elephants, gibbons, and more. Crack open this treasure chest of flora, fauna, and wildlife by visiting parks like Nokrek National Park, Balpakram National Park (where you’ll find the rare red panda), Siju Bird Sanctuary, and more. We were short of time so we could not visit those places but kept them for our next trip.

The next day after gorging on the delicious breakfast served by our hotel, we started early for avoiding the daytime traffic of the city for Cherrapunji. Cherrapunji, also known as Sohra or Churra, means ‘the land of oranges. The cliffs of Cherrapunji also offer stunning views of the plains of Bangladesh.

One Comment

  • Vikrant sinha says:

    A wonderful first hand description of the beautiful state of Meghalaya through this travelogue.
    A well written piece that vividly describes the local beauty f Meghalaya and tele-transports us to the place.
    The local knowledge keep tumbling out of the piece here and there that adds local flavors in this write up. A must read for those planning to visit the this wonderful state.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

loader

Stories are the best way to come closer to children and Dr Monica Khanna is doing fabulous work in that sense. It’s always mesmerizing to read the stories she creates. Not only the kids, but even parents enjoy every bit of them.

Little Chimpu’s adventure through the jungle wherein she discovers the truth about ferocious Sher Dadu, is a beautiful story about finding friends in the most unlikely of people.

This picture book is such a delight to read. The book is beautifully illustrated with a good story line and strong vocabulary. I liked in this book is using the relations like ‘chachu’, ‘mamu’ and others which the kids are missing due to nuclear family... I must say the author has touched the chord of the heart with the sweet language used in the book..It’s a must read book for all the young kids.

A Wormy Tale is a delightful picture story book that offers the curious mind of a child the perfect blend of fun and relatable characters, vibrant illustrations and significant learnings that seep in with simplicity and are finally sealed with the array of activities it offers. This is a book with a wholesome experience, so read on!

This lovely book teaches you to think smart and not get carried away by appearances. Best wishes to Dr Monica Khanna for her amazing creation.

Dr. Monica Khanna has come out with one more offering for you all. Such a wonderful and endearing story! It takes us to that time of our lives when we believed that everything around us is black or white. Childhood is so much fun and so full of innocence. The characters in this story are so believable, with human-like qualities. Kind, gentle, witty, intelligent, sharp, sly and so on... Each young reader will enjoy reading this story because it is so relatable. You can find people with such qualities all around you.

The well-crafted, colourful illustrations of the enthusiastic musicians among insects – grasshoppers, katydids and hawkmoths, the frogs with their crafty expressions and the thoughtful busy bee, make it a lively read. Woven into the story are the fun facts of each insect, making it educative and inspiring too, thus inculcating the love of nature to early readers.

Katie Bagli’s new book promises to bring back the concert we have missed ever since the pandemic hit us. She beautifully weaves science and fiction, urging her young readers to learn about the techniques used by the wetland musicians - the grasshoppers, the katydids and the hawkmoths. Then there are the subtle values and undertones that make for great learning for children the vacation in nature, the loving aunt, the dutiful bee, or even the love for the garden insects.

Katie Bagli’s stories are filled with wild imagination yet grounded in facts.She brings to life the mundane and often overlooked facts with wit and humour, in her stories, as also in ‘The Insect Concert’. Her characters are driven by a moral so subtle that children may hardly realize the important life values they are imbibing just by reading her books. Her stories are lessons in science and art as each panel bursts into vivacious colours and tickles the imagination of the young reader. Truly delightful and a must read for all.

This book ‘Insect Concert’ by Katie Bagli is another gem from her treasure trove of stories about nature. Through a simple yet novel story, she manages to develop an interest in the animal kingdom and also provide a new learning. There are some activities too which children will enjoy. The illustrations add to the storyline and make the book more interesting for the young reader. I wish Katie more power to her pen.

Sunny Side Up’ is a book of joy for every child. With colourful illustrations and child friendly language this book opens up a world of different kinds of food to the young minds.

An instant hit - With colorful illustrations and an engaging narrative, this playful nature book is perfect for curious toddlers. A Wormy Tale..an engaging, simple yet extraordinary new story from Katie Bagli, number one bestseller and fastest growing children’s author in the country

Through this story, A Wormy Tale, the author Katie Bagli highlights earthworms as a part of the ecosystem. Educators can use this story for crossdisciplinary and interdisciplinary thinking within the national curriculum. Katie’s love for nature is evident in all her books.

To be hired in today’s global marketplace, employers demand more than basic ‘hard’ skills. The difference between a frustrated candidate and a sought-after recruit, the long-term worker and a compelling leader, or the stagnant professional and the rising manager can be the ‘soft’ skills each exercises in the workplace. This highly researched book analyses the job environment of today and for the future where ‘soft’ skills become a more critical attribute. The reader gleans valuable guidance on how to acquire and improve these ‘soft’ skills for a more enriching career.

Alpha Zone book – ‘Sunny Side Up’ - shows the variety of food that is present round the world. All of us know the common pizza or burger but there are many delicious dishes out there that many have not experienced. This book encourages us to be curious and to learn, enjoy and experience the art of the culinary skill.

I’ve absolutely no hesitation in saying that even after working for 30+ years in Manufacturing and Education sectors, I was not able to correlate nonverbal communication skills of a person with his personality and credibility. But after getting in touch with Prof (Dr) Shalini Verma and going through her first book, ‘BODY LANGUAGE: YOUR SUCCESS MANTRA, (2005)’ I immediately fell in love with this beautiful subject and understood that body language is an important personality trait of any person. I am delighted to know that Dr Verma is bringing out a multi-title series of that inspiring book after 15 years, which is surely going to be another ‘hit’ and beneficial for the readers, especially the Gen Z youth, who gravely need the maturity to understand and cope with complex personal & professional relationships to move forward in life.

Children’s literature largely trivialises and glosses over such issues such as gender or colour biases. But this book deals with the sensitive issue of our proclivity or preference for fair skin colour. In the context of the Indian subcontinent, such debates and discussions should be encouraged so that children grow up with a healthy self-image and grow up with the right attitudes that skin colour is secondary to inner beauty. Dr Monica’s sensitive handling of this subject deserves to be applauded. Kudos!

This book talks about the fact that beauty has no standards - it’s the way one looks at one own self. I am sure this book will surely attract young readers. I wish all the best for the book.

Kudos to Books33 for coming up with a separate segment of Children Books under its imprint Alpha Zone. Your initiative will definitely make parents and teachers understand the importance of inculcating reading habits in your kids right from their young age. I appreciate Dr Monica Khanna for her bookSunny Side Up’ and love its ‘kahani mein twist’ which made it all the more exciting.

A lovely rhyming style and delightful words make this book effortlessly readable. Dr Khanna addresses a vital issue of our times in this allegorical tale of female crow.

One may speak good English, bad English, good Hindi, bad Hindi, a mix of Hindi-English or 'Hinglish', Spanglish, Pig-Latin, Gibberish, Mumbling or Double-speak, the sub-text that one's body speaks is just ONE -- CREDIBLE or NOT CREDIBLE! Be aware of your body language. You can lie in your words, but the body never lies. We communicate through our Body all the time, even when we don't realize it. However, there are very few expertswho can deeply understand, analyse and decode Body Language. Dr Shalini Verma is one of them.

Kyra’s Return Flight conveys through a delightful story the very important message that there is great joy and power in accepting ourselves as we are,and not falling prey to harmful social prejudices about what is attractive or good. I greatly recommend this wonderful book about loving oneself!

‘Sunny Side Up’ authored by Dr Monica Khanna is a slice of delight with just the right bite.

‘Sunny Side Up’ is a delightfully wicked book! A complete treat for kids of all shapes, sizes and taste; those who fuss around their meals and those who devour their food. A visual treat for the eyes that moistened my curiosity palate, as I turned each page to follow Sunny’s exciting culinary adventures. An astonishing finale, that enhanced some beautiful childhood memories.

Katie Bagli has two interests, nature and children. She has two talents, writing and drawing. As a story teller, she engages children with her colourful puppets and other visual aids, bringing to life the characters in her books.

Dr Monica Khanna’s new book ‘Kyra’s Return Flight’ dwells deeper into the age-old societal challenges of colour differentiation amongst humans. Through a simple life story of a crow, she brings to the front the problem that we have of self-pity and self-doubt that dark coloured people face through the generations. As a school principal, I definitely recommend Monica’s books in all school libraries and encourage parents to share a copy with their kids.

My compliments to the author for developing rich and novel content in an area that still lies underexplored. With so little information available on body language in the Indian context, I can imagine how much hard work
would have gone into creating a book like this. This book is beautifully crafted in terms of quality content and relevance in the current context.

Former General Manager from State Bank of India

An Electrical Engineer and a first-generation entrepreneur with PhD in Management

Has been working in the corporate world for the last 10 years

A 17-year-old bright student of 11th standard at Dibrugarh, Assam

A student of IBDP program (at DYPIS) in Mumbai, India

Analyst at Deloitte USI

A 15-year-old student of class 10 at Apeejay School - Panchsheel Park, New Delhi

A 15-year-old student of class 10 at St. Mary’s ICSE School, Navi Mumbai.

An M.A. in English Literature from Tezpur University, Assam

A NIFT graduate and a professional Jewellery Designer

An educator by the day and a poet by night

A professional Microbiologist and an avid nature lover

Currently pursuing BDS & aspires to become a successful writer

A Communication Professor & Authorpreneur

English Language and Personality Development skills Trainer

Aspires to make career and writing and become a successful writer

Winner of ‘Mrs Karnataka’ and ‘Inner Beauty’ titles

A 13-year old 8th grader studying in Mangaluru, Karnataka

Student of English Honours at Calcutta University, West Bengal

A student of airport handling at YMCA, Delhi.

An engineer by profession and a writer by passion

Author & co-author of multiple books and anthologies

A nine-year-old student of Silver Oaks International School, Hyderabad

A Grade-III student of Silver Oaks International School, Hyderabad

She adorns the hat of a multitasker - an educationist, an artist, a poet, a photographer, an author, a homemaker, a wife and above all a MOTHER

3rd grader studying in Silver Oaks International School, Hyderabad

A writer by passion and a Physicist by profession

Sr. ERO (Sr. Employee Relations Officer) at Indian Oil Corporation Limited

Associate Professor at Indira Institute of Business Management

Registering with Books33 is the 1st step to joining our community and earning a ‘Bookoholics badge’ – an ENTRY TICKET to avail plethora of opportunities and discount coupons. And the good news is that registering with us is absolutely FREE!

BOOKS33 is a HOME of the AUTHORS, By the AUTHORS & For the AUTHORS. We give 360 degree publishing assistance. We not only PUBLISH your books but also PROMOTE & MARKET those books across the world and help you in spreading your wings across the book readers' community. We provide end-to-end assistance in publishing, promotion, and positioning of your books under just ONE roof.