SHILLONG THROUGH LOCAL EYES: A TRAVELER’S GUIDE

(Puja Edition)

Gabriella Nongtdu

B.A Sem 1

“The town was a small one, but it carried within it the echoes of a wider world.” Wrote Siddhartha Deb in his book The Point of Return, speaking of his time growing up in Shillong. Just like him, a large number of people who have visited Shillong if not all, have had lovely experiences exploring the city. How could anyone not? Shillong, a city in the state of Meghalaya is known for its immaculate weather all year round, magnificent sightseeing locations, bustling markets, terrific local cuisine and many travelers have said that people of this city are the calmest and kindest. Shillong is popularly known for its outskirt locations and rightfully so, the never-ending sight of evergreen hills and giant cascades allures people quite like no other. However, that is not only what the city offers.  

There are still numerous traditional and old tourist attractions and activities to experience in the city, like visiting the market and Ward’s Lake located in Police Bazaar, Lady Hyderi Park in Lower Lachumiere, Don Bosco Museum in Mawlai, the golf course in Golf Links, the Cathedral in Laitumkhrah and so on. However, many travelers visit Shillong often and the common tourist attractions are limited in the city, or some travelers want to experience the authentic lifestyle of a local. Café culture is a growing trend in Shillong. Some of the cafés and eateries that are worth visiting are Roma Eatery, The Grub, Suburb, Shillong Café, Dylan’s Café, and Fika all located in Laitumkhrah, Farraway and Kynjai Cloud Kitchen in Motinagar, Cherry Bean and Trifle in Police Bazaar. As of fine dining there is the Heritage Club, Acropolis, The Ambience, The White Rock, Bistro 16, The Mango Tree, City Hut Family Dhaba, all located well within the city with great ambiance and music. And as for local cuisines, Rynsan in Laitumkhrah, and Agapae in Police Bazaar are the popular spots although the city is sprawled out with small local food stalls. Shillong is also known as the Rock Capital of India therefore music is at the heart of Shillong’s evenings. Venues like Cloud 9, Pinewood Hotel, Evening Club, and Café Shillong are popular spots for live gigs.

Now, if you want authentic local experience then Iewduh is just the right place. Iewduh, also known as Bara Bazaar is a market built almost entirely for locals unlike Police Bazaar which is quite tourist-oriented. Walking through Iewduh is an experience for all the senses as the market is segregated into sections as per their items. When you enter the market from the north, the section is called Khlieh Iew (Head of the market) and it’s the oldest part. Here you will encounter vendors selling livestock especially chicken, and as you go down further to the right of the narrow lanes you will arrive at the section of vendors selling vegetables and an infinite amount of spices. Various kinds of vegetables would be sprawled out on each side with a huge variety of common and even local vegetables namely swathang (a bitter vegetable), sohkhia-khlaw (wild cucumber-like leafy green), etc. Moving down the small and narrow steps you will reach the fish vendors selling all kinds of fresh, frozen, and dried fish. Describing each detail of this market would be next to impossible as its core area alone has over 5,000 permanent stalls/shops and hundreds of temporary vendors who come daily, under approximately 2km distance. While you would not walk a 2km stretch, the market feels endless because its made of interconnected alleys and courtyards where you could easily spend hours exploring and still not see every section. To list out the other sections, there is the spices and betel nut section, ritual and household items section, textile and clothing section, livestock corner, and many more.

   

Shillong is not just a gateway to Meghalaya’s beauty, it is a destination in its own right. Within the city every corner tells a story. For those who wander through its streets, Shillong offers more than sights, it offers experiences. The city may be small on the map, but within its hills and streets lies a world that lingers long after you have left.

 Pic Credit: Gabriella Nongtdu

                  Moumita De Das, Associate Professor, ASCO

 

 

 

Core Truths About the Traits of Good Leaders

 Guest Column

by

Col (Dr) Shantonu Roy

Life Skill Coach and Defence Analyst

Pexels

We have been talking about Leadership and the various traits of a good leader and the role of leadership from times immemorable. There are various qualities of leadership which hone skills of the team of the leader to achieve the target. Here are some core tenets about good leaders and effective leadership.

Good leaders are made, not born

First, we believe that leaders are trained, not born. Leadership is a skill that can be developed. Good leaders are molded through experience, continued study, intentional effort, and adaptation and professionalism. So, you can strengthen any of the characteristics of a good leader, if you are open to growth, and use your experiences to fuel development, and put in the time and effort toward self-improvement. With dedication, we can hone these top leadership qualities by ample opportunities for training, offering support for learning from challenges, and providing access to coaching and mentoring programs at regular intervals.

Leadership is a Social Process

It is also essential to recognize that leadership is less about one strong or charismatic individual, and more about a group of people working collectively to achieve results together. If you demonstrate several of these characteristics of a good leader, but fail to grasp this main point, chances are you will not get very far alone. You may be popular and held in high esteem, but it will be difficult to accomplish team or organizational goals. So, it is important to say that the results of leadership are about giving direction, alignment, and commitment to a group or teamwork is the name of the game. The talk should be about “WE” and not “ I”.

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Good Leadership never stops

Also, we believe that leadership is not a destination, it is a journey — it is something that you will have to strive regularly throughout your journey of life, regardless of the level you reach in your life or what industry you work in. Different teams, projects, and situations will provide different challenges and require different leadership qualities and competencies to succeed. So, you will need to be able to continue to apply these leadership characteristics in different ways throughout your career. Just continually keep learning and growing, and you’ll be an agile learner who is successful.

How to Develop and Nurture the Qualities of a Good Leader

Teamwork and organizational training can strengthen leadership qualities and foster deeper levels of engagement at work through providing a variety of on-the-job learning experiences, mentoring, and formal development opportunities. 

Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in them. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals. Lastly, a leader with a vision is a powerful leader as they work to achieve their vision.

Different people have different views of the key leadership skills a leader should possess and it may take forever discussing all of them. The ones highlighted above are very important and have put some of the greatest leaders in the limelight.

 

Relationship Gyan by Moumita De Das

Dil toh hai dil.... Aahista Aahista...

 Raat baaki,baat baaki  Tanhayeen...

 Kya gham hai...

    Khush raho, abaad raho, dil mein raho ya na raho...

Building Resilience: The Secret to Thriving in Your Journey of Life

Guest Column

by 

Dr. Debanjana Deb Biswas

Amity Business School, Kolkata

Pexels

Resilience is one of those developable capabilities that often gets overlooked, but once you understand its power, you realize it’s a game-changer. Especially during those moments when things feel impossible, when you question whether you’re cut out for what you’ve committed to. 

Imagine this: you are knee-deep in a project, struggling with meeting deadlines, research, and everything else life has to throw at you. Then, a curveball hits in the form of a setback, a failure, or just the overwhelming feeling that tells you are not enough. It is easy to get pulled down by these moments, to think that such short term failures or adversities define you.  However, here is the twist - resilience is not about avoiding setbacks or sailing through the voyage of life without any turbulence. It is all about how you rise after those tormenting moments. It is about how you choose to learn, adapt, and move forward, even when everything feels to go wrong.

I will admit, there have been times in my life as well when I have experienced the weight of failure. It did appear at times that I was not making enough progress or not doing enough to attain my goals. I remember during the early stages of my career, I poured my heart into my first project and gave it my all—only to receive criticism. It left me feeling like I was not good enough. It stung deep inside me. However, later in life, that criticism became one of my biggest lessons. Rather than the failure itself, how I responded to it mattered the most. 

Resilience teaches you to consider failures not as reflections of your worth, but as opportunities to thrive. When something does not go as planned, we as humans, quickly think it to be the end of the road. In reality, it is often the beginning of a much-needed correction of your path and choices. It is important to reflect on the lessons you can learn from such failures and how you can improve. These questions become the foundation of resilience. They’re the spark that turns adversity into growth.

The key, therefore, is learning to embrace the journey, with all its hiccups. No one takes a path that is smooth and linear. Every step, even the wrong ones, helps you get closer to the right one. I can tell you from personal experience: the moment I let go of the expectation that I had to be perfect or flawless, I found the freedom to move forward in ways I hadn’t before.

Resilience is not about being tough all the time or pretending everything is fine when it is not. It is more about embracing your imperfections, understanding that challenges will come, and having the courage to keep moving forward despite them. Keep going, even when it’s hard. And when you reach those moments of struggle, remember: they are the moments that will shape you into someone who can face anything.

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 Guest Column

Srijita Bandyopadhyay

B.Tech ( 2^nd Year) Biotechnology 

Haldia Institute of Technology (HIT)

Life blooms amidst the rocky surface...P.C: Pexels

 

In today's world it's a trend to dissimulate or pretend, then holding a masquerade to hide your true emotions. Behind laughter and obligatory smiles they conceal their deepest fears and inner true self. The pressure to conform, fit in and avoid judgements the genuine emotions remain suppressed. What if we dare to show our authenticity, what if we start showing how actually we feel inside each day?

The fear of vulnerability, lack of self-awareness, past traumas hold us back from expressing one's true self. Behind the facade of confidence and control there hides the suffocating feeling of being trapped under our own emotions. The question "how are you" does it really get the correct answer or reply? People tend to wear a masquerade as a shield in front of the authenticity. What if we lowered the mask and exposed our own selves? Perhaps we would find that the people who we were hiding from were also wearing masks. Internally, we are all struggling and striving for existence.

 

 

Power Dressing for Summer: A Student's Guide to Looking Sharp

Souvik Mukherjee 

Pic Courtesy: Souvik Mukherjee

As an actor and model currently on an academic trajectory, I believe that campus fashion, and indeed fashion, in general, isn't just about clothing; it's about confidence, comfort, and personal expression. Summer fashion, to me, is all about staying cool while looking stylish, and at Amity University Kolkata, now’s the perfect time to experiment with effortless, breathable outfits. Whether you are attending classes or hanging out with your friends around the campus, your fashion choices speak volumes about your personality. Listed below are some of the looks I swear by on a sweltering summer’s day:

The Classic Striped Shirt Look

I find that stripes are always in fashion. Going out for fun or coming to university in this heat, the striped shirt look is fresh, effortless, and easy to maintain. You cannot go wrong with a light-blue denim button-down shirt; endlessly trendy and comfortable.

Smart Casuals for the Win

Dark-hued shirts with light-coloured pants is the ultimate power move. A fitted printed shirt with white trousers is ideal for when you need to add a touch of sophistication to your look. Add a sleek watch and a pair of sunglasses to your ensemble, and you are ready to go.

The Street-Style Monochrome

When in doubt, go for a black and white combination. The beauty of a simple black tee paired with white cargo pants is unmatched. Added with a crossbody bag, bustling day on campus, here we come.

Summer Neutrals - A Timeless Choice

Earthy tones like beige and off-white are among my all-time summer favourites. A relaxed-fit cotton shirt with matching cargo pants keeps things cool and stylish for every occasion. It’s not timeless for nothing! 

Lastly, the key to fashion, I believe, is about feeling good in what you wear. When you feel good in what you wear, you look pleasing automatically, to say nothing of your fit for the day. This summer, and all the other summers yet to come, embrace effortless styles and let your outfits speak for you.

 

Platter of Heritage: Transgenerational Tales of Gastronomy

Food and Cultural Bond

 Dr. Shatabdi Som

Assistant Professor

Amity School of Communication, Kolkata

Weaving tapestry of memories, cultural identities and geographical abundance, ‘food’ has always been the universal bond between tradition, nutrition and storytelling. Every household has secret Sunday recipes, lunchbox stories, festive and community meals nourishing generations with its gastronomic delights.  Stories were woven during each harvest and passed on to generations in the form of intriguing narratives. “We sun dry the mustard plants, grind and blend with a traditional rice soup during the winter”, recounts a group of rural women of Purulia, inheriting the recipe from their ancestors. The culinary conversions transcending generations preserve the family meal practices ensuring nutrition strengthening family and societal bonds.

 

  Rural women narrating food stories   

                        Sun dried mustard greens                         

 

An enthusiastic Instagram food blogger recounts how her grandparents managed to feed the uncountable migrants during the 1971 partition even during the acute shortage of food.  It is through her Instagram page she narrates these stories and  even after decades those recipes were rediscovered and has effortlessly managed to be a part of the transgenerational platter surviving the test of time. More than sustenance, food and communication have achieved a stature of empowered narratives of abundance & love, scarcity & hardship, migration & resilience influencing food preferences and cultural identity. A group of craftsmen travel from Chhatna (Bankura, West Bengal) to the outskirts of Purulia to make data palm jaggery. Living in makeshift setups made of bamboo and palm leaves, they engage themselves  in a tedious process from collecting the syrup to finally making the jaggery, narrating the stories of how they learnt the skill from their fathers.

 

Jaggery (nolen gur) artisans at work in Purulia

 

Metaphorically, food remains an eternal touchpoint in the cinematic narratives of Ghatak, Rossellini and Chaplin. Ghatak’s protagonist in ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’, Neeta, skips meals representing the turmoils of the partition narratives; food serves as connection between the communities during theatre rehearsals symbolising food as a metaphor for memory, identity, gender, and displacement. When the impoverished localites stone the bakery in Rossellini’s ‘Rome-Open City’ tells stories of hunger, and oppression under a fascist regime. A poignant depiction of starvation in the tragicomic moment of the shoe-eating scene in Chaplin’s ‘Gold Rush’ epitomises the desperation for food.

Documenting food in media texts captures the essence of cultural identity, family and societal history. The social media driven communication archives and embraces the story of culinary traditions honouring the past and enriching the present and future, resonating the flavours of heritage through storytelling. Narrating stories of food goes beyond culinary instructions; capturing the essence of history and traditions.

 Pic Courtesy: Dr. Shatabdi Som