Saga of Shillong (5.1)

Upon reaching the spot I find something very fascinating. The river was flowing between two hills and at the foot of hills, the land is flat and vast. Such a beautiful contrast! People were selling fishing materials. Though father and I had earnest wish to go fishing, we stepped back because of my mother’s denial. Moon said, “Look at the bank. Can you see a rock?” We said, “Yes.” He said, “That’s the border of India and Bangladesh.” When we reached the entrance it felt like we have reached some village fair. Moon took us to a tea shop. The whole place was a reek of fish and cats. There were a variety of cats, the wild cats. Kittens were playing at our feet and cats were just ignoring us. After tea, Moon proposed for a boat trip. Suddenly my aunt’s reminder of knee replacement surgery went live. But at last, we grabbed our life jacket and set out.

When Emperor Jahangir visited Kashmir in the 17th century, he said, “Hamin Asto.” That phrase means, if there is a heaven, then it lies here. While riding the boat I was remembering this phrase. The boatman will take you to an island in the river and will take you back. As the boat was rowing towards the island, the environment was getting calmer. The water was really crystal clear as we read online. Initially, I thought it won’t be much deep. But as the boat kept rowing, I could see the increasing depth of the water. Surprisingly, I was able to see the shadow of the boat too, on the rock underwater. There were so many fish. I was looking at dad. His eyes were so sad. My poor dad just loves to eat fish, like those cats. And I love to keep fishes. There were lots of birds busy fishing. I mean, if this calm scenery with a crystal clear cold river is not heaven, then I don’t know what it is.