It was just a thought in my head. I then wrote it down. Yes before I die I would like to see the natural scenery from the top of a mountain in North East India! Three days later I knew that this could actually happen. I was all excited by my last minute decision to go where not many South Indians have gone before – a trip to Assam!
Our mixed group of 17 assembled at Guwahati airport. Some of us were lucky to fly past the majestic Himalayan ranges and actually see Mount Everest and Mount Kanchenganga from the comfort of our aircraft. Lunch for this VIP Mangalorean group was at a place called Mangalam on the VIP – Airport Road at Guwahati… a sign that very important things would soon happen in our otherwise routine lives.
We drove past the sprawling campus of the University of Assam… and also the funny shaped Cricket stadium. Our first crossing of the Brahmaputra river with the beautiful sight of the setting sun was just at 5.15 p.m. Ok, we were in the eastern most side of India where the sun sets early and also rises early!
We stopped for tea at an unknown village. The locals told me that that the specialty of the area was its meat products. I wondered at what kind of vegetarian food we could get in the next few days.
After spending one week in remote wilderness, we were happy to say Hello to Assam and to get back to luxury of city life and the relaxing 4 star hotel at Guwahati!
Three of us got up as usual at 4.30 a.m. to get ready to see the main attraction of Guwahati – the famed Khamakhaya Devi mandir. We went around the temple complex and saw the innumerable goats roaming around. They would be surely offered as sacrifice, every single day to the Goddess Kamakhya Devi. The belief is that during the mythological war, when the copse of ‘sati’ was broken inti 51 pieces, one part landed here and is considered as a great source of strength to the devotees…We walked down the dark recesses to have the blessings of this special touch!
There wasn’t much time to do local shopping, we had to go to the airport for a long flight back home.
And the 17 of us returned safe and sound to comfort of the urban Mumbai, richer with our experience of the contrasting rural life on other side of our country!
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