Meghalaya, one of the state of North East India, known as 'Abode of Clouds' is a habitat to three major tribes Khasi, Garo and Jaintiya and are found in different location of the state. These tribes are very lively with their rich culture and tradition. One of the most interesting thing that is enough to draw the attention of the busy world about these tribes is that they follow matrilineal system, which is practiced by only few tribes in India, where women are regarded as head of the family. Though I am mentioning them as ‘tribe’ or are regarded as so, still the people are very modern not only in the way they live their life but also in their thoughts, their mental outlook and so follows.
My experience with these tribes though not for a longer span of time but still it was very mesmerizing and long-lasting. Within the limited period as per the calendar and my watch, I have traveled many places in Meghalaya, and few of them were the hotspots for attracting the tourist all around. Among them the village Nongsophan and Mawlynong were quite famous because of their landscape beauty. Luckily as I always wish to explore new adventures, during my college days, I got the opportunity to travel to these places for my field visit where I could spend some valuable time to get closer to the natural beauty of Meghalaya.
Naturally when any tribe is tend to characterize, it is done by explain their practices such as food habits, marriage system, clothing and religion. Not moving away from this track, even I tried to study and understand a brief their customs and practices. Khasi tribe is very lively tribe in North East India, which can be underlined by their culture. Basically tribal people in North East are mostly non-vegetarian and are lovers of meat especially pork and beef and dry fish. So even among the Khasi we can see that most of them live on these food habits. Their traditional dish is called ‘Jadoh’ which is cooked in vary occasion; the dish is prepared from rice and oil extracted from pork fat, their meal is incomplete without ‘Kwai’ (dose of areca nut, betel leaf and lime) which is served at the end of every meal. They are also very much fond of wild vegetables, fruits and leaves, among that bamboo shot is very popular.
As I have mentioned before the Khasi, the largest tribe of Meghalaya is chiefly the followers of the matriarchal system. Normally the marriage between the same clan is not allowed in the state of Meghalaya. Even you would find it much interesting when I would tell you all that they follow the customs and traditions wherein weddings include the practice of girls proposing to boys. There need not be any agreement between the families of both boy and the girl before they get into a formal relationship; the marriageable folk is given full liberty to choose their own partners. There is no system of dowry in their marriage system. The marriage is successful once the groom shifts into the bride’s residence Isn’t it all interesting? When you would talk about attire, a Khasi lady wears a ‘Dhara’ or ‘Jainesm’ known in local language Physically these dresses are quite detailed and comprise of not one but several pieces of clothing, and hence give an attractive cylindrical shape to the woman’s body. The Jainesm includes two pieces of contrasting fabrics, which rest on each shoulder. Khasi men wears a sleeveless shirt called Jymphong.
One of the major festivals celebrated by Khasis is Nongkrem celebrated in the month of November every year which last for five days. It is popularly known as the Ka Pomblang Nongkrem. Another major festival celebrated in the month of April is known as the Shad Suk Mynsiem; a three days long celebration. 
Mawlynong, one of the memorable experience in my life and would even to many is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of the Meghalaya state. This village is also known as the cleanest village in Asia. The population over there is mostly Khasi. This village is the center of attraction for its maintenance which is in itself an example to the outsider. As I have interacted to the villagers in Mawlynong, I could feel the sense of responsibility of the villagers towards their surrounding, which they handle in a very organized manner. If you take a walk around the village you can notice how the villagers have put handmade dustbin for dumping the waste in every nook and corner of the village. Also we can see the bamboo huts and different kind of orchids in every household which are very eye-catching. Also the village is surrounded by water falls and if we travel 1km from the village we can enjoy the beauty of famous root bridge in Riwai village which is famous all over the world. With the natural beauty the place is also blessed with many other natural resources. The Mawylonong village is not only an example to the outside world but also to the neighboring village such as Thai village and Nongsophan. The description regarding this village highlights a few important characteristics of Khasi people in Mehgalaya. So I don’t hesitate to reveal about the village to anyone I come across. In fact I believe everyone should come here to this world of beauty with some beautiful creatures of the globe.
By Madhu Manjuri Gohain
Photography by: Madhu Manjuri Gohain
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