Ziro on New Year Day '11

Ziro on the morning of the first day of 2011 was placid as usual. Light tints of mist across the eastern horizon. In contrast to clear sky and sunny days in the previous days, it was cloudy. "Myodi ho pembe iñdudo" - there must be snow fall in the higher reaches, was the speculation of the elderly person I talked to about the gloomy weather. Yes, the wind blowing down from the north was chilly.



There was no ice, however. In the previous days, the landscape used to be coated in white.


In spite of the rain and cold weather, Manipolyang was dotted with picnicking groups. Taring was the only picnic spot a decade back. It has taken a back seat now after a road was constructed to Manipolyang. It is better this year with an excellent road connecting the place with Hong village.

In the recent years, other picnic spots are coming up. The Old Ziro-Hiija road via Supyu has opened up many such spots along the road. So has the Hari-Hapya road in the east. It is good to see people enjoying nature in many areas. It would be better to see them respect nature and not overburden it with plastic bottles and other waste materials.

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.

Dutta Papii

Dutta Papii must have been the most remarkable landmark after Kure in the pre-independent Ziro. It was the site where temporary tents were thrown up and later a proper camp established by the administrators like Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf and Ursula Graham Bower.

Valuable anthropological notes, which later became famous books must have been scribbled here. Many disputes must have been settled here.

The site today lay neglected but retains the charm which must have attracted the British administrators. Today, this is one of the very few open spaces where green grass grow which once used to be the hallmark of Ziro.

New Division for Talle

Talle Wildlife Sanctuary is known for its unique vegetation and diverse wildlife species. The first picture of clouded leopard in mainland Asia was taken here in the late nineties by a team under the aegis of Future Generations and subsequently published in the September 2000 issue of the prestigious National Geographic magazine.

The sanctuary has hitherto been manned by a Range Officer with few field staff. The Range Officer reported to the Chief Wildlife Warden, Naharlagun.

In a significant decision in the meeting of the State Wildlife Advisory Board today in the Chief Minister's Conference Hall under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Dorjee Khandu, the board approved the creation of a new Talle Wildlife Sanctuary Division with its headquarter at Maniployang. This will not cost anything extra to the state exchequer as the entire staff is to be manned by the now defunct Lohit Wasteland Division (based in Namsai), which is being closed down.

It is expected that wildlife protection activity, not only within the sanctuary but in the periphery as well will be improved with this development.

It may be mentioned that numerous wildlife species have been photographed (most of them for the first time) in a project recently being carried out in the sanctuary. Among them is this beautiful animal (mainland serrow) locally called kiidi siibi.

After the Harvest

Green has gone. Cattle have been allowed to roam the agricultural fields. A cow here surveys if anything has been left for her.

After the hullabaloo of harvest months, it is quite again in the vast spans of fields in the Ziro valley. This used to be time for young people to go around in groups to catch rats. It is a rare sight now. They have other means of entertainment. It was also time to enjoy bull fightings after instigating two competitors. No longer now. What has remained now is the beginning of preparation for the Myoko festival. Most clans have done with bidiñ laniñ and getting ready to bring babos.