I REMEMBER the toll gates on the Shillong–Guwahati Road, when I was a child. First, the journey seemed to be long and arduous, owing mainly to bad road conditions, and a slightly circuitous road. The journey was associated with bad road conditions, feeling giddy and queasy in the stomach – and those toll gates! One had to be punctilious to reach them, as they opened and closed at particular times. There was always a recurrent phobia of having missed the bus. One such timing was, very early in the morning, say at around 6.30 a.m. To be on time required precision and, ensuring that luggage was ready, well beforehand the journey!

Going to Guwahati, then Gauhati seemed not only time consuming but infinity. The car would chug along, and reaching Nongpoh would be a landmark, buying toffees or fruits and getting respite in a restaurant by the name of “Matri Bhandar”. Everything seemed strange and quixotic but there was some excitement about it too. It was like the Rajdhani Express to Delhi now, taking a longish break in one of the important stations!

Apart from private vehicles the only other means of transportation were the government-run buses, which would shame a snail – taking 4-5 hours. One avoided them as long the luxury of a privately-owned vehicle was there. Then of course private transport buses arrived on the scene, some of them dubbed as luxury buses, where one got to listen to music, yet sitting in the seats behind were a discomfort. Seats one to five which were distributed on a ‘first come first serve’ basis were indeed a privilege to possess. After that came the tourist taxis, but the hoi polloi would of course travel by buses: cheaper and considered to be more efficient by some – as they matched the wit and speed of the taxis.

Now, looking at the condition of the same highway, one feels that today in this much hyped, globalized 21st century the paradox of the bullock cart and the Maruti still resides there. Let’s go back to those antediluvian toll gates!