Shillong

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Introduction

Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya, one of the smaller states in India. It is also the district headquarters of East Khasi Hills District and is situated at an altitude of 4,908 ft (1,496 m) above sea level. The city has a population of approx. 260,000 according to the 2001 census. Shillong has steadily grown in size and significance in its own traditional way from a mere village as it used to be when it was made the new civil station of Khasi and Jaintia Hills in 1864 by British. It remained the summer capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam for many years. In 1874, on the formation of Assam as a Chief Commissioner's Province, it was chosen as the headquarters of the new administration because of its convenient location between the Brahmaputra and Surma Valley and more so because the climate of Shillong was much cooler than tropical India. Shillong remained the capital of undivided Assam until the creation of the new state of Meghalaya in January 21 1972 when Shillong became the capital of Meghalaya.

How Shillong got its name

The city, as the legend goes, has derived its name from Leishyllong, the Superpower or God, who is said to be dwelling on the Shillong Peak, 1965 metres above sea level, over-looking the city, the highest point of Meghalaya.

The beauty of Shillong

Romantic and picturesque and blessed with an abundance of nature's gifts, Shillong is described as the 'Scotland of the East' because of its striking similarity with that of the Scottish Highlands and has been attracting indigenous and foreign tourists for decades. The city boasts of many beautiful churches and cathedrals. Shillong has one of the largest golf courses (the world's wettest) in Asia and the golf course is called "Glen Eagle of the East". It enjoys the rare distinction of being one of the few natural golf courses in Asia. The colonial hangover of Shillong is not yet over. People still do not feel emabarrassed to describe their city in terms of Scotland of the east or Glen Eagle of the east. Shillong is one of the few places where old colonial charm seamlessly blends into one sensational feast for the senses. Picinic spots in and around Shillong include Elephant falls in upper Shillong, Spread Eagle falls, Ward Lake, Bara Pani (16 km from Shillong).

There are many oppurtunities for adventure travel in Shillong.Cave exploration,trekking etc. The possibilities are endless.Though there aren't any organised agencies for such travel,the good hotels can arrange various trips.

This is one of the few hill stations with motorable roads all around. Shillong has no rail lines. There is a small airport at Umroi, around 25 miles (40 km) from Shillong. The tourist towns of Cherrapunjee (around 40 miles, or 70 km) and Umiam lake (around 20 miles, or 35 km) are close to the city.

Institutions in Shillong

• Shillong is the headquarters of the North Eastern Council.
• The main university is the North Eastern Hill University with campuses in Tura and Shillong- HQ
• A bench of the Guwahati High Court has been set up in Shillong.
• Shillong is a major educational center in north eastern India.
• Major colleges in Shillong are: St. Edmund's College, St. Anthony's College, St. Mary's College, Lady Keane College.
• An IIM (Indian Institute of Management has also been sanctioned for Shillong.
• Shillong has a centre of the CIEFL (Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages) which has its headquarters in Hyderabad.
• Shillong also has many offices of the Geological Survey of India.
• The Anthropological Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India also have their presence here.
• It also has the HQ of the Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force
• The HQ of the oldest paramilitary force in India - the Assam Rifles
• The Assam Regimental Centre of the Indian Army
• The 101 Area of the Indian Army.

Eminent personalities associated with Shillong

People who have brought honour to Shillong include

• P.R Kyndiah who was Union Minister,
• Q. Rynjah
• P.Mukhim who received the illustrious Padmashri prize
• S.Jain who received the prestigious international Alfred P. Sloan award
• the poet K.S.Nongkynrih
• the former Lok Sabha speaker P.A.Sangma.
• Former Chief Election Commissioner James Michael Lyngdoh is from Shillong and had studied at St. Edmund's College but has settled in Hyderabad.
• The actor Victor Bannerjee is also a product of St. Edmund's College.
• Utpal Dutt the famous communist actor was also born and brought up in Shillong.
• Famous film critic Amita Malik is from Shillong.
• Poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote his famous play "Shesher Kobita" (the last poem) when he was in Shillong.
• Arundhati Roy, the renowned Booker Prize winning writer and activist was born in Shillong (although Arundhati refuses to identify with the city).
• Nirad C Chaudhuri has written extensively about Shillong in his book 'Autobiography of an Unknown Indian'.
• Anthropologist and tribal expert Verrier Elwin had settled in Shillong and he lived here till his death.
• Mr L.P.Singh one of India's last ICS (Indian Civil Service) Officers was governor of Meghalaya and other North Eastern states during the seventies.

The Demography of Shillong

There are 3 major tribals communities Khasi, Garo, Jaintia. Ethnically, Khasis and Jaintia's are very similar and are collectively called Hynniewtrep (7 tribes) while Garos are known as A'chick. The Khasis are one of the few matrilineal tribes existing in the world today which people mistakenly refer to as matriarchal. There is also a significant Bengali, Nepali, Assamese, Bihari and Marwari population.

Religion in Shillong

Christianity is the main religion of Shillong and Meghalaya. Various denominations are present here. Unlike other Hill regions of the Northeast, Christian evangelisation was strongly resisted by the Khasis. Under the Khasi Association (Seng Khasi), they managed to stop the cultural cleansing by the missionaries. Seng Khasi assertion forced the missionaries to rexamine their colonial/eurocentric assumptions. Except for a few American funded born again groups, almost all Christian denominations are more or less in favour of acculturation. Shillong also has a large number of Hindus and Sikhs. A small number of Muslims are also resident in Shillong. The Ramakrishna Mission has its presence in Shillong and it is said that Swami Vivekananda had also visited Shillong once.

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External links

• Resource for information on the khasis
• Website on Shillong
• Google Images and Shillong

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