It was solo traveling in a real sense within the lockdown period.
I had to take extra care carrying all my necessary utilities along with spare
masks, hand sanitizers, spray sanitizers, extra bed sheets which I rarely carry
in my backpack. The weight of the backpack has increased beyond my imagination.
My journey by public transport started at 7.30 in the morning from
the Sivsagar bus stand towards North Lakhimpur town. I was excited to see the
massive Bogibeel Bridge, recently opened connecting the Dibrugarh and Dhemaji
districts of Assam over the river Brahmaputra.
Since I took the opportunity to book a ticket early, I got the
first seat behind the driver and thus had a clear front and side view. Our
journey was for around five hours covering a distance of around 185 km with a
short tea break at Dhemaji. Ultimately I reached North Lakhimpur at around
12.30 noon.
Having killed my appetite at a local restaurant near the bus stand, I
proceeded to the area where the shared jeep for Ziro would start the next
morning. A front seat of next morning 5.30 hrs jeep to Ziro was booked in the
first instance which would leave close to the entrance of my hotel.
A budget hotel with basic facilities allowed me to recover my lost
slumber of the early morning. A stroll in the evening exploring the location
and with a cup of evening tea followed by dinner was the routine for the day.
The jeep started exactly at 5.45 hrs and having completed all the
morning chores including a cup of tea but no breakfast. The front seat beside
the driver helped me to explore the beauty of tea gardens, rough terrains,
misty atmosphere, and gradual elevation along with enhancing geographical
knowledge as learnt from the driver.
Around nine o’clock, we crossed Assam and entered Arunachal
Pradesh through Papum Pare district where the Inner Line Permit (ILP) was
checked by the state police. Soon the vehicle had a brief halt for breakfast.
The second check of Inner Line Permit was made on the way and
ultimately after crossing a horrible stretch of around 20 km, we reached Ziro
at around mid-noon.
My search for a budget residential hotel was complete by around
fifteen minutes followed by a small spell of mid-day nap; I went out to explore
the place.
It was a small sleepy town with a football stadium and a
government hospital and few shops for utilities. A local bakery attracted me
and I had a taste of confectioneries with a cup of hot coffee.
Since my hotel was very near the central location, I could witness
the movement of vehicles and pedestrians from the balcony.
As learnt from various sources, Ziro is the place of the Apatani
tribe, which resides in the Ziro valley of the Lower Subansiri district of
Arunachal Pradesh. The Apatanis are a major ethnic group of eastern Himalayas,
having a distinct civilization with a vibrant traditional village council.
The tribe has systematic land usage practices and rich traditional
ecological knowledge of natural resources management and conservation, acquired
over centuries through informal experimentation. The tribe has colourful
culture with the skill of handicrafts made from bamboo and cane.
As I was having my second cup of beverage in my residential hotel,
I came across a person sitting over a cup of tea who was from the Apatani tribe
staying in Birii village and an owner of the homestay in the village itself.
Having seen my inquisitiveness about the tribe, he agreed to
accompany me as a guide to show the villages where sub-sects of the Apatani
tribe resides.
The time fixed was next morning eight o’clock, when the person,
Nyatu Hage came down to my hotel with his motorcycle. He had suggested me, travel by motorcycle as the roads were narrow within the villages and
four-wheelers would not be a feasible proposition. Further, hiring
four-wheelers would definitely give a pinch in my pocket since I was alone.
Our journey started with Hong Village, followed by Hari Village,
Bulia Village, Hija Village, Dutta Village, Mudang Tage Village and Barmin Mich
Village.
All the villages were adjacent to each other and within a diameter
of around 20 km. There were traditional huts of Apatanis and with the onslaught
of civilization and exposure to the outer world, some of the residents had
urbanized their dwelling houses. It was more of a combination of ancient and
modern culture side by side.
The majority of the traditional houses had a platform outside their
house mostly on the roads where the religious functions including the sacrifice
of Mithuns (a type of buffalo) took place during festivals.
I could find aged ladies with big black nose plugs weaving
clothes, traditional baskets, and cane utilities required for their families.
Since the sunshine was bright, the young persons were found to be in a
gossiping mood sitting on the religious platforms.
There was a distinct change in culture as observed from the attire
of the ladies where the old ladies were wearing traditional dress whereas the
young ones had shifted to western dresses.
As learnt from the guide, though the western culture was gradually
taking over the entire society but during festivals, both males and females wore
traditional dresses of each ethnic tribe.
There were few differences in the types of dwelling houses, food,
dress, and culture among the habitats of each village but that could not be
distinguished through our visual experiences.
Finally, we went to the house of Nyatu Hage, which was renovated
after the same was dedicated to a homestay. However, the traditional kitchen,
utensils, other implements had been restored as an exhibition. I had the
opportunity to meet his mother, a lady of around ninety, but fit to manage
household chores, had a cup of tea, and then moved towards an artificially
constructed lake and a Shiva temple. We returned to Ziro in the afternoon,
physically tired but mentally enriched with a new experience.
It was a wonderful and amazing experience of witnessing eight
Apatani villages with an Apatani guide who was acting as an interpreter at
times. Despite, a day is too little for experiencing the lifestyle of a community
but the glimpse also taught lessons for the so-called civilized population to
maintain harmony between culture, heritage, and preservation of nature. Water
resource management was one of the noticeable features of the village where the
streams and rivulets were being channelized for agriculture around the year.
The solo trip to Apatani village of Arunachal Pradesh increased
the thirst of experiencing the tribal lives in other locations of the state as
also other states of northeast India with the hope to witness many more
diversities of our beautiful country.
How to Reach Ziro
The nearest operational airport near Ziro is Jorhat which is 98 km
away from the place followed by Lilabari which is at a distance of 123 km.
Though there is an airstrip at Ziro regular flights are not available. The
nearest railway station is Naharlagun which is 101 km away from Ziro. The
easiest way to reach Ziro is by road from Itanagar which is 109 km away and
North Lakhimpur is 117 km away.
Boarding & Lodging
There are few hotels in Ziro which are considered budget hotels
and not of any star ranking. Otherwise, the tourists can reside in homestays in
Apatani village will definitely add flavours to the tour.
Other than local cuisines, tourists may have the choice for Assamese food, food with Chinese touch though in modified form, and many bakery cuisines in the town itself. Staying in Apatani village, the choice becomes limited and has to depend on local cuisines only.
