Meghalaya

Meghalaya

India’s undiscovered gem

In Meghalaya, the landscape is straight out of The Hobbit. It is said that the rolling hills around the towns reminded European settlers of Scotland. Hence, Meghalaya is known as “Scotland of the East”.

Here, women own the land.

“I own this farm” declared Dave. “That is certain.” Behind him his wife and female relatives giggled. He turned and glared. 

The women had had a good reason to snigger. Dave does not own the farm-it belongs to his wife. He has three children- two sons and one daughter. But none of them went by his family name, they all had his wife’s surname, and the daughter would inherit the farm.

The couple live in Indian state of Meghalaya, one of the few places in the world with a matrilineal system, where women own land and property, and men put on a brave face. 

Christianity dominates. If you are going to Shillong by road from Guwahati. Then, as soon as you get out of Assam and enter Meghalaya, you will notice that the colourful signs on the trucks on the twisting roads appealed to Jesus, not Shiva, for good luck. 

Crazy names rule here, a legacy of the missionaries' work. I was told that children now are just as likely to be named after the latest gadget as a saint, but though I asked the names of people I met across Meghalaya, I sadly never came across a toddler called iPad mini.

Never heard of Meghalaya? Don’t worry, you are not the only one. It’s in the far, far north-east of India. A tribal territory, the land of Khasi people. It is an intriguing corner of India, and one visited by few tourist.