On a happier note, Cherrapunjee’s record for the highest rainfall in a single day is more than two and a half times Mumbai’s worst nightmare come true. A deeply staggering 245.5cm. That’s just over eight feet of rain over a day. If your house was perfectly watersealed and was missing only a roof, that day in Cherrapunjee would see your house fill up with rain water to just below the ceiling.
In fact, Cherrapunjee is no longer regarded as the wettest place on Earth, it’s only famous for that now. A nearby hamlet of Mawsynram is now officially the title holder. Cherrapunjee, though, still holds the records for the highest recorded rainfall in a year and over a month. As good a reason as any to go there in the middle of the monsoon.
Our search of driving adventure led us far and wide around India and Cherrapunjee fitted right in. Just to add a twist to the tale, instead of the obvious choice - an SUV with eight-foot wading capability, an outboard motor and a direct satellite uplink in case we need to send out a mayday, we chose to drive up in a Nano. That too, the base version, minus all the frills. We were out to see the monoliths the town is famous for, its caves and of course, the rain would be the thread that tied the story together.
We set off from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya for Cherrapunjee, a good 60km away. Shillong is fascinating
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