Asia's cleanest village in Meghalaya, Mawlynnong

Hi everyody,
I've just been to a fairytale place and back and obiousley its in India. we are so use to the villages being rustic and unkempt struck by poor hygine that its unimaginable to imagine that such a place could exist in India, that too in such a remote area.
We went to mawylinnong in meghalaya 90 kms from shillong. the palce is so near to the bangla. borer that if your not careful then your phone may be on international roaming.
at the first look, the place begins to mesmerise you and as if a spell is cast on you.
We reached the village at night around 7:00 pm but it was pitch dark. we could not see anyone so we got into the compound of the house and knocked out came a lady who ansewered all our queries in fluent english though they could not understand a single word of assamese or hindi.
we were then escorted to our guest house, run by the villagers.
the guesthouse is built on bamboo stilts.
rest of details a littler later

Is this where the natural vine bridges that cross the river are? Nice swimming & waterfalls? Mawlynning? I would like to visit. When did you go & where did you stay? Any pictures?
Thanks

yes you got that right we stayed at the village guest house the guest house made of bamboo only and nothing else, is being run by the villagers only. people go there round the year but the monsoons can be a little messy as it rains a lot. we went in the extreme winters on the 26-28 of dec it was very cold then.
we got traditional khasi food though iam a pure vegetarian. I did not have significant problems as they had plenty of fresh veggies growing. the food served is always cooked fresh in front of you. the people are very warm and welcoming. our guie henry was a great help too. the children of the village greet you whenever you cross them they are simply the cutest of kids i have seen in a long time.
see the link www.anitabora.com
aman

Mawlynnong in the northeast state of Meghalaya seems to be the cleanest and best educated village in India. All its residents can read and write and each house has a toilet. An artcle about it has been published today written by BBC´s correspondant Jyotsna Singh.

Probably the discussion about this matter is a bit bitter for the indians but unfortunately the first word or better adjective we foreigners normally use to define India is: filthy, dirty...

Full information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8259789.stm

Jorge

Yes, Jorge, I just read that article too. Very interesting. A model to be copied elsewhere, and not just in India!

See also this thread on IndiaMike:

http://www.indiamike.com/india/off-t...ynnong-t69661/

One down, 638,634 to go...

Frankly, I couldn't care less what foreigners think of India. I am sure many Indians can come up with selective memory, too, and knock all the airbrushed mascara off many faces across the world.

Eh? Did I miss something? That article said that it was the local community themselves that took the initiative, and are continuing it, and that they were doing a great job.

The only hint of critisism was the last line saying the rest of India should be keen to follow their example, and I can't really disagree. It won't happen overnght, but everyone member of a village having access to sanitation is an aspiration that surely nobody can argue with, Indian or foreigner.

thataone

No it's not "bitter" for "the indians" (sic) at all, indeed I don't think "the indians" give two hoots about what you foreigners (as you describe yourself) think. What I find peculiar about a few of the IM posting foreigners (I'm an OCI, lived in India for 2 years as a boy) is why you on the one hand seem to take such an interest in India (you frequent this forum, presumably visit), yet on the other hand maintain this aloof and prescriptive attitude to "the indians" and their peculiarities.

India doesn't require foreigners in its midst except those who offer it skills or substantial investment. Still less does it need foreigners pronouncing from on high about its many ills.

And lets not forget that not long ago most of your fellow Europeans would have regarded Franco's Spain as a pretty backward place.

Wow, it's a laugh a minute here on IndiaMike. What a giggle - or is that an accurate figure?

Did you want to join in the conversation?

You'll certainly find some very unrealistic "foreign" views of India here, because many of our members haven't even been here yet. However, the ones that lack any real enthusiasm for the country simply don't stay long, because this site is for people who love, or at the least have a great interest in India.

If every reflection and comment that is passed is not positive, what do expect? You think India is a perfect place? You think anyone is disqualified from noticing that it isn't, if they happen not to be Indian?

I suggest that you spend a little more time getting to know this forum, and the people who post here, before you make such remarks about your fellow members.

Oddly, I have just come from a thread where a Northern Indian member, recently moved to Chennai, is horrified by the littering habits he finds in this city...

Yahboo, are you the same person who compared Shimla to Brighton but found it lacking?

If you had been around on this Forum for more than five minutes you would have understood the enormous love for India that Jorge has. If you had looked at his photo gallery and seen the huge affection he has for India you would not dare to speak to him as you have just done. If you have nothing better to do than throw Franco in to the conversation then there is no hope for you.

Oh, THAT. Sorry, I was looking at the article. I tend to skim over posts where people suggest they are speaking on behalf of 80% of the human race.

While seeing so much litter can be rather a shock to foreigners who are used to living in cities which are cleaned early every morning by armies of litter pickers, I don't think it's at all correct to say that the first word that comes to foreigners is "dirty".

638,635 is the actual number of Indian villages, from the 2001 census.

I may try and amuse on occasion, but I am also a geek.

Why was this particular village in Meghalaya was selected for report? There would be many villages in Punjab/Haryana/Kerala/Gujarat (our more prosperous states) etc. which, I am sure, would qualify. Did BBC conduct a survey of all villages in India? There is a village in Karnataka where everyone speaks Sanskrit (meaning they are all literate). The report is biased. Of course, we worry two hoots about what unreasonable foreigners say about us and perhaps we have 100 news channels. It has been ages since I switched to BBC. There is nothing wrong in going to jungle in the morning (and it is enjoyable) if there is enough space around. Nature takes care of it. Flush toilets are not an absolute necessity.