The Shillong cafés of the 1990s: a nostalgia economy with a waiting list

The cafés where Shillong’s rock legends once argued, rehearsed and broke up bands are having a nostalgia revival: recreated interiors, original setlists and a waiting list that runs for weeks.

The revival is driven by a generation too young to have been there — and by the diaspora returning to show their children where the music lived.

The original owners watch from the corner tables, bemused and, for once, approving.