Sohra, the small town in northeast India distinguished as the world's wettest place, presents a reality where life is constantly shaped by nearly 500 inches of rainfall per year. Drew Binsky arrived in the town, immediately noting the relentless downpour, which exceeds the annual rainfall of cities like London or Seattle in just one month. He quickly found an umbrella, observing that everyone else was prepared for the "everyday" rain, an experience he found "crazy" given the constant conditions where visibility drops to barely ten feet. Binsky sought the help of his local friend, Tenny, whom he met randomly on Instagram, to navigate and translate his way around this uniquely challenging environment.
Tenny welcomed Binsky, noting that the rain was a sign of welcome, and shared a fundamental local perspective: the rain is a blessing, not a curse, and without it, people would fall ill, reflecting the opposite of beliefs in drier climates. Tenny explained that the people of Sohra "flow with the rain, with its rhythm," choosing not to complain or fight the conditions, but instead "float like fish in the water".
Binsky's journey with Tenny highlighted the essential adaptations and deep cultural differences of the Khasi people. Binsky observed locals utilizing unique, handmade protective coverings resembling "little turtle shells" instead of traditional umbrellas. They also discovered that personal belongings, like phone chargers, must be wrapped in plastic constantly to keep them dry. Tenny took Binsky to a local restaurant where they ate Jado, a dish containing beef meatballs, a fact Binsky found surprising and distinct from mainland India.
Related article - Uphorial Radio
Tenny provided cultural context, explaining that the local Khasi tribe follows a rare matrilineal system, where women inherit family property and carry the last name. This tradition honors the women who were the sole caretakers during ancestor times when men were away at war, with the youngest daughter typically inheriting the house. The Khasi people have physical appearances and linguistic patterns that suggest ancestry from Southeast Asia, specifically Myanmar and Cambodia. Tenny explained the historical reason for the widespread use of English and the phonetic alphabet (using 'K' instead of 'C'). This was due to the influence of Thomas Jones, a Welsh missionary who arrived before the British, establishing the first church and school in the area.
The duo explored the natural wonders shaped by the extreme precipitation. Binsky and Tenny traversed a Living Root Bridge, a structure woven from tree branches and roots over a waterfall, which Binsky described as the "craziest adrenaline rush". Tenny likened the spiritual experience of walking on the bridge to "the tree of life," similar to the concept of Ewa in Avatar. Tenny also explained the geological history of the region at Ottawa Cave, noting that the entire Meghalaya Plateau was once submerged under the sea before the Indian and Eurasian plates collided. The presence of sea creature fossils from the Cretaceous period in this limestone cave proves this ancient history, and Tenny emphasized that the cave's structure was slowly carved out by centuries of intense rainwater.
Visiting the village of Kongtong, Binsky witnessed a truly extraordinary tradition: every newborn is given a unique whistle tune as a name. Tenny's friend, Penchay, explained that they use a long version of the tune to communicate across distances in the field and a short version within the village. Using a person's official name is considered rude; using their whistle tune conveys love and connection, a practice that continues despite modern connectivity.
Despite the overwhelming dampness—including roads frequently washed away by landslides and the constant fog—Binsky consistently remarked on the resilience and genuine friendliness of the locals. Residents must dry their clothes indoors using a specialized method involving a basket placed over charcoal to generate heat and dry the clothes, as drying them outside is impossible. Binsky noted that while the constant water leads to market conditions that feel like an "emergency situation" with tarps and leaking water, for the locals, it is simply "everyday normal life". Binsky concluded that Sohra feels culturally disconnected from the rest of India, possessing its own unique "vibe" that is "so unknown to the world," and he left with a huge smile, having met some of the most humble and hospitable people on Earth.
