SHILLONG: Determined to stand on his feet, Drongwell Khongkrom made Nohwet viewpoint a must visit place on every tourist’s itinerary. A man passionate about nature, in his younger days, he would erect flags on trees in his land (now the Nohwet viewpoint) and would go all out to the other side of the hill in Nongshken and other villages just to get a view of the flags, only to be captivated by its beauty.
“I saw that it was beautiful to look at,” he said.
The quote of co-founder of Apple Company, late Steve Jobs when he said, “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become,” is apt for Khongkrom, owner of Nohwet viewpoint who saw his dream coming to life despite hardships and financial constraints.
Having conceived the idea of a view point, it was not easy for him as he faced financial crisis in the initial years of opening the viewpoint as he found problems in getting the raw materials and to eventually run the viewpoint.
“It was very depressing for the first three years. I cried almost every day when things did not go the way I plan. People were not visiting it. But it is all through patience, endurance that I achieved success and I can see myself where I am today. Opportunities opened for me and it is all because of hard work,” he said.
It took him nearly 7 years to see the viewpoint getting the necessary feedback. He did not lose heart and tourists started to trickle in.
“Tourists advertise about this place. They are a source of encouragement for me. Rs 30 per head may be too costly but once they see the place, they forget about the rate,” he said with a smile that evinced contentment.
Despite the financial problems, Khongkrom’s determination was never shaken. “I don’t want to be part of any group (self help group). I prefer to work alone. I am tired of approaching for government schemes. As much as I can, I do it on my own, once you try, you will see success,” he said.
However, he was quick to add that he receives suggestions, constructive criticisms from his near and dear ones and also the tourists. “In fact, it is people who corrected the wordings on this signboard also,” he said.
He said the tourists who visited his viewpoint would give him suggestions/ideas on how to improve the look of the viewpoint. “A man from Lebanon took out a notepad and wrote down the sights offered by the viewpoint-view of Bangladesh, rivers, waterfalls, sunset but then he asked, “Tree house- where is the tree house?”
That’s when Khongkrom started the construction of the tree house which is just a few meters away from the viewpoint. He makes it a point to change the bamboo if it turns black.
The tiring two hours’ trip to Nohwet was subsided after stepping on the bamboo bridge at Nohwet viewpoint which is a treat for many nature lovers as the viewpoint offers a view of Bangladesh, cascading milky white waterfalls that can be seen making their way through the thick forests. The sounds of insects add to the rural rustic charm.
he viewpoint is designed to hold a capacity of not more than 100 people. Protruding out of the bamboo floor is a tree. When this reporter casually asked what kind of tree it is, Khongkrom, instead, gave the scientific name of the tree which is assumed that he must have learnt from the tourists. His friends and reporters present were stunned but cheered him for being quick witted.
Other than being busy at the viewpoint, Khongkrom who passed his class VII took upon the mantle to do away with plastic in his village. Starting in 2011, he collected sweet wrappers, plastics from children and bought the materials at the cost of Rs 10 per kg. He would burn the plastic on a high flame ensuring that there will be minimal smoke lest the environment gets polluted.
“The children would come to me with plastics. Slowly, there was no plastic left in the village. The children then would collect plastics from neighbouring villages and bring them to me,” he said.
It was dampener for him in the form of parents as they collected the plastic waste in their homes and would sell it to him instead of disposing it of themselves.
“I saw that there was no sense of responsibility so I stopped. I want to send a message that here in Nohwet it is not only clean but green village,” he said.
Asked, if he felt that the anti-plastic campaign will turn out to be in vain, with a firm voice, he said, “At least I have tried to initiate it and done my best.”
