After our return from Cherrapunjee, we spent the next day lazing around. Shillong does not have too many 'Tourist Places of Interest'. There are many small tourist spots, such as Lady Hydari Park, the Botanical Garden, etc. But don't go there with high expectations. It is a laid back place with a laid back attitude. If you intend to stay in Shillong for more than 3 days, be prepared to do nothing (and I say that in a positive sense). Sit back and enjoy the warm people, the beautiful mountain views and the awesome weather. So, the next few days were spent lazing in the room, wandering around the city and generally taking it easy.
Getting back to the countdown, the next interesting place you must visit is the Don Bosco Museum.
No.8 - Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures. This centre, called the Don Bosco Museum by locals, is housed in a 7 storied building. The museum consists of various galleries showcasing the land, people, culture and way of life in the North East. It is a bright, clean and very well maintained museum. A visit is well worth the effort.
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| Main Entrance |
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| The Hallway |
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| Various Galleries |
*****************************Opinionated Comment********************************
Sadly in India, a museum has come to represent a musty, smelly and dusty affair with moth eaten artifacts placed in a boring and unimaginative setting. Going to a museum, which for many was never an experience to look forward to, is now further down in our priority list with the availability of instant information and interesting tidbits on google and the internet. However, such instant gratification can never match the real learning value of a museum. It is similar to expecting a child to learn about an apple from a 3D interactive image on an IPad. You need to touch, feel and taste the apple to truly learn and understand it's qualities. A museum is the closest many of us can get to experience various aspects of life, whether science, arts, history or any other aspect of human endeavour. Worldwide, museums are evolving and adapting by creating a more interactive, interesting and immersive experience. Museums in India seem to have given up without even putting up a fight.
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No.9 - Wankhar Museum of Entmology. Another museum, but on a very niche interest. More popularly known as the Butterfly Museum, this is a privately owned museum, displaying the vast collection of butterflies, moths, beetles and other insects, collected by the Wankhar family over the years. The museum is actually just one room, located in the basement of the family home. They don't seem to have too many visitors either. When I went there, the lady of the house led me to the basement and unlocked the room. I was told to inform them whenever i left. I had the entire museum, which of course is just a room, all to myself. The collection is fascinating, and strange (depending upon your view), at the same time. There are beautiful, colorful butterflies, rhinoceros beetles, huge centipedes and millipedes and many other insects. They have all been carefully preserved and laid out in glass cabinets. Worth a visit.
Museum is in the Basement of this house
No.10 - Siat Khnam. And finally we reach the tenth and final must see in Shillong. This final entry is not a place, but an event. Everybody loves a lottery. After all, who doesn't want to win big on just chance and luck; no special effort or talent required. In Shillong, it is the way the lucky winning number is chosen for the lottery that makes it interesting. The people here love Archery as much as lotteries. So they have combined these passions to create the Siat Khnam. Every evening, archers, along with spectators, assemble in a small ground for deciding the lucky numbers for the day. A bamboo target is put up in the centre of the field. When the go ahead is given, the archers commence targeting it with their arrows. On completion, the arrows are removed from the target and carefully counted. The total number of arrows stuck to the target decide the winning numbers. You can see all kind of people here - the hardcore gambler who is only interested in the result, the casual gambler who has come to try his luck, the tourists who are there to see the spectacle, and finally the hawkers selling tea and snacks (probably the only ones who are actually making a regular profit). The entire atmosphere is festive and is a great experience.
Result board found in shops all over the city
An Inconspicuous Entrance
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| Archers taking up positions |
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| The Target (Before) |
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| The Target (After) |
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| Counting in Progress |
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| Arrows being arranged in sets of 10 |
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| The Hand Crafted Arrows |
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| Snacks for spectators |
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| The Snack Platter to choose from |
Conclusion
This land and it's people have so much more to offer than just these Top Tens. In Shillong itself, I have left out the Shillong Golf Course, many a waterfalls, many more museums, etc. And I have not even ventured out into the hills which are largely unexplored. In addition, Shillong is the music capital of the country. Many international rock and heavy metal bands come to India, giving a performance only in Shillong. Many music festivals are conducted here. It would be worthwhile to check if any music festival or concerts are on during your visit and plan your trip accordingly.
Shillong Golf Course
A Golfer in Action :-)
**************************Opinionated Comment************************
Meghalaya, and the other North East States of India, are still clean, pristine and relatively unexplored. The great mass of the Indian middle class tourists (which, of course, I too am a part of) have not yet descended on these places. It is therefore a good idea to see it before further commercialization and tourist generated junk turns these beautiful places into mediocre, overcrowded and dirty destinations. So be sure to plan a visit to the North East soon.
*******************************************************************In conclusion, we had a great holiday, thanks to the great place, and more importantly, because we had great friends to enjoy it with.
Let me know if I have missed any place in my countdown.
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