SHILLONG: Surrounded by the defence establishment and tucked away from the urban humdrum is the tranquil village of Mawshbuit known for its Sweet Falls and the Ever Living Museum.
After reaching Happy Valley, visitors will have to go through the 58 GTC gateway and the road opens up to the village. This is the only way through which the village can be reached.
Speaking to The Shillong Times during a visit to the area on Friday, headman of Mawshbuit Richard Nongkhlaw said there are 651 households out of which around 200 are poor families and 60 per cent are educated.
“The residents are getting their ration. Although sanitisers will have to be bought, masks are stitched by the people”, said the headman who also wore a self-made mask. He said the residents know about the COVID-19 pandemic.
When asked, he said the locals do not come out of their homes except for important matters.
The residents waited in a long queue to get the LPG gas from Sunny Indane on Friday.
When asked about the agony of the residents who had to wait from morning till late afternoon, Nongkhlaw said there was delay since the vehicle delivering the LPG cylinders had to go to other localities.
The quiet village of Mawshbuit has three secondary schools. For higher education, students move out to Shillong.
Constantine Nongdhar, a 76-year-old resident of Mawshbuit, said, “The headman has already announced the health advisory that has to be followed to prevent the spread of the disease.”
Hand hygiene not new
When asked whether they know about maintaining hand hygiene, Nongdhar casually said that they have always taught their children to wash their hands and there is nothing new about it.
There is no shortage of water in the village.
When pointed out about rain water management, he smiled and said that the rain water harvesting system that he has adopted is for the washroom.
“Water will have to be used diligently as we have to be prepared for the dry winter months,” he said.
Nongdhar, who has 17 grandchildren, pointed to the different fruit trees like apricots and plums in his garden and said for the last two years, he could not sell the fruits as hailstones and heavy rain damaged them and whatever left is only for their own consumption.
Nongdhar, a former chowkidar of H. Elias Higher Secondary School, said only some people have government jobs and farmers constitute one-third of the population in the village and a few are daily wage labourers.
Most of the people plant tomatoes, cabbages and other vegetables, he said.
“There are no problems with the nearby defence establishment though there were some issues with the 58 GTC in the past for the passage of people through the gate maintained by the GTC but that does not happen anymore”, he said.
Clean surroundings
Mawshbuit is a clean and calm village.
Nongdhar said the residents from different localities come out every day from 6 am to 7 am to clean the village and the wastes are taken away. In each locality and at various points, there are cane dustbins.
“The village is clean but it cannot be compared to Mawlynnong,” he said.
About the changes that he sees in the village, he said Mawshbuit is free from open defecation and people have toilets in their respective houses, “which were not there 10-15 years ago”.
The headman of the village said he takes pride that the residents maintain civic sense but there is no punishment to those who litter.
