Ward's Lake

In a world of pain and sadness, flowers bloom, even then' Kobayashi Issa. Last year Shillong hosted their first sakura or cherry blossom festival and Ward's lake is a place that looked like George Seraut's, A Sunday Afternoon On The Island Of La Grande Jatte. In Japan, hanami or cherry blossom viewing is an annual delight bringing in crowds to celebrate the fleeting delicacy of life. However, unlike Japan, Shillong hosted their festival on November 14th in the cool mist of Autumn. Khasi traditions believe that nature is their library and so when Dinabandhu Sahoo, director of IBSD, who conceptualised the festival, says the event would set the stage for 2017, which has been declared by the UN as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, it was perfectly in line with keeping the culture of The Khasi Tribe alive, but also with the spirit of internationalism, being influenced by Japanese culture, which has in it's foundations Shintoism that celebrates the importance of humanity entwined with kami, kami are spirts that can be elements of the landscape or forces of nature, this being at one with nature clearly something that The Khasi Tribe share.