Meghalaya brooms or ‘Phool Jhadus’
In Februaray 2015, I was at IIM Shillong to teach a course on Cross Cultural relations .
I was there for two weeks with a three day break in between and managed to roam around this scenic state embellished with abundant beauty.
The technical name for broom grass is Thysanolaena maxima. It is the flowery inflorescence that gives it the ‘Phool’ favour.
Jan Feb is the harvesting season for this cash crop cultivated widely by the Khasi community, among others.
We were able to see a whole of ‘Phool Jhadus’ being transported on bus tops and trucks to Kolkata from where it gets branched across India.
Jhadu farming seems to be a cottage industry with almost every household involved in it.
Both AAP walas and Swachh Bharat volunteers, please note !
