"The entire political map of Northeast India is fraught, in fact, with competing national irnaginaries and contested state boundaries. But however accidental and arbitrarily drawn, once political boundaries are put in place they often take on a life of their own, and important dimensions of society and economy can come to be refashioned as a result. After three decades with a common political and administrative structure, Meghalaya has to some extent become a social and material reality for people. For example, a Garo villager might have to undertake frequent arduous day-long journeys to Shillong to seek legal advice in a land dispute. Being a government employee can involve a Khasi being posted in the Garo Hills and vice versa, exchanges that most likely would not have taken place otherwise. As the capital of Meghalaya, Shillong is the hub from which political influence, administrative control, and financial resources linked to the new state structure emanate."