I was half asleep when the shared car I was in entered Shillong. It was October pre-Covid, cold morning and a drizzle outside that soon turned into a downpour later. Half-asleep I noticed a pink glow by the cantonment area. My eyes were wide open in glee with that unexpectedly warm welcome. That was my first sighting of Cherry Blossom in Shillong and it has stayed fresh since.
I believe the blissful pink blossoms can be fleeting to many. Even if you are visiting during season, a sight pleasing to your eyes and soul could be a chance game. It was the pre-festival period when I visited. There were a few trees here and there trumpeting the siren of the incoming full-bloom season. Yet, with the downpour outside and a cozy chill in the air, it looked dreamy.
My destination was the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH) for a quiz event. We stopped at Police Bazaar for breakfast. On that rain-soaked morning, a few local vendors were braving the odds with their exhibits of steel containers having local Khasi food. Carefully scanning the assortments at a makeshift stall by a lady, we got overwhelmed. She had chicken, pork and pork intestine as options. On request for her recommendation, she carefully plated a large scoop of jadoh, and topped it with the pork intestine curry, a scoop of the peculiar tomato-onion salad, and a pungent chutney. The warmth the platter exuded on such a day was indescribable. With that plateful of goodness, we ventured to our destination.
The road to NEIAH was filled with rain-washed hazy greenery. Fleeting glimpses of the Cherry blossom adorned throughout the way. There is a little forest area with tropical trees just few steps ahead of the institute vicinity. The hilltop view from the institute made up for a serene scenery of the surroundings that I took as a postcard.
Our second plate of jadoh, however, was waiting for us at a roadside eatery opposite NEIGHRIMS (just few metres away from NEIAH). This was our lunch post-event. Small setup with benches, whisked smiles and banters over food. There was a wooden oven visible if you peek by the side of the stall. Slow-cooked meat and steamed jadoh on stove. The lady at the counter broke my stream of thought as she pointed towards the rupees-ten-a-scoop and rupees-twenty-a-scoop offerings to me. From vegetables, potato fry, dal, bitter gourd fry, mashed banana flower to pork, chicken, and innards curries, the choices were plenty. I had my jadoh platter sorted with one piece each of pork and chicken along with a peculiar Shillong-style meatball.
One of the most intriguing things about having a Khasi meal is to pair it with a cup of steaming hot red tea. It was a new concept to me. As I sat down to have my meal, I noticed this and could not help but order a cup for myself as well. The warmth of the food blanketed the chill of the day.
With that plateful of hearty goodness, off we went for our final sighting of Cherry blossom for the day. The eponymous Ward’s Lake was the stopover. The drizzle had stopped. There was one singular Cherry tree pronouncing the bloom, while the smaller ones were out of sight due to the rain-induced fog. A man in joggers sitting by a bench, ducks shaking off the raindrops, an old couple on the walkway, and echoing silence. The Lake was playing hide-and-seek with the pink reflection, which was off-duty that day. A dreamy afternoon indeed. Soaking in that moment, I returned with the picture of chasing Cherry blossoms and jadoh on a rain-soaked day in Shillong.
Simanta Barman is a freelance journalist and writer based out of Guwahati, Assam.