Shillong, the hill station that is the capital of Meghalaya, is a a bit of an anomaly from the rest of India. Everybody loves rock music in Shillong, it seems. Our taxi driver put on Nirvana on our drive up to Cherrapunjee – something which stunned us. He says everyone in Shillong loves music, and rock is the soul of the hills here… when we found ourself in Cherrapunjee 2 hours later, people all around us were just asking each other if they were going to see The Killers on the 30th of August.
Yes.. The Killers, playing in Shillong. The Rolling Stones were here recently, and Iron Maiden is also coming in August. Aoky Nandon, my driver in Cherrapunjee, says some rap acts try coming over but “Shillong tells them to go home. We boo them. Only rock here!” Now that’s what I call a class act. The Killers. In Shillong. I still can’t believe it. When acts like that come to Shillong, people like Aoky and his friends drive or pile into buses to see them. 50 000 people do. Without the facilities of a proper stadium the bands play in what they call a “mini stadium” – a grass patch with some seats that I drove past – but if that’s good enough for the Rolling Stones, that’s good enough for Shillong.
The name of the state of Meghalaya means ‘abode in the clouds’. Driving from Shillong to Cherrapunjee, one understands how that name came about. That beautiful mist that draws me to the hills, as in Darjeeling, are present in even greater amounts here. The people here are lovely, speak perfect English, have portraits of Jesus instead of Krishna on their trucks. I’m running around talking to the king/syiam of Cherrapunjee, the meteorologist, retired history teachers, hanging out in the limestone kilns and coal mines for hours.
And in the world’s wettest place, they say the rain is like medicine… I’m starting to see why. In the local Khasi language, they don’t have a proper Khasi word for “hot”. So whenever they feel hot, they say, “this is _shit_!”
possibly related
Doctor, I’m Sick Because It’s Not Raining Today /
Middle-of-Bloody-Nowhere, Sirajgonj /
Sohra /
Stillness is Overrated /
While I’m Gone /
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Meghalaya, Abode in the Clouds
Shillong, the hill station that is the capital of Meghalaya, is a a bit of an anomaly from the rest of India. Everybody loves rock music in Shillong, it seems. Our taxi driver put on Nirvana on our drive up to Cherrapunjee – something which stunned us. He says everyone in Shillong loves music, and rock is the soul of the hills here… when we found ourself in Cherrapunjee 2 hours later, people all around us were just asking each other if they were going to see The Killers on the 30th of August.
Yes.. The Killers, playing in Shillong. The Rolling Stones were here recently, and Iron Maiden is also coming in August. Aoky Nandon, my driver in Cherrapunjee, says some rap acts try coming over but “Shillong tells them to go home. We boo them. Only rock here!” Now that’s what I call a class act. The Killers. In Shillong. I still can’t believe it. When acts like that come to Shillong, people like Aoky and his friends drive or pile into buses to see them. 50 000 people do. Without the facilities of a proper stadium the bands play in what they call a “mini stadium” – a grass patch with some seats that I drove past – but if that’s good enough for the Rolling Stones, that’s good enough for Shillong.
The name of the state of Meghalaya means ‘abode in the clouds’. Driving from Shillong to Cherrapunjee, one understands how that name came about. That beautiful mist that draws me to the hills, as in Darjeeling, are present in even greater amounts here. The people here are lovely, speak perfect English, have portraits of Jesus instead of Krishna on their trucks. I’m running around talking to the king/syiam of Cherrapunjee, the meteorologist, retired history teachers, hanging out in the limestone kilns and coal mines for hours.
And in the world’s wettest place, they say the rain is like medicine… I’m starting to see why. In the local Khasi language, they don’t have a proper Khasi word for “hot”. So whenever they feel hot, they say, “this is _shit_!”
possibly related
Doctor, I’m Sick Because It’s Not Raining Today / Middle-of-Bloody-Nowhere, Sirajgonj / Sohra / Stillness is Overrated / While I’m Gone /