Shillong was good. It was good spending time with (extended) family. Eating good food. And most of all, re-appreciating the pristine beauty of the hills. Of course this appreciation was tempered with frustration, when you see the waterfalls, quiet little beauties with crystal clear water with picnic plates, biscuit wrappers, chip packets and other garbage floating in them. Is it... really so hard to walk 5 steps and throw it in a dustbin? Okay I actually typed out another semi-long rant raging against a certain type of people but since my
When I was there, sitting in this awesome guesthouse reading an book (Room with a view by Forester - about Victorian England and it's culture - it's like reading about modern day Indian culture) and looking at the scenery, I started thinking about how it would be like to settle in the hills. This was not the first time.
Firstly, what would I do? Obviously to really appreciate the hills, you got to sit there in peace reading a book in the evening and hosting parties on the weekend. You can do that only if the work you do allows for that. Obviously that means no coding jobs (not that there are any in the hills) and no businesses. Civil services is a good option, but I'm not sure if I would get posted in the hills only. The only other option and the more viable one would be farming. Shit I really should I have done agricultural engineering or something. Damm this doctor/computer engineer mentality that our parents generation have. I could be there in the hills, with a huge farm growing grapes and apples. Maybe a vineyard? My dad did mention about one of his friend, an agricultural engineer from IIT doing exactly that, growing vegetables in the hills. That would be excellent, work of 4-5 hours a day and all of it physical. Then quite evenings with comfortable outdoor/indoor armchair (depending on the season) with a book. No noise, no smoke, no grime, no heat, no dust. On evenings, I could hold parties at my big, big farmhouse. Great conversation and beers.
Mmmm, sounds fantastic. Maybe one day. Maybe I could actually have a stint at some farm, actually see how would life actually be.
On a related note, I had two new experiences. A new experience is a wonderful thing isn't it? Into the world of the unknown, adrenaline, excitement and fear. The real reason I feel school is so awesome is because you have so many first experiences... first crush, first time you laughed till tears rolled down your eyes, first best friend forever, first time you tried alcohol, hundreds of firsts. I had an experience of an helicopter ride. It's ... how do you explain it? Another thing altogether. If you've rode a bike and driven a car, it's exactly the same. A car offers you a narrow view, much like an airplane. With an helicopter you can fully appreciate the sheer awesomeness of the hills from the skies. Must become a helicopter pilot if the opportunity presents itself.
The second thing was the first time I actually went through a cave. Seriously this is the most awesomest thing. Crawling like a rat in some portions of the cave (seriously don't know how Mom managed, Dad wisely opted out) and the knowledge that a simple slip could easily lead to death considering how jagged the rocks are made it an exhilarating experience. Aunties in sarees were going through the cave, this is India for you... safety be dammed. ;)
Over and out.
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