The Fever, the North east, and I

Just a few lines as the World Cup Football fever subsides tonite

The fever of the Governor's Gold Cup in Sikkim has always been infectious
and I immensely enjoyed covering one of the most happening tournaments in the country for The Sikkim Express and the Telegraph between the years 1986 and 2002.

In Shillong, where i studied a bit, joined a seminary for a while, and returned to
work as assistant editor for The shillong times, and as a correspondent for The Times of India
I could witness the wild excitement right from the under seventeen matches, to the village tournaments, and of course the fierce loyalties between football fans of various clubs.

One of the most significant was the way the shopkeepers around the stadium closed their shutters a few minutes befdore the end of the inter-state tournaments ... especially the finals, one was never sure when the fans of the losingt side ... or the winning side, would go oin a rampage!!!

The North East is beautiful ... I have been blessed to have travelled through many towns and cities, covered may political and social processes, and have been one with the rhythm of the hills.

Memories... perhaps trapped in time ...The food, the bands like King Apple, Rusty Nails, and many others Rudy wahlang and the gang, Bob Dylan's Birthday,... Christmas, parties, treks and hikes, .... where else can you get the eclectic mix of the Mizo choir, the pungent thrumbai, well roasted dog meat on spits, and pork jaddoh, and also momos, tsang [chhang], and tsampa... ... ...

I hope that answers the query of the beautiful lady from the land of the seven sisters...