Stories

Whether eaten hot and steaming as part of every meal, or made into cakes and crepes and eaten with sweet red tea, rice occupies a central place in Khasi cuisine and indeed the cuisine of all tribes in Meghalaya. But the unique thing about rice dishes in Meghalaya is how their taste varies across different regions of the state, deriving as much from the innumerable indigenous varieties of rice grown here as from a particular recipe.

Neta Pohthmi is known in his village for being cheerful and positive, and for always being optimistic about everything in life. The Padu Village local lives with his wife and their three
children. Having had no access to formal education, he worked as a farmer and later as a shopkeeper where he sold biscuits. His life, however, changed after he decided to become a
partner with the Meghalaya Basin development Authority (MBDA).

Meghalaya is home to Sohra and Mawsynram which receive the highest amount of rainfall in the world but despite this, many parts in the state face water security problems. Mawphanlur is a village in West Khasi Hills known for the numerous crater lakes atop the hill but due to the inability of the community to harvest rainwater, the village faced problems with water availability. Shri Nicholson Jana, headman of Mawphanlur village stated that it is the school children that suffer the most as they have to walk long distances to fetch water in addition to travelling to schools. This drudgery wastes a lot of time and also causes children to focus on other things apart from school work. Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) in partnership with Nagaland Empowerment of People through Energy Development (NEPeD) and GIZ came up with a comprehensive solution and gave the village a hydraulic ram pump.

Jaintia Hills is a major coal producing area in Meghalaya with an estimated coal reserve of about 40 million tonnes. Sutnga, Lakadong, Musiang-Lamare, Khliehriat, Loksi, Ladrymbai, Rymbai, Byrwai, Chyrmang, Bapung,Jarain, Shkentalang, Lumshnong, Sakynphor etc. are the main coal bearing areas. Extraction of coal in Meghalaya has been done by primitive mining method commonly known as ‘rat-hole’ mining.

Bamboo is often known as the miracle plant owing to its wide ranging benefits. Bamboo trees assist in fighting climate change more effectively as compared to other hardwood trees by taking in more CO₂ and producing more oxygen. This makes it a valuable partner in fighting climate change. Depending on the species, bamboos can be harvested in one to five years. After harvesting, virtually every part of the plant can be used to make a wide variety of products.

Hosterwell Lapasam is a 68-year-old rice farmer who lives in Sohkymphor village, East Jaintia Hills District. Finding manual winnowing of rice grains the traditional way extremely difficult, he came up with an innovative solution to lessen his workload. The innovator developed, designed and built a rice winnowing machine which has been able to cut down the process of winnowing by a substantial amount of time. The machine can winnow and dry 15 sacks of rice in an hour. The machine which is extremely easy to use does not need a lot of physical strength and can be operated by women and children alike. 

Kong Syrpailin Warjri’s journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur did not happen overnight. She had her own share of hardships. Although, she was a hard-working woman, Syrpailin was also pressed by circumstances. She has a large family of 10 members and had been working as a teacher under the ad hoc grant-in-aid for 2 years. Her salary was only Rs. 600 per month. Needless to say, running a family of 10 with this meager amount was not realistic.

Purasinga Village in South West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya is located about 55 km from Tura and approximately 365 km from the state capital, Shillong. In this village, water hyacinth, also known as Eichhornia crassipes, exists in abundance and can be seen growing in ponds and other water bodies, or in areas where paddy cultivation has been abandoned. The case of the water hyacinth in Purasinga is unique, as not long ago, the plant was viewed as a nuisance because it contributed to blockage in drainage systems. This highly regenerative plant has also adversely affected the biodiversity in the village’s ecosystems.

Bah Marius Tlang is a resident of Umrasong village in the East Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya. He is a father of ten children – 9 boys and 1 girl. All except his oldest child is not pursuing studies. Before he registered at the EFC, he made a living working by transporting rocks from the mines. He started raising pigs and further got involved in agriculture. Bah Marius’ economic situation before the EFC was quite dire and found it very difficult to fulfill the basic needs of his family.  

Meghalaya, with its altitudes of over 4,000 feet above sea level across many places and a unique climate, has been producing some of the most distinctive high quality coffee in the country. Commercial plantation of coffee is relatively new and limited in Meghalaya and dates back to 1954 when coffee gardens were first established by the Soil and Water Conservation (S&WC) Department at Umling in Ri-Bhoi district, Lumshnong in East Jaintia Hills district, and Tura in West Garo Hills district. Today, it is grown in 6 districts across the state, covering a total area of approximately 300 hectares with an estimated yield of 200 metric tonnes in 2016-17.

Shri Layland Marak is an entrepreneur from Ganolgre village under the Rongram Community and Rural Development (C&RD) Block, West Garo Hills, who is engaged in a unique business of processing and sale of Aloe Vera products through a Self Help Group (SHG) named Chizingjang. Aloe vera is a tropical plant which is widely known for the range of health benefits it offers. Layland is considered a pioneer by the people of his village and is attributed to be the driving force behind the Chizingjang SHG and its aloe vera business. Many vouched by his excellent leadership skills and praised him for his commitment and contributions towards the development and transformation of Ganolgre. Today, his efforts have taken the SHG to new heights and he hopes to create more opportunities to support his fellow community members so they too can achieve their dreams.

Bindaram Momin is an apiculture farmer, well known for making honey in Chitchotcheng a village in North Garo Hills district of Meghalaya. His honey is popular amongst the locals and this is presently his primary source of income. But back in 2006 he had spent most of his time on his paddy fields, making a meager living by growing and selling paddy. His two daughters along with his three sons helped at home by collecting firewood from the nearby forests while his wife spent most of her time in the kitchen.