We had the amazing opportunity to interview Jahnabee Borah, an independent lifestyle journalist to know about her experience of traveling in Northeast with us. She gives us a look at her ‘KITE MANJA Experience’, as well as some tips for solo female travelers for traveling in Northeast India.
Q. How did you get to know about Kite Manja?
My friends always lead me to the best experiences and even better people; they connected me to Jnandip of Kite Manja and I trusted him immediately, no questions asked.
Q. How was your ‘Kite Manja Experience’ while camping in the Ziro Festival of Music?
The journey with Kite Manja started when my friends made a call to Jnandip. I was traveling solo to Ziro Festival of Music in Arunachal Pradesh in September 2018 as a journalist. My purpose was to document style at the festival for IMG Reliance’s The Voice of Fashion. They arranged a pick-up for us in Guwahati and off we went. Soon enough, I realized there were other solo travelers like me and we instantly bonded with the promise of new friendships.
My experience of camping till then had been about going back to basics. This implies pitching a tent with a little help, cooking almost edible food (mostly Maggi), and figuring out toilet scenes while watching out for leeches and anything that suspiciously looks like a threat. But, when we got off our Innova and walked into the Kite Manja campsite, located in a clearing amidst the woods, it felt like someone else had done all the hard work and thinking on our behalf. There were a full-fledged kitchen and caterers, temporary toilets made with bamboo with no shortage of tissue paper, completely covered bathrooms, a hang-out area around a bonfire with wooden benches, tents facing the glorious mountains, and the biggest surprise, almost a continuous supply of fresh water from the hills. I had truly lucked out!
The added bonus was having enthusiastic musicians for company who strummed the guitar or ukulele to new or nostalgic songs in different languages – English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, and Nepali. On certain evenings, we had bands from Ziro Festival of Music join in for jam sessions. Clearly, the music didn’t stop at the festival grounds; it followed us till our campsite. In that sense, my experience at Kite Manja’s campsite felt complete; it also expanded my friend circle and extended my list of cherished memories.
Also read: My Experience of Camping with KITE MANJA in Ziro Festival by Upasana Kakati
Q. Tell us more about your recent textile tour of Mizoram?
My trip to Mizoram was focused on gathering stories and photographs of street style in Aizawl, and understanding textile narratives of a culture that was completely unknown to me. As a journalist and Assamese, with a keen interest in documenting weaves of the Northeast of India, I travel from my current home in Mumbai with the intent of meeting local fashion designers, weavers, women cooperatives who work with textiles, local boutiques and government officials associated with handlooms. Simply put, I don’t trust the Internet for information as yet, and the only other way for me to learn is to read books about the culture and clothing of the Northeast, and most importantly meet people who generously share information and give me their time.
Kite Manja came to my rescue once again. They suggested a wonderful homestay in Aizawl and shared contact numbers of several Mizo fashion designers. For this, I am truly grateful.
Q. How safe is traveling in Northeast India for a solo female traveler?
Well, I have mixed feelings about safety and the solo female traveler in the Northeast of India after visiting Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and my home state, Assam. I have been traveling solo since August 2018, with an iPhone, MacBook, and expensive camera lenses. I do fight fears of harassment and robbery. I am an alert traveler, and even more so after certain unpleasant experiences at Dambuk in Arunachal Pradesh and reading news about sexual harassment on the streets of Nagaland and Assam, and pickpocketers in Mizoram.
A couple of years ago, I met a female photographer and avid traveler. She shared a story of photographing Holi in Mathura and getting groped on Day 1. I wondered if she stopped going altogether. Her response – “No, I dressed like a man the next day and nothing happened to me.” If an experience of sexual harassment bothers me or when such fears cause anxiety, I think of her and devise alternate ways to deal with the situation.
Cities and towns that are run by women, such as Aizawl in Mizoram and Tura in Meghalaya, are obviously relatively safer. You will notice that there are women-driven taxis and most shops are owned by women in such places.
Q. What is your advice to the female solo travelers about traveling in Northeast India?
Listen to local advice. Don’t step out after sunset, unless you are in the company of those you trust. It’s best to sign-up for group tours with local travel companies like Kite Manja. Watch out for yourself; you are your own best friend when traveling solo. You got you, girl!
Based out of Mumbai, Jahnabee Borah is an independent lifestyle journalist with a focus on textile narratives of Northeast India. Her articles have been published on India Today, Mint Lounge and IMG-Reliance’s The Voice of Fashion. She has over 12 years of professional experience as a lifestyle journalist in the digital space. Jahnabee was also part of the launch team of Times Internet’s iDiva.com as well as Zee Entertainment’s LivingFoodz.com. So far she has written in-depth articles and created video content on multiple topics ranging from fashion, beauty, luxury, parenting, and food.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post but a grinning KITE MANJA experience!
