Leisure at Ziro

A decade back, when the talk was going on to donate the historical Tadu Dobi to establish a school, I suggested that the place be developed into a public park instead. There was no taker.

The Apatanis did not have much sense of leisure. It has been all work. It is unusual, therefore, when a little known organization, run by a lone woman, started a fish pond, where people could spend some time angling, some years back. The place in Sululya in Old Ziro has now been developed into a beautiful spot. A house in the middle of the pond is planned to be turned into a lodge. With the addition of two boats now, children can enjoy boating as well.


Now called Mother's Home, because it supports children who have no mothers to love and care for them, the place is being turned into a center of multiple activities.

Tayiñ Lañpii - Leprosy Isolation Settlement

Leprosy has always tormented humans and has been feared and misunderstood. The disease has been considered a curse and a punishment from God. Leprosy patients, therefore, have been stigmatized and shunned. Leprosy isolation settlements had, thus, sprouted throughout the world.

Tayiñ Lañpii in the grazing grounds of Reru village was such an isolation settlement catering to leprosy patients in the area.

The name Tayiñ Lañpii itself inspired awe and mystery in the past. It still do to some extent. A pile of huge rocks, forming innumerable interconnecting caves. It was scary exploring the caves when I visited the place some thirty years back. This is a view from inside the main lañpii.

The Tayiñ Lañpii area now forms the vague boundary of two bamboo gardens. The stones and the caves still retain the feeling of grandeur they give to the explorers.

Apart from its historical significance as the only known isolation settlement for leprosy patients in the area, Tayiñ Lañpii is unique in itself. Welcome and explore it!

Kiwi Hill

As the traditional agriculture struggles to survive, various commercial farmings have been started at Ziro these days. One of them is kiwifruit, introduced a few years back. Not that the fruit is entirely new; its wild variety has been savored by the local people as long as they can remember.

The picture above is one of the many fairly large scale cultivations started at Ziro. This is located at Tajang Myolyañ, just two kilometers ahead of Pine Grove.

Floriculture

Flowers like Neha apu and sanji apu have always played major roles in the lives of the Apatani people. Love for beauty, and so for flower, seems to be growing. Floriculture has made an entrance at Ziro.

The one shown in the picture is located in the Bamiñ Rañtii between Hapoli and Old Ziro. Good collection of various ornamental flowers - almost all pot flowers. I could not see any cut flower, cut foliage, seed bulb, rooted cuttings, and so on which are parts of floriculture. Good collection for a beginning, though.

Stop by and visit the Diilyang Diibyu Welfare Society, running the establishment.

Tarin

The Apatanis have always practiced multicropping in their paddy fields. Bulyu, tasiñ, ngiiyi amii and chunyi have always been harvested. These can be said to be the harbinger of the present day paddy-cum-pisciculture.

The practice got a major boost with the establishment of the Regional High Altitude Fish Seed Farm at Tarin near Ziro.

Till recently this picturesque site was the most popular picnic spot every new year. This trend, happily, has been checked to a large extent now. And other better sites are replacing it. Yet, it retains its freshness and continues to attract visitors from far and near even today.

This farm is said to be one of the very few of its kind anywhere in the world. Fish seeds are cultivated here and sold to the farmers at subsidized rates. At the same time, it is a demonstration site where bigger fishes too are raised.

The farm staff are now getting ready to prepare enough seeds for the farmers this season. Welcome to Tarin.

The Valley of Talle

Its green all around now. There are splashes of red and white on the green canvas. Rhododendrons. It is too early for the yellow ones and blue ones. They will bloom by next month, may be. This is Talle Valley again.

It is a pleasure to see and taste the talle after which the place is named. The leaves are broader than the talle found at Ziro. Taste is similar but milder. The plant is said to grow as tall as two feet.

The valley was once said to be full of these fresh plants. Not so now, sadly. No longer a valley of talle. I could find only some patches covered with talle. I advised the wildlife staffs to plant them in more places. Looking ahead with hope!!

Meder Nello

Last few years have seen a renaissance of indigenous faith all over Arunachal Pradesh. In the central belt of the state, also called the Tani belt, inhabited by the tribes following the Danyi-Piilo or Donyi Polo, a number of prayer houses called Meder Nello or Nyedar Namlo are being constructed. This is one such in Tajang village at Ziro.

Though not appreciated by all, these Meder Nellos are attracting curious visitors. It has the potential to be developed into institutions for preserving and show-casing the indigenous culture and traditions of the tribal people.

Community-based Ecotourism

Ziro is a uniquely beautiful place. Just an hour's drive down the serpentine road towards south, one can feel the difference in temperature. Same is the fact for driving northwards and westwards. Only the Talley Valley in the east is at an higher altitude than Ziro.

Because of its altitude, Ziro has a unique vegetation - pine trees, carefully tended bamboo gardens. And permanent wet rice cultivation along with fish. The colorful culture and traditions of the Apatanis add charm to the place.

Though Ziro has all the features of a hill station with additional offers to culture and nature tourists, its promotion has remained much to be desired. A few tourists that come to the place are passers-by, taking the circuit of Itanagar-Ziro-Daporijo-Aalo-Pasighat/Likabai route. The communities has remained passive onlookers while a handful make a few bucks.

A project to promote community based ecotourism has recently been started at Ziro. The project plans to encourage village home-stays, train local tour guides and recommend trekking trails around Ziro.

Watch out this space for more on this.

Pange

The Pange river is known for its abundance of fishes. That apart, It is today the seats of the forest range officers - both wildlife (of Talle Wildlife Sanctuary) and territorial (Hapoli Forest Division). Pange is located at a small valley formed by the Pange river and is 7 kilometers from Manii Polyang. A fair-weather road connects it to Hapoli.

It is more fun trekking to the Pange camp than to drive. One can see different varieties of birds and listen to their calls. By the roadsides are colorful wildflowers, wild fruits and different species of trees - big and small. It is sheer pleasure to walk on the rustling dry leaves fallen on the ground and occasional short-cuts. Once one reaches the camp, an easy walk of two hours is amply rewarded.

The Pange river meanders down by the bushes on both banks and over slippery stones. One can sit on the bank for hours together enjoying the cold breeze, watching the water struggling through the rocks and occasionally spying some fishes in the deeper water.

Welcome to Pange.

Supyu Yalañ

When Pengu Miilyobo fell, the various parts of his body were scattered all over the Ziro valley. I had a chance to visit again the place where his head and chest lie.

This monolith, believed to be the head of the mighty Pengu Miilyobo, is commonly known as the Supyu Yalañ. Much water has gone down the Supyu Kiile which quietly flows beside this stone, but it has not changed as far as I can remember. It used to be an important landmark on the way to far away fields like the Layonii or hillocks like Puntii. It still is.

Helipad at Talley Valley

First there were plans to establish the summer capital of Arunachal Pradesh. Then an attempt to build a helipad. Talley Valley has weaved many dreams, all unrealized till today. In fact, the plan to establish the summer capital, more than twenty years back, was carried out in real earnest. The road was built during that time, and it was actually the only time vehicles reached the valley. Some people were selected and encouraged to settle down in the valley, though all of them came back to Ziro one by one. The sites where their houses had once been and where they tried cultivation can still be seen in Talley Valley.


Some ten years back again, works were carried out to construct a helipad in Talley Valley. What remains today is a patch of clearing and stacks of stones. Bamboos have started closing on in the patch from the surrounding areas. Saplings of sugar pine (niiri piisa) have started sprouting up as well. It will not be long when this clearing will be engulfed in the wilderness.

Oh, yes, good for the animals!