Peci Putu

Making a round of the seven original Apatani villages used to be tantamount to making a round of the world. That was the impression during Penw ceremony of Muruñ festival. When such arduous tasks were undertaken, there had to be resting places. One such place was the Peci Putu at Bwrw.

It was here that the participants in the Penw took rest for some minutes and young men organized high jump competition among themselves. The place is a part of the Supuñ Bwrw where all the Apatanis are said to have settled down upon migration before scattering to their respective villages. Today, the place remains one of the few open spaces owned by the communities. 

Except for litters of plastic bottles and wrappers at places discarded by irresponsible picnickers, Peci Putu still presents what one imagines of Ziro, the place. It serves as the grazing ground for cattles and flock of birds can be seen flying around. Colorful butterflies are in their playful best around the groves of trees and by the nearby yorlus.

Peci Putu is, truly the centre of the Apatani valley. At a short distance can be seen the Hong village (above) and the Hapoli town (below). A little more than a kilometer to the north will take you to Hari via the legendary Dobi where a school has come up.

The play of sun and shade can be enjoyed in all its glory in the paddy fields surrounding it in three sides. Look across towards the main road, and one can have the magnificent view of the Pequ.

This September, a festival of music is planned at Ziro. Appropriately, Peci Putu is the selected venue for the festival. There will be music, food, culture and many things more to enjoy. This, then, is an occasion to visit this beautiful place.

Towards a Zero-Waste Ziro

In the last one year or two, lots of activities to promote tourism are being carried out at Ziro. There has been summer festivals since three years now, initially to coincide with the Independence Day celebration, but this year with the Dree festival of the Apatanis. A number of resorts and home stays have come up. Then there has been a series of workshop exploring the tourism potential in the area. A notable issue in all these discussions has been the growing menace of garbage in the town. As a response to this concern, the District Administration organized a workshop on integrated solid waste management in collaboration with Ngunu Ziro, a non-governmental organization. A proposal to introduce the concept of zero-waste was mooted and is being carried forward now.

The District Administration has acquired a plot of land in the south-eastern corner of the town, measuring 20,000 sq. m for Burial-cum-Cremation Ground and 1,000 sq. m for Resource Recovery Park. 

The 2 km approach road to the Burial-cum-Cremation Ground has already been completed. The Resource Recovery Park (RRP) is proposed midway to the site at 1.1 km from the Swro-Manwpolyañ road. It will initially have facilities for secondary segregation of non-biodegradable discards and recycling of paper wastes. Basic recycling of plastic waste also is proposed as far as feasible locally, but most bulk will be shredded and sent to bigger recycling centers for further processing.

It is hoped that this project will have the desired effect and help maintain Ziro as it is till now. Look out for further update on the project as it develops.

The Legendary Bwrw

February 15, 1897. A large group of people was gathered at Bwrw. Some unusual people had come from the plains. A white man was leading a big group of armed soldiers. Their intentions were not friendly. With caution, some prominent Apatanis had set up a negotiations with them at Bwrw.

In the winter of 1896, the District Commissioner of North Lakhimpur received a report that a group of Apatanis raided a house, killing two persons and taking away four others as hostages. The owner worked with a British tea planter named H. M. Crowe and so, the Apatanis had violated the laws of the British government. Therefore, the prestige of the colonial administration was at stake.

The Chief Commissioner of Assam, based in Shillong, ordered a punitive expedition to the Apatani country with a force of two hundred soldiers.  The army, however, decided to march with three hundred soldiers and four hundred porters. And so, the expedition started under the leadership of R.B. McCabe (ICS), Inspector-General of Police and Jails in Assam.

After trekking through thick forests and steep hills for eighteen days, the group reached Ziro on February 14, 1897 with only 120 soldiers. Several groups had stayed behind at different stages on the way.

The Apatanis tried to stop the team outside Hong village, but ultimately gave way. Negotiations took place between the the Apatanis and the British government at Bwrw the next day. It was only about ten years back in 1889 that the Apatanis had seen a white man when H. M. Crowe, the tea planter came to their country, for the first time. This was their second contact with any white person.

Bwrw, even more than a hundred years back, was a beautiful place. Lots have happened in a century, but mother nature has changed little. One can still see the outlines of the pine trees that could be seen a hundred years back. The mythical Dolo-Mañdo still stands as firm as it always used to.

The landscape of Bwrw has changed a lot, though. A lively village is springing up here. Tourist lodges and other commercial buildings are coming up.  It is only befitting, one could argue,  that Bwrw where once all the Apatanis celebrated Myoko together becomes a villages again.  


(To read this post in Apatani, click here).

Shades of Gold at Ziro

Colors never cease to play at Ziro. Gorgeous grey with placid blue as background in winter. Spring brings with it riots of color - whites of pecha apu, reds of sembo apu and pinks of takuñ apu. As the season advances, greenery spreads everywhere. The blanket of greenery goes on darkening, giving way to yellowish tint.

Middle of September, however, is the best time as far as color combination at Ziro is concerned. Ripening paddy presenting various shades of gold. Emo look whitish with green tints due to their leaves. Different varieties of mipya, which are ripe now, are either golden or blackish. This, verily, must have inspired the pyamiñ combination so characteristic of the Apatani textile.

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At places the paddy fields look like islands of gold in the sea of green. At others, the villages with their characteristic green rims of bamboo gardens look like islands of white in the sea of gold.

More shades can be seen here and here. Welcome to Ziro before it turns grey with harvesting of paddy in two weeks from now.

After Ten Years

The glimpse of the pace of development (?) of Ziro can be seen in the Google Earth, which has a high resolution now. The picture in the Google Earth now is that of November 2000.

Lots more greenery in Hapoli township. Characteristic tall Eucalyptus trees on the road leading to the District Hospital can be seen. So too in the road near the General Ground. No more now. Most of the empty green spaces between the government quarters and along the roads are now occupied by concrete buildings. Moving away from the Hapoli township, Biirii is still agricultural land - lyapyos and yorlus. It is now an upcoming affluent village. Mythical Tadu Dobi is still a romantic big space covered with green grass. No longer now. Salalya, where a college is located now, is still the community grazing ground. In the Google Earth picture below, the small red circle shows where a lodge stands and the big circle shows the Vivekananda Kendriya Vidyalaya now. Old Ziro is still lot more empty. There are no buildings in the midst of paddy fields.


Ten years. Does not sound long, but lots seem to have happened. One wonders what picture of Ziro we'll have after ten years from today.

Tentalizing Tracks

The agricultural fields at Ziro and the forests around them are well known. Less known are the innumerable tracks leading to these fields and the forests.



These tracks are constructed and maintained by the communities themselves. Complete with nyatus - resting places and places to sharpen one's ilyos - swords, it is sheer pleasure even just to walk in any of these tracks.

Sadly, many of these tracks - more important ones - are giving way to badly maintained fair-weather roads. It would be worthwhile to keep some of the original tracks to remind us of the original Ziro in the future.

Dree Nyibu

These are the people who keep the world going, propitiating the God of Abundance for a bumper crop every year.





They are the Dree Nyibus from different Apatani villages. They made Dree 2010 at Ziro happen this year. May their tribe thrive!

Pine and Rhododendron

Dreams and shadows. Mirror images.


While climbing the gentle slopes of North Mountain in Pendleton County (West Virginia) today, I felt like I am still trekking in the Talle Valley photographing sugar pines and rhododendrons as I was doing last month. It is yellow pine here, though.

And pink rhododendrons!

In any corner of the world, Ziro never cease to haunt me.

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!

Dream Weavers

Candidates for 16-Yachuli Assembly Constituency: Likha Saaya (INC), Jotam Toko Takam (PPA), Nikh Kamin (AITC):

And the winner is -

Likha Saaya with the Returning Officer and General Observer.

Candidates for 17-Ziro Hapoli Assembly Constituency: Kuru Tai (BJP), Padi Richo (INC), Subu Koyang (NCP), Nani Ribia (AITC):

And the winner is -

Padi Richo with the Returning Officer and General Observer.

EVM Tampering

History of sorts was created on October 13, 2009 when repolling was ordered in two polling stations at Ziro Assembly election. This is so unexpected of the people of Ziro who are known to be honest and peace-loving. I don't recall a single occasion when there was a repoll in Ziro-Hapoli constituency. It is shameful.

A sticker, exactly similar to the original one with the names of the candidates and the party symbols was printed and pasted over the EVM. The orders of the BJP and TMC candidates on the EVM was exchanged while those of the INC and NCP was exchanged. This manipulation does not seem to benefit either the INC or the TMC candidates who are considered the two strongest ones. Is it a case of an attempted cheating of the electronic machine by a candidate or just a mischief by a prankster? Whatever is the answer, it has cost the government dearly and caused lots of hardships to the voters. Especially this time of the year - the entii pillo.

On the other hand, this single incident exposes one of the hitherto overlooked drawbacks of the much acclaimed electronic voting machine (EVM) introduced in India recently. Possibilities of tampering the EVM has been discussed in many forums, but no one had anticipated this seemingly simple one. One more agenda has been added to the training curriculum for the polling officers in the next election.



People are now talking about the 'brains' of the Apatanis. Well, I like to take that as a compliment. At the same time, I like to take that as a challenge - the challenge to show the right direction to young people with such 'brains', as they can either be used or misused.

I dream that we use them.

Biirii Lemba

When the Apatanis migrated to Ziro Valley in an unknown time, they are said to have settled down at the present Biirii. And it was here that the common Myoko festival was celebrated before the present system in which each Takuñ Putu celebrate it in turn every year was started.

Till now, Biirii was a sleepy little place with few houses amidst sea of millet gardens -lyapyos. Not any longer. It is becoming the hub of the Ziro valley again with more houses being constructed and more people settling down here.

The increasing popularity of the village lodge here could show a way forward for developing rural tourism.


Some areas, however, retain the old world charm of lyapyos and yorlus. It is still a pleasure driving through the village slowly. Or still better strolling leisurely, absorbing the green all around and inhaling the sweet aroma of nature.

Welcome to an upcoming model village!

Games Children Play

It has been some years since I participated in the Dree festival. When I briefly sneaked into the Dree ground in Itanagar yesterday, pleasant memories came flooding in. There was a lovely display of the game the Apatani children of the yore played. Ah, no, it has not been very long time back. Not very long ago, children still played 'achie taker' - in which they competed with each other counting as many stars as possible. There was then the 'ilyo tatu' game in which they urged their friends to come out in the evening to play. The one displayed here is a combination of many evening games. I sometimes pity today's children who get bored watching televisions or playing video games.


Will those carefree days ever come back to Ziro?

Ziro, my Zimin Ziro!

As I was driving on the Old Ziro-Hapoli road, I expected some flooding of the rice paddies as it had been raining heavily the night before, but hordes of anglers lining the river rather surprised me. I immediately understood, however. The fishes so hopefully reared in the paddy fields had been flooded out and anybody could try his hand at getting some. Some fields were being flooded but I could not see any broken bunds as in the previous occasions like this as the river banks are all concrete and stone now. The breach this year was in one of the most unexpected places – the bridge over Tabyu kiile on the Rake Lembo.




Ziro was cut off suddenly on June 14. Many friends, who had come from Itanagar and other places were stranded. Some were happy at being stranded at their own homes for a change, but they realized the gravity of the situation soon enough. Many desperately tried to get out of Ziro – some by Pawan Hans which never came to the town except on 14th, and some walked for miles together after driving down some distance. I followd suit on 19th. We were more fortunate as we had to walk only four kilometers.




It was during this walk that I discovered why the services of BSNL at Ziro is so poor. The telephone cable, which was supposed to be underground decorates the Hoj road all along.







I knew that mobile service is not working at Ziro and even the services of the landlines are very poor. I was shocked to see the empty streets of Ziro when I returned on 25th. It was like a ghost town compared to the normal hustle and bustle of the market area. The petrol was costing a hundred rupees and diesel around sixty in the black market. Many vehicles were off-road. Food commodities were getting scarce. Many school hostels were on the verge of closing down. The local students in the hostels were being sent home.

This was not my dream of Zimin Ziro.

Dream Ziro

These are pictures of Circleville, a small unheard of village in Pendleton Country in West Virginia where I am putting up these few days. Walking these streets, my thoughts go back to the Apatani villages and the contrasts cannnot be more striking. It is not to say that one village is better than the other - but it makes one wonder, you know.

The similarity with the Apatani villages is that none of the houses in this village need to be locked when the owner goes out. Since everybody know each other, there is high degree of trust.

Did you notice the electric post? It is wooden. It striked me when I saw these wooden poles in Harrisonburgh near Washington DC in my first visit to US. These poles in the village is less striking, but gives a rural touch to the entire landscape.

Ensuring Sustenance

Spring used to be the time for the children to go around the bamboo gardens and nearby jungles, collecting tree saplings. These saplings were planted in the barren areas. This has been one of the most important traditional forestry practices of the Apatanis. The practice, sadly, is fast disappearing.


However, a groups of schoolchildren are forming themselves into what they call Future Clubs and taking steps to preserve the environment in which we all live. These pictures are of Future Club, Siiro, planting trees in the Siiro School compound.

One only wish people take notice of such constructive initiatives and come forward to lend a helping hand.

Spring in Ziro Valley

Spring is a special season all over the world. It is especially special at Ziro valley. Takuň appu, sembo appu, piita appu. And now other flowers as those of pears and apples. Of the flowers that bloom at this time of the year in the jungle – wow! Sanji appu and neha appu still are the most significant ones (look out for a posting on wild flowers of Ziro).

Spring at Ziro cannot be missed by anybody. Just look at Lempia village while walking up the Laňkhiiň lembo. Red colored sembo appu, white colored piita appu and pink colored takuň appu adorn the village

Everywhere you look, there are colors. Hija village looks very bright from the main road. So do Michi Bamin and Hari villages. Even the sacred groves – the raňtiis are colorful. This is Tajang raňtii.

A view from Sululya at Old Ziro:

Ziro Putu is rimmed with white:

Outskirts of the villages are the best places to enjoy the glory of nature these days. This is Biirii, looking out from Hanoko:

Wondered how the takuň appu looks? Here it is:

Most winter, Ziro valley remains hidden in fog and mist. Though the vegetation remains evergreen, even the landscape wears a cold look. At such backdrop, sudden burst of color with the advent of Myoko piilo has special significance for the local people. One wishes spring comes every month!