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!

Myoko Piilo

It’s spring time at Ziro. Bright-colored Takuň appu (flowers of plum) can be seen all around the Apatani villages. The outskirts of the villages are adorned with variety of flowering trees, most notably of Sembo (a kind of berry), adding a riot of color to the otherwise sleepy Ziro landscape at this time of the year.


Butterflies of unbelievable variety of colors can be seen all around. Butterflies, by the way, are said to be one of the best indicators of biodiversity of an area. I found this one very proud and dignified:


The numbers of butterflies are, sadly, decreasing these days. In the past, we could see hordes of them playing around on the tracks to the fields and jungles – the aji lembos and yasaň lembos. Not so much these days.

Even without many butterflies, chirping of birds cannot be missed while strolling by a bije lembo like this:


It’s pure magic. A combination of whistling sounds of gentle winds as it wafts by the fine pine leaves and bamboos, the rustle of the dry leaves on the tracks as you walk by and the chirping of variety of birds.

And it is time to join the Apatanis in the Myoko festival – a unique festival of friendship and camaraderie.

Getting Beautiful

The Apatanis love to make themselves up. In the olden days, they used to warm pieces of pork fat and use the oil (kutu) to make up their hair. The women tied the hair at the back while the men tied them into a decorative knot in front on the forehead.

The intricate designs as well as elegance of the Apatani dresses - jilaň, jig-jiro, pyamiň pulye, piisa leňda, etc. are well known. Less known are the ornaments they used. Here are some of the traditional ornaments.


This is called lariň - an ear ring. It was common sight till twenty years back women from rich families with lariň dangling from their ears.


The following two pictures are those of kapuň - bangles.



This is piillo kobyaň, one of the more intricately designed bangles.


Usually, these ornaments were worn during special occasions like festival of Muruň, Subu or Myoko.

Land Use at Ziro

The harvesting of paddy is at the fag end. We can still see some fields being ploughed again immediately after harvest and potato gardens being started. The Apatanis, being meticulous agriculturists leave not even an inch of land unused. Similarly in the above picture, not even a single week in an agricultural calender is left unused. Vegetable gardening immediately after paddy harvest.

I wish this was happening at Ziro. The above picture is in the Kathmandu valley in Nepal where the topography and weather condition is exactly same as at Ziro valley. If this can happen there, this can happen here too.

In winter after harvest in October, this is the picture that Ziro wears:



I am sure someday, somebody will start using the land even in winter and beat a way for the rising sun.