Ziro - Cyclists' Paradise

In the seventies and eighties, bicycles were the most prestigious mode of local transport at Ziro. Groups of young boys could be seen on their bicycles in colorful dresses, often carrying their girlfriends in front of them. Students would paddle their way to their schools at Hapoli from far away villages like Bulla or Hija. School compounds were full of bicycles. So were the office complexes. Bicycles shops were doing good business in the twin towns of Old Ziro and Hapoli.

Popularity of bicycles started waning in the nineties with the advent of two wheelers - first the scooters and later motor bikes. Shops too disappeared one by one. When two wheelers were replaced by motor cars, Ziro was looking like a sinking town.

When a group of concerned citizens, under the banner of NgunuZiro, organized a bicycle expedition around the villages of Ziro last August, it elicited enthusiastic response from within Ziro as well as from outside the valley. More than fifty cyclists participated in the expedition and HE the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh sent a special emissary to participate and to convey a message of good will. 

Ziro looks a happy town again with increasing number of bicyclists and addition of more bicycle shops at Hapoli. One can see people happily paddling around even in the chill of this winter. NgunuZiro has mountain bikes for rent for interested visitors to Ziro.