MAWLYNNONG,nestled in the pristine hill state of Meghalaya, is along the Indo-Bangla border. This cute and colourful little village is known for its cleanliness. The village is a picture perfect painting. The village is situated about 75 kilometres from Shillong. The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture. They mostly grow betel nut. About 82 households live in Mawlynnong. Keeping the surrounding environment clean is an age old tradition.
Discover India magazine declared the village as the cleanest in Asia in 2003.
A dustbin made out of bamboo is found all along the village. Every one makes it a point that dirt and waste are not thrown everywhere. All the waste from the dustbin is collected and kept in a pit, which the villagers use as manure. The villagers are now on a mission to ban plastic. The village with cent per cent literacy is conscious and they are spreading the message of conservation and protection of the forest. Locals plant trees to ensure that the virgin forest is kept intact and also replenished.
If we compare Mawlynnong with hustling bustling of the fashion and education capital of Northeast like Shillong, Guwahati, Imphal or Dimapur, where the residents are sophisticated, educated and environment conscious, we would find that Mawlynnong is the cleanest of all. What do we have to say about the rest of them? In these cities, there has been several government sponsored cleanliness drives meant to keep the surrounding clean.
Yet, the rivers and streams in these areas are polluted to the level of having become unfit for use by humans.
Mawlynnong’s fame is now drawing an endless stream of guests from across the country and abroad. Although residential facilities are still scarce and are in the process of being developed, the existing one constructed from bamboo and thatch is quite hospitable and restful. Mawlynnong is an artist’s delight and the sort of getaway that would titillate creative writers and poets.
No wonder, with such high degree of cleanliness and environment friendliness, the people of the village are all healthy and sprightly.
Shouldn’t the rest of India learn from these simple villagers?
October 7th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Yeah its an amazing experience to visit Mawlinnong, a real painting of Nature.This village is about 75 kms frm Shillong and boardered with Bangladesh seems unique in the cleanliness.The innocent village people seems so coperative and harworking in nature.Most of them speaks English as well as Khasi.The flaura n fauna,greenaries, gardens,valleys, root bridges,water supply system through bamboo pipes,agriculture,ethinicity etc etc are really worth seeing and we ‘ve to observe the eco-friendly nature created by the villagers.What a marvellous experiment it is.We shot a lots of pictures,little movie in digital camera.Yes ‘ mawlinnong’ is a wonder to be copied by all Indian villages. SETHU MENON.
April 21st, 2010 at 1:34 am
Mawlynnong was as clean as they claim to be. It was awesome to see the vilagers volunteer to keep it spotlessly clean and maintain the environ that it reputed to have. The clean lanes, rivers, gardens and guest houses etc surely are an example for other villages to follow and infact a lesson for us city folks too! We should bring that culture to Shillong too (Although I still think that Shillong is one of the cleanest city if not THE cleanest). It was also amazing that the villagers at Mawlynnong used everything that nature provides them for all their constructions which, to me, blended very well with their surrounding and complemented everything that was around the area! A DEFINITE MUST see for all who have not!