Our Meghalaya

     

Nestled in  the arms of North East India, "Meghalaya" literally means Abode of clouds. The state that has made its place amidst the Seven Sister States of the North East, Stands tall at an altitude varying from 150 m to 1961 m above sea level. Once upon a time the 300 km wide hilly strip used to be a part of Assam and comprised of United Khasi and Jaintia Hills along with Garo Hills. In 1972, Meghalaya was separated from Assam and acquired the status of an autonomous state and is now bounded by Bangladesh on the South and Assam on the North. It has been divided into seven districts namely East Garo Hills, East Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi, South Garo Hills, West Garo Hills and the West Khasi Hills.

    
About one third of the State is forested and two third population is engaged in agricultural and allied activities, for their livelihood. But alas, inspite of having a rich base of natural resources including minerals such as coal, limestone, sillimanite, Kaolin and granite among others, agriculture accounts to merely one third of the GDP of the agrarian economy. Agriculture in the state is characterized by limited use of modern equipment & lack of sustainable development techniques.Therefore the resources remain underutilized.                          

With average annual rainfall as high as 1200 cm, Meghalaya is the wettest place on earth with a comfortable temperature that does not rise above 28 degrees. The town of Cherrapunji holds the world record for highest monthly rains, in the world. The rivers in the state are rainfed and therefore seasonal. 

The locals come across as diffident and do not seem to mingle much but the doors of the state are always open for the tourists who don't seem to get enough of the hills, doused in unparalleled greenery. 

The clouds seem to descend from heaven onto the terraces of the mountains, whenever the land is blessed by rainfall. The state is a creeper on the map, that seems to grow on you with time and make it yours, forever. The leviathan mountains never look down upon the inhabitants, derisively. But, on the other hand surround the state and protect the throng with stoicism. The birds flit from branch to branch with gaiety and chirp gregariously from dawn to dusk. 

As I write this down, I take in the view that peeps in through the window of my room. The sun has risen after many a days and has brought a state of cheerfulness all around. The rays tiptoe in through the bars of the window and as they walk across my face, I look forward to yet another day.