Mawlynnong is a small village about 90 kms away from Shillong. It suddenly came into limelight when it was declared as ‘The Cleanest Village in Asia’ a few years ago. I don’t know if that still holds true but that is not even important.

This tiny little village was a real eye opener for me. It made me think how different the lifestyle of people living in cities is compared to a village like this. This village is #goals when it comes to sustainable living. Assuming that this would be another tourist attraction, I figured the government must be keeping it clean to promote tourism.  But no, after talking to the locals I realized that it wasn’t the government doing that, but the villagers; every single person – young and old, everyone. 

It took them years to reach here. They built proper sanitation systems on their own and even today each household cleans not only their own space, but also the common areas, every single day! Of course, the village is spick and span.