Mawphlang Field Visit

Today, as a part of the sustainability course, PGP-14 batch of Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management, Shillong went to Mawphlang, Meghalaya. Mawphlang is one of the sacred groves of the East Khasi Hills.  It is a forest spread over 72 hectares of land. It does not come under the forest department of India. A community of locals manages it.

We left for Mawphlang at 6.00 A.M. The bus journey was really amazing. All the participants were very excited. We reached our destination at 7.00 A.M. We got off the bus and to everyone’s dismay it started drizzling. Amidst all the hardships and the cold weather we left with a guide in groups of 15 to experience the sacred Mawphlang forest. The trek was not steep but it was very difficult because of slippery surface.

Though, the scene of the forest was really beautiful but we were a bit scared and apprehensive about the grove. The stories of what could happen in worst cases were haunting us.  Keeping all that at back of our head, we marched forward. We entered the rain forest and it was beautiful. The adrenal was running high. We were following the guide with great zeal. She told us many interesting facts about the forest. Then, she showed us the sweat and sour lemon type fruit in the forest. She ate it but we decided against having it.  We continued forward and saw a couple of creeks. We also went in deep forest to see a few trees that are 600 years old. All in all it was a great experience.

After coming out of the forest we again had great fun. We made a class video. We were shouting, laughing and running around. After that we had our breakfast. It was amazing. Sandwiches, boiled egg and a banana made us ready to continue further.

Then, we went to meet some local people of the area to know more about the sustainability measures taken in the area.  Probably, we were a bit behind schedule and hence could not get enough time with the locals.

After that we left for the Shillong water supply project that is built at a height of 50 meters and over    river. The scene from there was amazing. It just blew our mind. The beauty of Meghalaya mesmerized us. We stood there and saw the pleasant scene for some time. We made the most of it.