Shillong Jottings

Small is Big: Lesson from Assam
The experience of members of the Shillong Chamber Choir on their trip to Guwahati on October 3, to receive the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi, National Integration Award, conferred by the Assam Government, has been a very pleasant one.
As the Choir members were away in Mumbai for a shoot, they were represented by their manager, Kynsaibor Lyngdoh.
Since the officers of the Government of Assam first contacted Kynsaibor, they have been prompt in ensuring that there were no glitches in the travel and hospitality. A protocol officer was appointed to be in touch with each awardee. There were calls from the Assam Chief Minister’s office asking for detailed information about the Shillong Chamber Choir and their Director, Neil Nongkynrih. This was reflected in the speech of the Assam CM, Himanta Biswa Sarma, where the details were mentioned.
On the way to Guwahati, the protocol officer called a few times to ask if everything was fine. “We were taken for lunch at the Taj Vivanta and later picked up on an official vehicle with a PSO and headed straight to the VIP guest house of the Kalakshetra. On arrival at the Kalakshetra, I was seated at the front row on the audience with two other awardees. To my utter surprise, we were all called up on stage to be on the dais and were seated on the second row; the first row was for the Vice President of India, Governor, Assam CM, and CS,” Kynsaibor narrated to the SJ team.
But it did not end there. As soon as Himanta Biswa Sarma came up on stage, he first went directly to the second row and carried a chair forward to make the awardees sit in the front row with him and the other dignitaries. On seeing this, the volunteers rushed to help. The CM made sure that even the table had mineral water et al. These were kept right in front of the guest (as the volunteers put those on the side). “I was personally very touched by this act. A CM carrying chairs on stage to give the awardees a front row seat. What an example! I felt a great deal of trepidation to be there representing not just the Choir but also the state and people of Meghalaya. I was also nervous but this act of the Hon’ble CM, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, made me feel very much at ease,” Kynsaibor said.
Kynsaibor said he was reminded of Neil Nongkynrih’s exhortation “Small is big”. It is something that Neil believes in and which he himself practises. “It may have been a ‘small’ thing for the CM but it was a ‘big’ lesson for me. I was humbled, to say the least,” Kynsaibor said.
In his speech, the CM reminded the audience how the Choir had regaled the audience during the National Games held some years ago, with the Assamese patriotic song, O Mur Apunar Dexh.
“I only wished Uncle Neil and the SCC were there to perform it live once again. I missed the opportunity to thank the CM personally but I surely will try to find a way to send him a thank you note soon,” says Kynsai, adding that the return journey too was a memorable one.
“Overall, I feel the warmth and respect that the Assam Government has shown the Shillong Chamber Choir was exemplary and heart-warming. The SCC has always received a lot of love from Assam in the past and they have proved it again this time,” the SCC manager concluded.

Change in the wind

Shillong is perceived as one of those places where commuting becomes a splendid experience because of how cost-efficient it is here, but perhaps not anymore.
It was the first of the lockdowns which put taxi drivers in economic distress.
Limited number of passengers paying the existing fare but the journey just as long; the cab drivers were not enjoying it during that time.
Then subsequently, coming as a blitz on the handling of the economic burden, the taxi fare became Rs 20 from Rs 10. Some passengers were unhappy and even contested, while others simply paid and got their job done.
At present, only heading down to Police Bazar from Laitumkhrah in a taxi will cost you Rs 30 per head, while earlier it used to be Rs 10. Also, some cabbies, if not all of them, are having the best of both worlds for passengers are packed in the vehicle — over four persons on a single trip.
This Saturday when an SJ team member sat in a taxi at Laitumkhrah on a trip to Police Bazar, a total of five persons were onboard the vehicle and all paid Rs 30 each.
It appeared as though the trend has changed and life in Shillong, too, has apparently become a little expensive.

Wonted Sunday in Police Bazar
Police Bazar on Sunday was a bit boisterous; the SJ team, too, for a moment could not help but be jostled amid the crowd.
The picture here is a scene of a Sunday that the heart of Shillong city was bereft of ever since the second wave of COVID-19 smote Meghalaya.
The decision by the East Khasi Hills District Administration to allow opening of both essential and non-essential shops on a Sunday prior to the Durga Puja was also welcomed by many.
A working woman, who would be free only on Sundays, told the SJ team that she can finally get apparel for herself ahead of the Durga Puja without having to compromise her work schedule.
A youth, on the other hand, after becoming privy to the DC’s directive early in the morning, said that he will prepone his shopping plans by a day. He had earlier planned t buy apparel on Monday. “Shopping on Sundays is a different feeling altogether,” he argue