We were lucky to be able to get our flights out of Assam. We’d booked to travel from the tiny airport at Jorhat to Guwahati the state capital, then another flight south to Chennai and on to Kerala. As we flew out of Guwahati the protests against the Government’s Citizenship Amendment Bill were stepping up, with news reports of street riots, vehicles and state buildings ablaze. Our new friend texted Paul sadly that “Assam is burning”. Shortly after we left, the internet was shut down, schools closed, curfews imposed and many flights and trains cancelled. One day later and we may have struggled to leave NE India for some time. We feel so sad for the people of the region, and it seems quite unbelievable that even after more than 70 years, the shadow of partition is still impacting everyday life here.
In stark contrast to the above we had a good flight down to Kochi in Kerala and today have enjoyed a beautiful day in the sun at “Once Upon the River”, a lovely resort on the river Periyar .
Tomorrow we’ll get a train down the coast to Mararikulam for a bit of Christmas beach time. Recent events have definitely caused us to reflect that life is by no means fair or equitable – we’ve really had some roller coaster ups and downs and thought provoking experiences on our trip so far!
