Seen quite a few changes in my life. My elder sister had been asking me to take her along with me if ever I paid a visit to Cherrapunji. So when the opportunity came I did not let her down. In the year 2014 I took her and my family for trip to Shilling and Cherrapunji. In shillong my attractions where the places where I had studied and stayed. Of course, the members of my family wanted to see places which had tourist attraction. I did satisfy them. In any case anyone including me would have liked to visit those places over and over again. We couldn't pay a visit to the University as it had shifted to a permanent campus ages back. Our department had been housed in the Mayurbhanj Palace. But a Central governemnt office was housed now and we could not enter the place. We did go to my college, St. Edmund's College, the college where I had graduated from. Things had changed. The 'Assam type' buildings were replaced by RCC buildings, but the architecture looked very attractive. Greenery was still avialable. Took a few photographs. Then we moved towards the hostel 'New Hostel' were I had stayed for a year or so. The name was changed though. Afeter taking a few shots outside I met the hostel superintendent, whom I knew - Dr Rao. He had taught us electronics when I was undergoing a course on Amateur Radio, popularly known as Ham Radio.Taking his permission we entered the hostel. I showed my son, wife and my sister our common room where we used to play table-tennis & carrom. In fact, three of us had been housed there for a few months. When the superintendent came to know of this he was surprised. I then took them to Room no 1, where I had stayed most of my hostel life. Three boys were present. The one occcupying 'my bed' was fast at sleeep. He got up in a confused state. I assured him no harm and asked him to go back to sleep as I tok pictures. Satisfied, we left the college campus to visit other places. Of course, I couldn't visit all other places where I had stayed erlier. It was a great experience. Experience at the Airforce Museum was really great. As usual I saw a sign displaying 'No Photography' and wen back to the cab to keep my camera. Once inside the ticket booking arena I observed people with cameras and to my surprise I was told I could use my camera in this museum and it was more surprising that inside a military campus we could use cameras. Inside the museum in one place there a sign which said 'Take your photo here'! Overall experience in the museum was definitely great. We left the campus after buying a few memetos.
Next we visitied the Elephant Falls and then left for Cherrapunji where we had been brought up. Knowing Cherrapunji very well and the attitude of the authorities of Ramakrishna Mission I was worried about accomodation. So, I had asked a frined of mine who was a teacher the Ramakrishna Mission Higer Secondary School (It was a High School during our times) to book a Guest House for us. But his reponse was not positive. He, in fact, had asked me to email our request to the authorities, which in most cases was not likely to be heard. So, he gave me a contact number of a person who ran a home stay. But after reaching that place I found it was really far from the campus and it would be nearly impossible for us to move about. There was some accomodation available inside the town too but I wanted to stay inside the school campus. the driver of the cab told us to hurry as the school procession was come and it would be difficult for us to move. In fact, I had forgotten that the Birthday celebrations of Ramakrishna was going on and the most attracitve part of the programme was the procession was going on then. We rushed to the campus only to find the last part of the procession. The procession had lost its pomp and graneur. It was only the shcool students and few devotees participated in it. It used to be a huge proccession of the devotees (mostly from different parts of Assam) earlier. I took a lot of pictures. I was then introduced to the Secretary. Swamiji very joviantly said, 'I knew it had to be some insider who was clicking so many pictures!' Later to my surprise I found signs 'No Photography' written all over. This was something new! Swamiji told my friend, 'Why don't you find an accomodation for them in the guest House?' We missed a beat in the heart. Is it going to be the same place where we used to stay some 48 years back? To our joy & surprise it was the same place which had been turened into a Guest House right aftr we shifted to the actual quarters. My sister and me went looking for the places of interest in every corner of the place. The Guest House turned into many Guest Rooms. To our surprise we found the small hole in the CGI sheet wall through which we used to watch movies shown in the auditorium. Normally these were paid screenings to which we were not allowed. I remember when at times some person would recline on the wall shutting us off and how we used to insert an the handle of the flyer (used for pereparing Dal) and force the person on the ohter side to change his position.
Cherrapunji will remain Cherrapunji forever. Here things do not chnage. I rememebr how my dad used to lose his spectacles in buses and how they used to be returned by the staff every time. We hurried to the shcool complex when we heard that the procession ot mark the Birth Annivesary of Sri Ramakrishna was returning to the School compelx. We had a glimpse of the last part of the procession. Then mingling with the crowds we ate khichri and got ready to leave. Once inside the car I aksed my sister to return the bag carrying all my cash and cards. To my surprise she said that she had returned it to me long back. We were in a state of shock. We rushed to all the places where we had been. First, the fountain where we sat and posed for photographs. It was not there. We went tot the place where had our lunch. Hundreds of people were still eating. I asked a friend of mine (a teacher of that shcool) who was in charge serving food. He offered a resigned look. I proceeded to that place where I took my food. To my surprise the bag was still there in the bench where I had been sitting earlier. some people were having their food. the bag full of money and important documents was there squeezed between two people - safe - indeed very safe. No one had bothered to look at it. At least one more batch had eaten there but as it was not their property no one had bothered to look.
Next we visitied the Elephant Falls and then left for Cherrapunji where we had been brought up. Knowing Cherrapunji very well and the attitude of the authorities of Ramakrishna Mission I was worried about accomodation. So, I had asked a frined of mine who was a teacher the Ramakrishna Mission Higer Secondary School (It was a High School during our times) to book a Guest House for us. But his reponse was not positive. He, in fact, had asked me to email our request to the authorities, which in most cases was not likely to be heard. So, he gave me a contact number of a person who ran a home stay. But after reaching that place I found it was really far from the campus and it would be nearly impossible for us to move about. There was some accomodation available inside the town too but I wanted to stay inside the school campus. the driver of the cab told us to hurry as the school procession was come and it would be difficult for us to move. In fact, I had forgotten that the Birthday celebrations of Ramakrishna was going on and the most attracitve part of the programme was the procession was going on then. We rushed to the campus only to find the last part of the procession. The procession had lost its pomp and graneur. It was only the shcool students and few devotees participated in it. It used to be a huge proccession of the devotees (mostly from different parts of Assam) earlier. I took a lot of pictures. I was then introduced to the Secretary. Swamiji very joviantly said, 'I knew it had to be some insider who was clicking so many pictures!' Later to my surprise I found signs 'No Photography' written all over. This was something new! Swamiji told my friend, 'Why don't you find an accomodation for them in the guest House?' We missed a beat in the heart. Is it going to be the same place where we used to stay some 48 years back? To our joy & surprise it was the same place which had been turened into a Guest House right aftr we shifted to the actual quarters. My sister and me went looking for the places of interest in every corner of the place. The Guest House turned into many Guest Rooms. To our surprise we found the small hole in the CGI sheet wall through which we used to watch movies shown in the auditorium. Normally these were paid screenings to which we were not allowed. I remember when at times some person would recline on the wall shutting us off and how we used to insert an the handle of the flyer (used for pereparing Dal) and force the person on the ohter side to change his position.
Cherrapunji will remain Cherrapunji forever. Here things do not chnage. I rememebr how my dad used to lose his spectacles in buses and how they used to be returned by the staff every time. We hurried to the shcool complex when we heard that the procession ot mark the Birth Annivesary of Sri Ramakrishna was returning to the School compelx. We had a glimpse of the last part of the procession. Then mingling with the crowds we ate khichri and got ready to leave. Once inside the car I aksed my sister to return the bag carrying all my cash and cards. To my surprise she said that she had returned it to me long back. We were in a state of shock. We rushed to all the places where we had been. First, the fountain where we sat and posed for photographs. It was not there. We went tot the place where had our lunch. Hundreds of people were still eating. I asked a friend of mine (a teacher of that shcool) who was in charge serving food. He offered a resigned look. I proceeded to that place where I took my food. To my surprise the bag was still there in the bench where I had been sitting earlier. some people were having their food. the bag full of money and important documents was there squeezed between two people - safe - indeed very safe. No one had bothered to look at it. At least one more batch had eaten there but as it was not their property no one had bothered to look.
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