Shillong, Sep 18: Just 30 kilometres from Nongpoh, Shyntorbulia shouldn’t be remote. But it is.
No blacktopped road. A rickety wooden bridge that the monsoon washes away. Two rivers — Umsha and Umsiang — and a gorge near Pahamriñai that lock the village in. For 63 households and over 400 people, every commute is a gamble.
Now, the village is turning its isolation into an invitation.
From December 10 to 12, Shyntorbulia will host the second edition of the Shyntor Festival — a three-day celebration of music, culture and survival.
The announcement was made Friday in Nongpoh by the Rongjeng Welfare Foundation (RWF) and the Dorbar Shnong of Shyntorbulia. The first edition was held in 2025. This time, with support from the district administration and India Tourism, it’s bigger.
The goal isn’t just revelry. It’s to put a forgotten village on the map.
“Last year’s festival showed us what this village can do. But the festival was never the whole point,” RWF Director Babul Gogoi said.
Shyntorbulia sits where two rivers meet, beside a waterfall — stunning, raw, rich in tradition. But it still waits for basics: a usable road in monsoon, a safe river crossing, functional schools, and drinking water.
The festival is a bridge that won’t wash away.
For three days, the village will come alive with local and international artists, DJ nights, Khasi, Garo and Jaintia dance and music, football tournaments, an art and craft market, traditional weaving, indigenous cooking and regional cuisine.
“Our village sits where two rivers meet, next to the waterfall. We are proud to open our home to visitors,” Rangbah Shnong Rowel Mawphniang said.
Visitors are invited from across Meghalaya and beyond — with a simple ask: bring your own tent, stay the night, and witness a village that refuses to be forgotten.
