Shillongites breathed ‘India’s cleanest air’ in October!
We often take Shillong’s crisp mountain air for granted, unaware of just how rare it is. The city has now been officially ranked as India’s cleanest city for October 2025, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
With a monthly average PM2.5 level of just 10 µg/m³, Shillong’s air quality is rated “very healthy,” marking it as a clean-air oasis amid rising pollution across India.
What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that October coincided with the Diwali season, a time when air quality typically plunges across the country due to fireworks and festive emissions. Yet, Shillong’s skies remained clear, underscoring the city’s natural advantage and its residents’ mindful approach to celebration.
While much of the country—especially the Indo-Gangetic Plain—choked on worsening smog, Shillong stood apart. Just to bring a contrast, Dharuhera, one of the worst-hit cities, recorded a staggering 123 µg/m³.
In a season when most of India gasped for breath, Shillong quietly proved that clean air is still possible.
Winter is here
Winter has already set in although it is yet to unleash its full fury in Shillong. As the temperatures start plummeting, nature is turning Shillong from “Scotland of the East” into “Frozen: Meghalaya Edition.”
The mercury doesn’t just drop in the evening hours; it nosedives, leaving us clutching our woollens, our overcoats, and boots. It has started innocently enough. With the advent of November, the evening hours are getting colder and the nights longer.
On some days, the fog rolls in—thick, dramatic, and utterly convinced it’s the pivotal character. Visibility drops, driving becomes a skilled exercise and the sale of “koyla” is beginning to make an impact on the stock market (although we don’t have one).
Layering of blankets has begun; the mandatory jackets have come out of the wardrobe; citizens have begun assembling their thermals or scrolling through mobile shopping app to select a new set; and the scarf around the neck is getting warmer.
Momo and soup and kwai are beginning to find more followers and tea isn’t a beverage anymore; its drip therapy for the coming months.
Electronic shops have arranged their stock of heaters and the thrift stall in MUDA Parking Lot are selling more jackets and pullovers than ever before. You see more blankets being purchased than tees and the demand for coverings for those bald heads have begun to swell.
Shillong’s winter indeed has a charm of its own. Pine-scented air slices your sinusitis, and you complain, but you also secretly love it.
So bundle up, Shillong! Winter’s here, just don’t forget your socks!
