MEGHALAYA - The night was a quiet carpet of black in the East Khasi hills of the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya. As our van laden with potatoes came to a stop, Mr Tishu Khongsit turned from the front seat to say we had arrived at his village. Then the 23-year-old tore the cold darkness with a 10-second whistle - it started low, rose fast and fell in little chuckles.
From the night came a soft, ambling "oiii" in reply, followed by footsteps.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you