In India’s northeast, near the border with Bangladesh, the state of Meghalaya is full of lush green mountains and thick tropical forests that receive copious amounts of rainfall every year – the village of Mawsynram, for example, receives an average of 11,873mm of rain annually, earning it the title of the wettest place on Earth. But while the rains bring life to so much of the state, they have long presented a challenge to the indigenous Khasi people, who live deep inside Meghalaya’s jungles. During the June to September monsoon season, the otherwise gentle waterways that flow through the state’s deep valleys become strong, rain-fed torrents – impossible to cross by foot. (Neelima Vallangi)