Hally War

In the Khasi hills of Meghalaya, some bridges are not built but grown. Hally War has spent more than fifty years growing them. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of social work, from Meghalaya ^[1].

Shaping roots

War was born on 5 February 1957 ^[2]. Since he was ten he has trained the aerial roots of the rubber fig (Ficus elastica) across streams and rivers, guiding them over the years until they become strong living bridges, known in Khasi as jingkieng jri ^[2]. They link remote hill villages that would otherwise be cut off ^[2].

His best-known work is the Umkar living root bridge, which took decades of tending before it was strong enough to use ^[2].

Passing it on

War has taught the skill to local families so that it survives into the next generation ^[2]. According to his citation, his work has helped protect the ecology of the Sohra plateau and encouraged community-run tourism, as thousands of visitors come to see the bridges ^[2].

He remains a farmer, growing betel nut and black pepper ^[2]. His citation describes his life’s work as an example of how indigenous knowledge can answer modern environmental problems ^[2].

In June 2026, Meghalaya’s root bridges and War’s half-century of work on them featured in episode 135 of Mann Ki Baat, which noted that local communities now look after more than 120 of the bridges ^[3].