Umpling, where we belong!

Umpling

I decided to google the word and to my surprise a whole lot of results popped up including maps and weather. What perhaps will never come out is the history, the emotions and the hardships that made Umpling.

We have grown up seeing the changes to the name itself…from Umpling to U Tirot Singh Nagar to Rynjah to RR colony.  RR colony means Refugee Rehabilitation colony and this name was supposed to be linked to our identity.

Founded in 1958(those reading please correct me if I am wrong) this was one of the shelter colonies of people who had left behind their land as the country was getting divided. One of the prominent personalities, Shri Deepak Das, was one of the key founding members who among some others were the pillars of having established a home for the refugees. Another eminent personality was Dr Sudhanshu Das who had come to Shillong from Sylhet in 1950 and played a major part in the establishment of the colony.

This land was totally uninhabited then, surrounded by forests, without roads and building a simple house was a mighty task. I have heard stories from my grandmother and aunts how they had to cut through hilly land to make it suitable for a house to be built. Lack of transport, scarcity of water, no markets near by was only some of the hardships that I can write about. The Umpling Welfare Society was then formed somewhere around 1960 which still thrives although the name of the society might have undergone several changes. This society took the task of getting the basic amenities to the people and it wasn’t before the hard work and struggle of several men of courage that ultimately gave the shape to what today the place is. Yes, it is one of the most beautiful colonies of Shillong thriving with life. No where the joy, the beauty and the ecstasy can be felt during Durga Puja, the way it is in Umpling today. I read a FB caption of someone recently saying ‘Amra kara Umpling Para’. It means ‘Who are we? Umpling Colony’, yes that’s the camaraderie I hope lives on. It brought me tears; the memories are too tightly woven to be forgotten.

Surviving meant not only catering to the basic necessities and building on it but also meant to protect the self and the colony, ensuring free land was not getting occupied by unsocial elements. Temples were built, which have stood to be our protectors for all times. Many a times houses build which were considered unauthorized have been brought down bringing to people untold hardships and every day tension and insecurity.

What we see today is the modernization of Rynjah - vehicles plying through roads where we as young people would play, gossip and hang around; shopping centres being built and vegetable market almost entering the colony crossroads. Many people have sold their land and property which their forefathers had struggled to build, moving with children to distant lands for education and jobs. Some like us still can go back but for how long we do not know! We have grown up hearing and living the tribal-non tribal clashes and being told the only way out is to leave and make a living elsewhere. But now again we want to run back from the hustle and bustle of our city life to those quiet corners but do what?

The struggle still continues; whether to get Umpling/Rynjah under the Khasi local laws which would take away the independence of the colony and unnecessary adherence to laws that do not mean anything.

We do not know what the future holds but only wish life to flourish in Umpling as it always does!

Butterfly Museum, Shillong

Pretty painted butterfly

What do you do all day?

I roam about the sunny fields

And nothing to do but play!

Nothing to do but play? All the lifelong day?

So fly butterfly, to waste your time away!

This poem of childhood years lives in my memories still, and why not? Butterflies are one of the most beautiful beings on this earth and many times I have chased butterflies in the garden and fields. Oh the beautiful colours they come with, and the softness. Many a times I have tried capturing these beauties on a camera but failed either because of their agility or my lack of patience.

One man, however decided to preserve these. Mr Siddhartha Kumar Sarkar, an entomologist from Kolkata went to Shillong and settled there. He and his wife collected various species and built this museum of butterflies.

The Butterfly Museum in Shillong is a privately owned museum and  has a collection of butterflies, moths, beetles and spiders from across the world. One will be mesmerized by the colours and the patterns in the collections that the museum has!

A must visit for anyone planning a trip to Shillong

Summer of 2018

Shillong, June 2018.

People in general are blissfully numb and one often hears that Shillong is now peaceful. Well, partly yes but that is because most of the non-tribal population is already gone!

June 2018 was when similar issues resurfaced again.  How and why?

History

The so called Dalit Sikhs are one of the earliest non-tribal settlers in Shillong. The place they settled down came to be known as Punjabi or Sweepers’ Lane. Yes, these people did the entire manual scavenging job.

It is also believed that an attempt has been made several times to shift the colony to the city outskirts. The Sikhs have ever refused as this land was supposed to be given for permanent settlement.

How did it start?

On May 31, there was a minor scuffle between girls of that community and a local bus driver and his friends who had supposedly teased them or blocked their way when they went to fetch water. It is believed that a compromise was reached however a whatasapp message that was doing the rounds claiming that the local boys had died added fuel to the communal tension that existed through generations already.

Consequences

Tension prevailed for a week or so, and curfew was imposed which is a normal Shillong phenomenon, the residents have grown up with! Not just that, the army had to conduct flag marches. The mobile internet services were suspended as a measure to curb spreading of rumors.  Incidents of stone throwing, hurling petrol bombs happened in nooks are corners of the city. Again, an age old Shillong phenomenon!

And the Sense of Community

The entire Punjab stood in support for the Sikh community. The Punjab cabinet approved compensation to the Sikh community residing in Shillong and affected by the clashes. The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee and Shiromani Akali Dal Badal leaders took to the cause of the community and urged the Government to take appropriate measures and steps to ensure their safety.

Retrospection

Contrast this with the riots affecting the Bengali community over various periods of time in history of Shillong and one will hardly find any instance of support from West Bengal. The then Government of India  hardly paid any attention, partly because they were not interested and largely because there were no pressure groups. 

The sense of Community in WB is only limited to where their ego gets a boost...that's it!

 

Summer of 1987

Shillong 1987



I don't remember which month it was but it was summer! It was just another normal day at school, when a group of boys entered the school premises and asked everyone to leave school. They also told us to stay at home for the next few days. What followed for the next few months could only be thought of as a story by anyone who has not lived it!

We were anyways growing up in an environment where we knew ourselves as outsiders, and we knew the reason...we didn't belong there and we didn't belong anywhere else! We were foreigners in our own country, yes we were foreigners in India.

It was another tribal/non-tribal clash. To be fair, it can't be called a clash as the land supposedly belonged to the tribals and they would resort to violence to create an atmosphere of panic.  It was one sided. This year it was directed at the Nepalis however at certain time or the other every non tribal community - the Bengalis, the Punjabi, the Marwaris all suffered. Banners and posters would clearly read 'Non-tribals get out'.

The KSU(Khasi Students Union) took the lead and resorted to violence against the non-tribals. Though initially it was targeted at illegal Bangladeshi however every non tribal community came under the radar. The state Government hardly took any action and watched in silence the death of non-tribals, the setting ablaze of shops and business establishments of the non-tribals, the unnecessary harassment to name a few!The Central Government was silent and indifferent.

When the Students' union leader was detained, what followed was 'blackout'. Yes, we lived in that part of independent India where we had to switch off the lights of our home in the evening. We  grew up in the midst of Bandhs and Curfews which were normal and never surprised anyone.

Our schools were closed indefinitely, hurting the young brains and making them fearful of each day. Our school however resorted to taking some classes outside school premises. We went to school in civil dresses, had combined classes with juniors and seniors. We did not have a class routine and lessons were taught on an adhoc basis. We kept learning amidst fear. Yes, we lived that life where we went to school in disguise. We waited for our parents to return home safe, after their work and not  a day passed when tension left us. Disruption of Durga Puja celebrations, hurling petrol bombs, deserted streets were the norm of the day.

So began another displacement, non-tribals in large numbers either vacated the tribal dominated areas or left the state for good. Some sold their homes  and properties to move to mainland India. Localities were cleansed of non-tribal population. Another kind on an exodus is what had happened unknown to the world at large.  This was neither the beginning nor the end of it...


https://do-re-mi-do-re-mi.blogspot.com/2019/06/summer-of-2018.html

And the memories

This Navratri we are not doing anything, a year we will not be participating in any auspicious occasion. But long before we heard about Navratri, we celebrated Basanti Puja in our very home.

And this time of the year Baba misses it for the most, last few years it was an annual trip to Kamakhya temple. And long before that the annual festivities at home.

And the four days meant a lot to the entire family. Ma Basanti is the keeper of our home, giver of our lives and protector in all seasons.

My mind is filled with memories of our home where the preparations would start to deck the Puja room, to get arrangements done for the Pujas and the aunties pouring in for helping Ma.

Arranging flowers and fruits, deciding the menu for the Bhog and attending to everyone who came home. We even had times when people who we did not invite turned up for the Puja.

And add to that our cousins, our games, having lunch together or saving some special Prasad for ourselves are all what will never come back. It's so so fresh in the memory.

Ma's role was wonderful, she did everything that was needed to. The quiet person that she was, she demonstrated such patience that only she and only she could handle these proceedings almost single handed. I sometimes would be angry at her for may be paying me a little less attention those days but now when I think about it, here was this lady who held on to family, culture without questioning.

I don't know how much of what she did we could give her back, surely never enough....but wherever she is today, and as they say the soul knows it all, may she know that she is missed.

Ward's Lake, Shillong

My hometown is a quiet, little place, well not so quiet politically but quiet because of nature, because of its beauty and serenity and because it is not so much known! Blame it on our tourism or blame it on yourself, now that you know there is a place which is quiet and serene, you must visit the Ward's Lake in Shillong!

Situated in the heart of Shillong, this one is an artificial lake is named after Sir William Ward, the then Chief Commissioner of Assam, who initiated the plan for the construction of this lake, which was later constructed by Colonel Hopkins in the year 1894, this lake is nature at its very best and  and houses the prettiest of lotuses.

The lake offers boating like another other lake in any hill station but the surrounding view is for your eyes to remember.

The bridge over the lake was its real charm but with years of wear and tear this one is getting repaired. That part of the lake seems to have lost a little of its charm but I can't wait to get there and see how the new bridge will look, will it be a replica of what was there or will it be more grand is for time to decide!

The adjacent park is a nice place to sit and relax, for children to play or to get a bit of the sunshine. You can also catch the most beautiful flowers and not just that you will see a natural and beautiful way the dustbins are placed. Well, that's my hometown! Welcome to some peace, quiet and some relaxation.

Just reach Shillong and anyone will tell you where the lake is! And yes, the entry fee is just so negligible!

Cherrapunjee

Cherrapunjee is a name familiar to mostly everyone. It boasts of the heaviest rainfall in the earth. This place is locally known as 'Sohra' and is located in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya!

The beauty of Sohra is breathtaking and the best part of it is that it has not been much commercialized unlike most other hill stations. The natural surroundings, the trees, the streams and of course the  waterfalls all add to the beauty.

The drive from Shillong to Cherrapunjee is awesome! All around the clouds float covering the mountains and in summers the vast green is a treat to the eye! Waterfalls worthy of note are the Wakaba waterfalls, the Seven Sisters and the Nohkalikai! One can stand there for hours and watch the view and occasionally one can spot the rainbow as well forming against the falling waters when the sun rays strike at the appropriate angle! One can view the plains of Bangladesh very clearly from Seven Sisters!

The other point of interest are the caves! These are caves of natural limestone formation. Mawsmai caves are a must for everyone who are in for a little bit of adventure!

Cherrapunjee is also famous for its living root bridges. Over hundreds of years the people in Cherrapunjee have developed techniques for growing roots of trees into large bridges. The process takes 10–15 years and the bridges typically last hundreds of years, the oldest ones in use being over 500 years old!

A must visit place I must say and go during summers if you love to get a bit of the rain fun!

Basanti Puja

The other Durga Puja! We celebrated it at home for 4 days and it was more than 4 days of festivity and get-together for us!

Memory is still fresh with the smell of those early mornings when filling water for the Puja activities was the first chore of the day. We did not have a water storage back then and whatever we could collect in vessels and buckets would be consumed for the Puja. Of course we had those cemented tanks where the rest of the water is stored even now in our Shillong home.

Then Ma would begin her normal day-to-day work followed by a bathe and then ensuring that the Puja rituals got taken care of! Same with Baba! Two of our very close family friends would be the first to come. Jethi and dida(aunt and granny) would be the first to come, do the preparations in time, rest a while, go to their homes and come back again. They did this year after year, extending that kind of support sometimes your kin fail to provide.

Then the aunts followed and other relatives followed. We would have mouth watering lunches, specially prepared, the main bhog prepared by Ma and the others by my Pishis and we even had cooks.

It would seem exaggerated if I say that we did not know the count of people who could come home to have the prasad because this far outnumbered the people who we invited. And there would be frequent complains from people if we happened to miss someone in our invite list. Over the years Ma and Baba thought of making the whole event  simple because of the difficulty in managing everything, difficulty in getting help, difficulty in getting priests etc but it was a blessing for us that every year we had the blessings to have all these people in our homes just for a simple prayer or a simple prasad.

And there are other stories too of some of our specially talented neighbors, who specialized in emptying an entire 'handi' of  Khichdi much above their capacity and walking up and down the Umpling roads for most of the night just to digest. And yes this is true!

Then we and the cousins use to have awesome time eating, feeding, playing and being happy with everyone around.

With passing time comes several constraints and we had finally to shift this Puja to Kamakhya temple where dad visits every year to witness the proceedings being done.

Memories remain...

DB

Prof Dulal Bhattacharjee - The news of his leaving this earth did not much surprise me, I don't know why! May be the image of him when I saw him last time, that was like two years back, was on my mind. He looked pale and sick and though I went and greeted him, I couldn't be very sure if he recognised me or just thought of me as one of his hundreds of students.

He was a brillant teacher, and I remember, whatever he taught, I did not have to much refer to my Physics text. But his coming to class was something we would doubt, wait for and when it happened it was brilliant. I remember examples from real life that he would cite and laugh about it!

Rest in peace Sir! I will always remember the days I spent learning from you!

Shimla

A trip I never wanted to make and if you ask me I have no real answers as the reviews I had heard were not good enough and that the hill station was now no longer a place of beauty but a commercial hub.

The trip was good thankfully to some amazing company and the horse ride at Kufri was a real experience! It was scary at times, exciting and at times just hoping the next turn, up or rise or the next step down would just be safe! That was the best part of the trip.

Mall Road, Shimla was nothing extraordinary and the experience was just all right.

Well, every turn reminded me of my home Shillong, every corner reminded me of a childhood tale. But Shillong is much much more beautiful, beyond words and not just because it's my home but compare Shillong and Shimla and anyone who has been to both the places will tell you!

May be I want to see the snowfall once and then describe how it feels like and I am still waiting for my first snow experience!

I miss you Shillong, dear Shillong!

Another tale from the yesteryears

Have heard countless tales of partition from grandparents, stories of how they owned vast lands and how they had to leave all that and come and settle in Shillong. My grandma often told us how her father was a zaminder and that they had to leave all those, she always had an air about herself, a dignity that never died and the pride of being member of a zamindar family even when everything else was lost.

People from Sylhet fled to Shillong and people from Dhaka and neighbouring areas fled to Kolkata. There they were given rehab lands and some money to start everything a fresh but most importantly the pain of leaving everything lived with them for ever.

They told us of incidents where burning hot water was poured over people who were migrating, of people massacred in moving trains and buses and other such horror tales. They lived the political blunder of those days, the government gave away the land to the other country but the people could not live there due to the atrocities committed on them and they returned to India and settled here and there. This is the story of the Sylhetis and we live in pride till this day because we have been displaced, we have started from scrath, built new homes, built new dreams and again only to suffer on similar grounds whether in Assam, Meghalaya or so called West Bengal. It is the irony of all times that we feel ourselves at home in any other part of the world but not in West Bengal and East Bengal is lost for ever. We are proud because inspite of all these, we have a bond, because we succeed wherever our feet and destiny takes us to and we still remember who we were!

What Durga puja meant to us as children...

As I try to remember what Puja meant to me when I was a child, so many things come to my mind and I don't know where to start! Puja meant school holidays to start with, Puja meant shoping with parents, it meant what gifts u received and how many sets of dresses we got. Puja meant visiting friends and seeing theirs too and if they had few more than you, hoping that some aunt or some cousin might just gift you another one. Puja meant praying to the rain gods for bright sunny days. On Shoshti, it meant baba taking us to the pandal and buying some gift from the nearby shop. Puja also meant the first time you learnt to apply nail polish or trying to learn to wear heels. Puja meant some pocket money every puja day - 10 from ma and 10 from baba; spending 10 and saving 10. Puja meant the ghoognis and the tetul aachars...oh how it makes me smile now :-) Puja meant some khichuris too but I hated the queue and so bhai use to go and get some home! It meant khichuri in the mission on Saptami. Puja afternoons were spent with parents, pandal hopping and on Navami, it meant chowmein at Eee Cee or wherever! Puja evenings were meant for friends, reserving seats for them and taking turns in having our dinner and spending the rest of the time watching the cultural programms. Navami nights use to be orchestra night and my personal fav was a band called 'Yuva'. We returned in the wee hours of the morning to steal sleep for a few hours and then again to the Pandal with our books and pens on Dashami. Puja also meant some Puja - whether it was rushing to be part of the first Anjali batch and laughing when the main Pandit called out 'Bolun....jayanti....' or watching the evening 'Aarti' competitions. And then the sad part to watch it all end and say ...'till another year', following the crowd as far we could go and sometimes with moist eyes. I think I have been to Polo just once for the immersion. And finally helping ma with the coconut ladoos and waiting for the Aparajitas in the evening. Then say, well it's not the end - Diwali and bhai foota to follow!

The flowers in our Shillong home

Most of these flowers have been clicked by my brother and planted by my father. I might have randomly clicked a couple but these always manage to remind me of our home and how hard we all tried to make the flowers bloom and more importantly save these from the morning people who came around to pick flowers for the daily Puja. I once remember running after someone after I had discovered that he/she had come to pick the flowers from our garden. He was just too fast and disappeared even before I started to chase.

Love this bunch? Don't you? Even I do. But somehow time and fate has brought us away from all these. And we can enjoy the greenery and the freshness just once a year during our annual visits. And here in Delhi, with so little space around us, we long for these colours.

Much as love these Dahlias, I used to be scared about the caterpillars :-) I remember how we traded tubers, so we could have that variety in our garden.

I don't know what we call these but I sure love its colours.

This one is a rare hibiscus colour. And I simply love the softness that surrounds it.

And this is a delight, ain't it?

Winter

Winter sets in once again as cold wind fills the air
Winter brings in memories of people far and near
Winter takes me to childhood years
Winter was when morning grass remained covered in frost
Winter was when Christmas carols rang in the air
Winter was when the warm sun lulled us to sleep
Winter was when stories filled the air
These and so much more
Special memories I have of my Shillong years


Winter sets in once again when dark fog covers the air
Winter brings in memories of places far and near
Winter takes me to my working years
Winter was when the sea breeze was cold and clear
Winter was when walk past the bridge was fun and some sun
Winter was when the rain was fierce, the wind was loud
These and so much more
Special memories I have of Sydney years

Winter sets in once again when morning sleep is hard to leave
Winter brings in memories of things far and near
Winter takes to my working years
Winter was when the grasses were green
Winter was when the rains were a pain
Winter was when the darkness grew each passing hour
These and so much more
Special memories I have of London months

But as I wait for the sun to shine, I agree I don't mind
To have this on for a couple of more months
And then to have it back in a year
For this is the season of memories, of friends
Of places far and near, of people dear
The sun will shine but it is fine
To relax and relive the old winter years

Shillong Memories

My hometown ofcourse. And just as everyone else would say about their hometown, I say the same that it is the best place in the world. I was born and brought up there and my childhood memories are from there. No matter where I be, the streets and roads and the shops and the lane shall always be imprinted on my mind and I can see the images without making any effort.

Cold place as it is, I still love winters as it has endless winter memories. The school holidays and the evening badminton games, the hide and seek when we were still younger can never come back but they were those golden days and will always be. I loved the winter sun and the sweet feeling with the sweet oranges in hand.

And there was Sankranti and we would wake up early morning and keep a watch on who is burning the 'mera meri ghar' first. My cousins would be with us too and we would savour the season with the sweet peethas and teel laddus. I agree we refused to visit many people then as the sweetness would get to our nerves and aunty who prepared singaras or luchis would be considered intelligent.

The Saraswati puja was another time for celebrations and what fun to go around and see the Puja pandals.

What to talk about Durga puja! That is the best time of the year and we would always pray that there were no rains. We did not know home then as we would go and spend the entire time in the Pandal(lunch was at home though). Evenings would be reserved for the cultural programmes and  even though there were no mobiles then, we would manage to coordinate with friends and reserve chairs for the show. Navami would be like the grand finale and we would return home only in the wee hours of the morning.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/Durga-Puja-Jaintias-dance-to-bom-beats-for-celebrating-the-festival/articleshow/16924002.cms

Shillong will ever remain the home of homes and the root of what we are culturally. Christmas is always the best in Shillong and how I even today miss the sound of carols. I write this on a Christmas day when I am specially missing Shillong and wishing all my friends a Merry Christmas and a great year ahead!

Friends are welcome to comment their Shillong memories too!

And because Shillong memories are endless, I shall keep adding...

The below pics are taken from my terrace!

The clouds! No wonder it's called 'Meghalaya', the abode of clouds.

The rainbow is a frequent sight. I missed a slight brighter view because the camera wasn't in my hands then!

See how the trees are soaked in the rainbow colours. I really love this one! The houses just remind of everything that I am and I was and what I will be! It's a pain to say that I visit once a year but there;s hardly a choice.

And when it comes to cleanliness, who can beat us? You will know more from this article:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/Where-cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness/articleshow/17121390.cms