By H H Mohrmen
No doubt tourism in Meghalaya grown and developed by leaps and bounds but certainly not because of government intervention. From tourism which focused only on the three locations Sohra, Smit, and Shillong now tourist spots have emerged elsewhere in the state too. This goes on to prove that tourism is one economic activity that can help create employment for the people and help improve the economy of the area and the state. But the question is whether the government has done enough to promote tourism in the state?
Tourism and Festivals
Autumn and spring are seasons of festivals in Meghalaya as different kinds of festivals are being celebrated during these times of the year. But the traditional festivals were not given as much consideration and promotion as the government-organized festivals. Neither are the region’s flora and fauna considered while naming the festival in the state. Despite Meghalaya having unique flowers endemic to the region, the government sees no reason in promoting these native plants as the festival’s logo or mascot. The government organises the Cherry Blossom, Meghalayan age, and autumn festival but no festival with a local name.
Pitcher Plants
The Pitcher Plant called the giant flower “’tiew rakot” in Khasi and the fly-catcher flower “Syntu tymmoh phare” in Pnar and Nepenthes Khasiana the botanical name is endemic to the few regions of Meghalaya. This rare plant is also under threat but there is no effort from the government to conserve it. It is also interesting to note that tissue culture has been done on the plant in the other states and it is now being cultivated in the campus of Nagaland University and elsewhere in the state of Nagaland, while the Government of Meghalaya has done precious little to conserve this very important plant. The plant is also believed to have some medicinal properties and it is being used as medicine by the locals, so apart from conservation, the government should also explore ideas for the sustainable use of the plant. Just a thought though, the government is naming one of its tourist festivals Cherry Blossom festival but why not Pitcher Plant festivals or other orchids flowers for that matter?
Orchids
Meghalaya also has many varieties of orchids and these flowers too can be promoted and the government can explore the idea of making a tourist product out of the plants. Recently a friend from another state suggested that in an area where the flowers are found in abundance, one can start an Orchid trekking trail to promote tourism in the area. Since the plant is also found to be used by the locals as an economic activity, the government should also start doing tissue culture on to encourage sustainable use of the plants.
Cave Tourism
Meghalaya is known for its intricate cave system. These consist of the longest and the deepest caves in the country. Yet except for the caves in Sohra which are used for pilgrimage tourism, cave tourism as such is yet to be considered by the government. There is no effort from the government to explore the idea to use caves for adventure tourism. Even though the state is also fortunate to have an association like Meghalaya Adventures’ Association which has not only helped survey and map all the caves in Meghalaya but is also the only NGO which is specialized in caving, yet the Government is not taking the opportunity to take their support to promote cave tourism.
Agri-tourism
Agri-tourism is a recent idea, I very recently came across an article where the activity is promoted in a certain part of India. Then I thought of trying out this idea in the area where we work. Promoting Sohmynting as a tourist destination has been on my mind for a long period now. Knowing that the village has huge potentials to attracts tourists, Ebormi Lynchiang and I wanted to do something but decided to wait for the right time. Then the idea of Agri-tourism came and along with a few other youths of the village who are members of the village tourism society we started working on the idea.
A brainstorming session was conducted in the dorbar hall of the village on August 20, this year, and the idea of using rice harvesting as a tourist product came to the fore. The first outcome of the session was to arrive at the USP of the village and the consensus is to promote the village as a sustainable eco-tourism destination.
Traditional farming
system and Tourism
The Pnars of Jañtia hills have a rich culture of wetland rice cultivation and of course, rice is also being cultivated on the slope of the hills. In Pnar culture, rice cultivation is not just a means of growing rice to satisfy people’s hunger but there is a rich culture around rice cultivation.
Rice is not only the most prominent crop here since a large part of their lives revolve around rice too. Almost all the festivals are connected to rice cultivation either during the ploughing sowing, weeding, or harvest time. The unique tradition called “chu-nong” is part of rice cultivation. Chunong is the community’s support mechanism where members of the community help each other when all the farmers are busy doing the same activity. It is a way in which farmers donate (at least) one day’s labour to work voluntarily on the field of another member of the community. The community takes turns in working at the different member’s paddy fields till the fields of all the families are done. The tradition is being followed wherever rice growing is a culture and it starts from ploughing to sowing, weeding, and harvesting.
In the rice ecosystem, rice is not the only ‘food’ that people collect or harvest from a typical paddy field. Farmers collect other edibles from herbs to fish and even frogs too.
The brainstorming session which was attended by many youths of the village came up with the idea of promoting rice harvesting as a tourist product. It is not only about using agriculture as means to promote tourism, but more importantly, it also has to do with conserving the environment. During rice harvesting, two popular activities are “eñ khnam” which is catching certain types of fish found in the paddy fields, and “kem khroh” catching certain types of frogs which people consume.
The frog-catching activity is planned to be a catch-and-release model to ensure the conservation of the frogs. By popularizing traditions like “eñ khnam” and “kem khroh,” the idea is not only highlighting this unique tradition which is part of the rice harvesting tradition of the community, but it is also an effort to conserve the reptiles. Agri-tourism during Autumn is using the activities that people practice during harvest as a tourist product.
It is promoting an indigenous farming system
Agri-tourism cannot happen without understanding the indigenous farming practices of the people of the area. It is therefore an opportunity to showcase the rich traditional farming practice of the indigenous people of the area. It will make the locals proud of their local food system and offer their guests the same food that they eat. In doing so they are also providing guests with healthy snacks like boiled yam, and boiled sweet potatoes which are farm fresh.
Kayaking
Recently there was a report in the press about a kayaking expedition that was held somewhere in Meghalaya. The event has attracted many tourists from the country and abroad and many rivers in the state can be used for kayaking.
The Megalith trail
West Jañtia hills district also has the potential of another trekking trail which also has historical value. “Ka luti syiem” or the Royal path is an ancient path that connects Nartiang in the hills with Jaintiapur which is now in Bangladesh in a potential trail that is worth exploring. The trail is unique because there are many monoliths along the path and more importantly there are three megalith stone bridges on this path.
Tourism Potential is
yet to be maximized
There is no doubt that tourism has helped create employment in the many tourist spots in the state. Tourists from Assam are thronging spots like Shnongpdeng Darang, Krangshuri, Phe-phe, and Thlumuwi, and now there are tourists from across the border from Bangladesh too who visit these areas. A cyclist from Sylhet had recently cycled to Nartiang and other places. Hopefully, the next government will take advantage and capitalize on the recent development by promoting tourism to help develop the different areas of Meghalaya.