A report by Risim Rongpi (6th Semester MCVP 2022)
11th of December, 2021, the students of Mass Media Department, 5th Semester started their journey to Nongriat around 7:30 AM on the college bus. The initial plan for every student and teacher was that they would stop by Orchid Hotel to have their lunch however the plan was scrapped due to the simple fact that not everyone would have enough money to eat a hearty meal. So it was decided that every student would make a contribution of Rupees 200 -/- for simple snacks which included Britannia cakes, Mazza, dozens of water bottles and various packet of chips and bring their own packed lunch. Once the Mass Media faculty reached the entrance to the Nongriat Trek, it was then when the food and snacks were distributed. Even walking sticks were provided made of bamboo sold by children, to assist people during the trek.
The path to the village is a cemented staircase in the middle of the thick jungle; that first reaches the bottom of the valley and then after crossing the river, another flight of stairs upwards lands one at the village. After the steep flight of stairs down, they arrived at a small village, from where the single root bridge can be accessed. We progressed ahead, arriving at a wobbly iron bridge at the bottom of the valley. After a short walk up on another flight of stairs, they arrived at Nongriat village. Nestled in the middle of the jungle was this quaint and clean village. A short walk from the village is the Living Root Bridge. The first view of the root bridge made the arduous trek fully worth every drop of sweat and every ache in the student's body. Crafted by the local Khasi people, the bridges are made from the roots of rubber trees. Traditionally, the roots are carefully guided across spaces using the straight trunks of betel nut trees and are sometimes tied for increased support. Further on with chirping birds that began to emerge after the downpour, the double-decker bridge in the middle of a thick jungle, was set right across a rumbling waterfall and over a gentle water stream.
The villagers are working on creating a third deck, by twisting and shaping the roots. Perhaps in a half a century, it would be fully made. The entire faculty decided to rest there for a while and eat their packed lunches there.
Due to the already extensive trek, many of the students and teachers after reaching the Double Decker root bridge, did not have the strength to continue further. However, some students who were eager to explore the whole of Nongriat, decided to push themselves even beyond. Around 15-20 students and led by Sir Micheal, ventured off towards the Rainbow falls. The trek to Rainbow falls lasted around 30-40 minutes. This trek was far tougher than what the faculty had previously experienced. The road was not well made, it had steep inclines there are stairs; this time they're stony, broken, raw and earthy. What provided to hope to complete this trek is that every so often during the trek, the students would come across a sign that says how much time is needed to reach Rainbow falls (eg: 10 Minutes ahead to Rainbow Falls). Once this specific team reaches Rainbow falls, they maneuver their way down the sharp, slippery rocks to actually experience Rainbow Falls. Once down, water sparkling in the warmest blue, the chilled transparent water flowing down with extreme violence, and on that bright sunny day, the mist from the waterfall created a gorgeous spectrum of colors, which made everyone present understand why the place is named Rainbow falls. It's seeming that no one was prepared to take a dip in Rainbow falls except Solanki he jumped in and swam to his heart's content. This crews who detoured from the main group had their lunch there on the rocks of Rainbow Falls itself.
On their way back, the group did not travel together, and we're divided into two groups: the ones who stayed at the Double Decker root bridge and the ones who went to Rainbow falls. Of course, the group that went to Rainbow falls felt more of the brutal incline of climbing back up, since they were further back, however no one gave up, even the group ahead of them. Most of the students re-energized themselves with fresh lime juice on stalls that were available during the way of the trek. Climbing up those huge number of stairs was no easy task for the first person to reach the top on the way back. According to Priya, the first to reach the top, what provided her strength to carry on trekking was that her friend Khupunai was taking pictures of her! By 5:30 PM, everyone had arrived, and it was time for the students to return back to Shillong. In their exhausted state, everyone in the bus (except the driver of course), were too tired to make too much noise, which was funny because stereotypically, a group that huge was bound to make a lot of noise. 8:30 PM, the bus had arrived at college and from there all the students and teachers dispersed off to their homes individually.
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