A mission to protect his ancient heritage drives the young man
Have you ever marvelled at human ingenuity to carve its path amidst rocks and mountains? Have you ever wondered how people travelled before concrete roads were a reality, especially in places where it rained a lot?
Like always, Nature held an answer. Living root bridges.
Meghalaya, known as the “Abode of Clouds” is home to two of the wettest places on the earth, Cherrapunjee and Mawsynram. Living root bridges of Meghalaya are well-known tourist attractions. They used to be the only way people in the village could cross a river to reach the other side to farm, sell their produce, or send children to school before the road infrastructure was accessible.
Thick forests of the Khasi and Jaintia hills are home to these unique centuries-old living root bridges which are sculpted from the rubber tree by the Khasi tribe. Many of these unique natural structures decayed over time as people stopped using them. It took an initiative by a school dropout to re-introduce the Khasi community to their ancient heritage.
Back in 2014, an 18-year-old Morningstar had dropped out of the government school, much to his parent’s dismay. His village, Rangthylliang, had over 20 living root bridges but many were decayed. He joined his father, a farmer, who was involved like other community members in the maintenance of the bridges as they were tourist attractions. Remarkably, for the young school dropout, the encouragement to take up preservation work full-time came from an American tourist. And that is how the Living Bridge Foundation (LBF) came into being in 2018.
He travelled across the state, met people in other villages, heard their stories, and learned how they were conserving the bridges. Morningstar, who calls himself a living bridge activist has been involved in the project for about five years. He maintains bridges that need repair and also builds new ones.
His organization is trying to spread awareness among the tribal community and villages about the importance of bridges and imparting traditional skills to preserve them. LBF currently has 10 members who help raise awareness and conduct programs and campaigns. The living architecture, locally known as Jingkieng Jri, has also been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site tentative list.
In addition to protecting this precious heritage, the living bridge activist is also an advocate for sustainable tourism for the root bridges that will create employment and generate income for the tribals. He sensitizes against crowding to protect natural bridges from damage which can take 20-30 years to grow firm and fully develop requiring care and efforts throughout.
He along with the traditional village heads and elders, have set up the first Heritage Committee, to develop living root heritage sites into tourist destinations. Their idea is to create a heritage village where tourists can stay in huts and experience nature and work with them on the root bridges.
He uses 70 percent of the income he earns as a tourist guide for his foundation work. “The income is not much but I’m committed to my work and I go with the flow,” he says.
Earthy Hues supports the work and commitment of the Living Bridge Foundation. Travelers can make a difference by planning their visits during non-peak months and supporting the foundations’ efforts with their time and money. They can also plan to stay for longer periods and volunteer to conserve the root bridges.