Last weekend, I needed a little time-out from everything. Things have been difficult for me on a lot of fronts lately. Fortunately, I knew someone residing at a place on the road between Guwahati and Shillong in neighbouring Meghalaya that sounded like a good retreat for the weekend. Even better, I managed to score a ride with some friends heading up to Shillong for a conference.
The place is called the 'Rural Resource and Training Centre' (or RRTC). If you're coming from Guwahati, it's about 18km past Nongpoh, near the town of Umran.
It's one of many Don Bosco initiatives all over NE India. I was already friends with one of the two main priests based at the centre, Father Jose, a linguist who speaks many languages of the NE, and who's currently working on a dictionary of Tiwa. I was introduced to the other main priest, Father James during the course of my stay, who proved to be quite a magician and aping pong player!
The centre typically hosts large groups of people coming in to do all sorts of training, from agriculture to bakery. They also get lots of guests popping in for a cup of tea. Recently, they hosted about 100 school dropouts doing some course on gaining employment - another friend of mine who was staying there at the time didn't think it was all that quiet.
Thankfully, it was nice and peaceful when I was there. Add to that near-constant electricity and water, lots of food, tea-making facilities, places to walk about, limited phone and internet connectivity, and it really made for a nice weekend get-away. Plus, I could talk to Father Jose about linguisticky things, dictionaries and community involvement.
The reception area (below) was also appropriately named because it was one of the few spots in the centre where I could get phone and internet reception! I really didn't mind the lack of connectivity for a few days though.
There were also some reminders to the centre's guests, in both English and Khasi, the local language and one of the official languages of Meghalaya.
The property on which the centre is built actually spans about 40 acres. It used to be 60 acres, but they sold off 20.
What I found nice about all this space, was that I was able to go for long walks by myself, with no fear of insurgents or anyone worrying about me getting lost. Being higher in altitude than Guwahati, it was pretty cool, but not too cold.
Most of the property are used for cultivating crops, including ginger (see below), turmeric and pineapples.
Other parts of the property are used for rearing livestock, poultry, fish and also bees. These 'units' are also used as demonstration sites for groups who come to the centre to learn more about agricultural practices.
There's a big focus on organic farming, and vermicomposting (composting using various worms). Ultimately, the aim is self-sufficiency, something my friend in Nagaland is also hoping to achieve with her business Organic Nagaland (see here).
You can see some of the results of their work: the papayas here were gigantic! If you didn't know what a papaya plant looked like, you'd have thought they were some kind of melon.
Anyway, after 2 nights, it was back to Guwahati. I doubt I'll have time to visit again this trip, but I hope to be able to again soon. Diwali's coming up next week, but I'm off to Zunheboto in Nagaland again for the Sumi post-harvest festival, Ahunah.
The place is called the 'Rural Resource and Training Centre' (or RRTC). If you're coming from Guwahati, it's about 18km past Nongpoh, near the town of Umran.
It's one of many Don Bosco initiatives all over NE India. I was already friends with one of the two main priests based at the centre, Father Jose, a linguist who speaks many languages of the NE, and who's currently working on a dictionary of Tiwa. I was introduced to the other main priest, Father James during the course of my stay, who proved to be quite a magician and aping pong player!
The centre typically hosts large groups of people coming in to do all sorts of training, from agriculture to bakery. They also get lots of guests popping in for a cup of tea. Recently, they hosted about 100 school dropouts doing some course on gaining employment - another friend of mine who was staying there at the time didn't think it was all that quiet.
Thankfully, it was nice and peaceful when I was there. Add to that near-constant electricity and water, lots of food, tea-making facilities, places to walk about, limited phone and internet connectivity, and it really made for a nice weekend get-away. Plus, I could talk to Father Jose about linguisticky things, dictionaries and community involvement.
The reception area (below) was also appropriately named because it was one of the few spots in the centre where I could get phone and internet reception! I really didn't mind the lack of connectivity for a few days though.
There were also some reminders to the centre's guests, in both English and Khasi, the local language and one of the official languages of Meghalaya.
The property on which the centre is built actually spans about 40 acres. It used to be 60 acres, but they sold off 20.
What I found nice about all this space, was that I was able to go for long walks by myself, with no fear of insurgents or anyone worrying about me getting lost. Being higher in altitude than Guwahati, it was pretty cool, but not too cold.
Most of the property are used for cultivating crops, including ginger (see below), turmeric and pineapples.
Other parts of the property are used for rearing livestock, poultry, fish and also bees. These 'units' are also used as demonstration sites for groups who come to the centre to learn more about agricultural practices.
There's a big focus on organic farming, and vermicomposting (composting using various worms). Ultimately, the aim is self-sufficiency, something my friend in Nagaland is also hoping to achieve with her business Organic Nagaland (see here).
You can see some of the results of their work: the papayas here were gigantic! If you didn't know what a papaya plant looked like, you'd have thought they were some kind of melon.
Anyway, after 2 nights, it was back to Guwahati. I doubt I'll have time to visit again this trip, but I hope to be able to again soon. Diwali's coming up next week, but I'm off to Zunheboto in Nagaland again for the Sumi post-harvest festival, Ahunah.
