☰Books

The Black Hill by Mamang Dai. A novel of nineteenth-century Arunachal that traces the early encounters between French missionaries and the tribal peoples of the eastern Himalaya. Dai is a poet first, and the writing has a quietness that catches the slow rhythm of these hills.

Funeral Nights by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih. A doorstop of a novel set in a six-night Khasi funeral in the East Khasi Hills, weaving folklore, contemporary politics, and the matrilineal kinship system into a long single conversation. The best fiction guide to Khasi life in print.

Khasi Folk Songs and Tales edited by Soumen Sen. A compact bilingual anthology — useful background reading on the indigenous belief in U Blei (the creator god) and the spirit world that still underpins much Khasi life.

The Tale of the Horse by Yashaswini Chandra. Not specifically about Shillong, but it has a long chapter on the Khasi-pony breeders of the East Khasi Hills and the tradition of polo that survives here.