Shillong, capital of Meghalaya State. The Shillong Archdiocese, entrusted to the Salesians in 1922, is based here. It was and still is a crucible of micro cultures which the missionaries have been involved with and dialogued with.  Today the Salesian presence in Shillong is numerous and varied. Responding to the needs of the people, and faithful to their charism, Don Bosco's sons have opened schools and technical centres of every kind and level to educate young people.

Nor are boarding establishments lacking, where youngsters whose home is far away can find accommodation in order to pursue their studies, or formation communities for the Salesian aspirantate, novitiate, theologate.

The attention Salesians have paid to local cultures since they came has now become a well-detailed project. The “Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures” collects, preserves and documents cultural testimonies of the many tribes which have populated and still populate north-east India. Research, studies, publications, meetings and cultural leadership are just some of the activities run at the centre; but the jewel in the crown is the “Don Bosco Museum”, opened on 5 March 2010 by Sonia Gandhi.

The museum takes visitors through a long historical and cultural journey which allows them to discover the traditions of some of the tribes of north-east India, the history of the Church and the Salesian Congregation and their involvement in evangelisation.

In the various topic-based halls there are slide shows, relics, panels, pictures documenting traditions, myths, values and the anthropological features of some of the 240 tribes in this part of India. It is an important awareness which helps one understand how evangelisation has been carried out and how it ought to be done with respect for the identity and values of local peoples. The Don Bosco Museum is a point of arrival for a growing number of visitors: Hindus, Moslems, Catholics, Protestants, all kinds of people.