Rendezvous in the morning
In an era of ‘morning routines’ and ‘to-do lists’ what is the first thing that gets you up and 
going? For a majority of Shillongites, the answer would be their garbage duty — the routine ritual of disposing off trash on the two trucks that come by all neighbourhoods on designated mornings. By all means, there is something positively encouraging in seeing masked men, women and children standing in front of their gates, patiently waiting for the trucks’ arrival. Not only does this ‘ritual’ help one with systematic and sustainable waste management, but it also, as can be seen, assist them in making conscious everyday decisions, like how to classify the different wastes or what plastics to use in the household.
Besides, what appears to be a ‘call of duty’ can also end up being a refreshing time for fellow neighbours to say hello, pet dogs to get friendly and home-bound kids to come out of their caves. As such, the ‘garbage mornings’ could be a vibrant hour as well — active interactions providing for a pause-and-reset before each one of us go about our own day.
A section of the locals is also of the opinion that regular garbage disposing has helped them in planning their days and weeks better. “We usually don’t go on early-morning trips or picnics, if we have to, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Those days are exclusively meant for early garbage dumping”, said a Bishnupur resident in a random conversation with an SJ team member on a Saturday morning.
Nevertheless, as long as the trucks come honking to our neighbourhoods, things look well and good for the domestic waste management in Shillong. And even if it does not, what could be a better excuse to feel more alive and active, for at least three days in a week?
Paying ‘extra’ for laziness
With the launch of food delivery services in the city, life has become easy for a section of citizens — those wishing to do away with the mundane task of cooking for a day, those with a lot of work at hand and no time to cook and also those who shy away from the arduous task of visiting the kitchen and opening the fridge to figure out what to offer on the plate.
For the SJ team, ordering food online through apps is a regular part of life. The food is piping hot and served with a smile by the delivery boys; occasionally girls too. And there are offers galore from both the restaurant and the app. There’s nothing like sitting at home or office and getting the food delivered in a jiffy.
But there’s a catch and it’s flimsy and difficult to note unless you have a keen pair of eyes. The rate of food is higher when you order through the app [we leave it to the readers to figure out which one]. The price is cheaper when you visit the restaurant and order the same dishes. Of course one may argue that the delivery charges are included. But there is also the discount offered on the app which restaurants don’t make available to their dine-in customers.
To confirm the same, the SJ team visited two restaurants in the city and ordered the same set of dishes which they had ordered through the app previously. Surprisingly, the final bill was lesser in both restaurants.
The lesson learnt from the exercise was: pay extra if you are lazy!
Different names, same spirit
Makar Sankranti, Bhogali/Magh Bihu, Lohri, Pongal, Pedda Panduga and Makaravilakku — 
these are few of the names to celebrate the harvest festival in January across India.
With winter continuing to draw to a close, different parts of India celebrate the harvest festival in their own unique way with sheer gusto.
From bonfires to sweets, to traditional dances and games, to kites soaring high in the sky, et al — the animated activities in harvest festivals bear witness to the love of Indians towards agriculture. No wonder why India is known as an agrarian powerhouse globally!
Select parts in Shillong, too, were seen bustling with business activities where shops were seen selling traditional delicacies that range from jaggery to curd, to varieties of laddoos and pithas — made of puffed rice, coconuts and sesame seeds — to traditional dumplings…you name it!
During a visit to Jail Road, the SJ team, asked one such vendor about the footfall in the run-up to harvest festival, to which, he retorted, “Things have changed in past two years. I don’t know about other places, but here, people would throng shops ahead of Makar Sankranti. But then, things have changed after the outbreak of COVID-19.”
He, however, is upbeat that things will be in a much better state by next year’s harvest festival in January.
But then, let’s just leave it for the time to unravel that, shall we?