Shillong Jottings

A hole, a pole and a hazard nobody wants to own
We’re all familiar with the phrase, “To whomsoever it may concern.” In essence, it means it concerns no one in particular. Much like that, a sizeable block of wood now stands on one of Shillong’s busiest roads, near the Military Hospital, a half-hearted attempt to warn drivers about a lurking danger — a gaping hole big enough to partly swallow a two-wheeler.
But how effective is a warning if it’s placed right on top of the hazard? By the time you notice the pole-like structure, you’re already dangerously close to it.
Over time, this so-called “warning pole” has evolved. First, it was just the towering wood. Then, someone perched a reflective cone on top of it. Now, it’s back to just the wood. While the effort to alert commuters is appreciated, it’s pitiable that such a serious hazard continues to be ignored by the authorities, and right in the heart of the city, no less.
To make matters worse, during peak traffic hours, vehicles swerve off-lane to avoid the hole, spilling into adjacent lanes and causing even more chaos on an already choked stretch.
It’s likely that some concerned citizen, not the authorities, placed the warning there. Because if this were an official measure, it would be nothing short of a disgrace.

Signs before the rain
In Shillong, the rain doesn’t fall; it warns beforehand — the smell, the wind and all of that.
A whisper of wind, a shiver in the trees, a flicker of grey in the sky… and suddenly, the city holds its breath. Vendors vanish, schoolchildren dash, bikers weave through the growing panic. The foolish trust the breeze; the wise trust their instincts.
For the untrained outsider, those 10-15 minutes might seem like another cloudy afternoon in the abode of the clouds but a true local knows when it’s show time
Escaping the rain here is a task and has anyone here ever mastered it?