Charms of Arunachal Opening up to the world

GANGA LAKE ITANAGAR

On getting posted to Arunachal  Pradesh one  starts wondering as to why the State does not have a Train link. As of now Guwahati is the last airport/railway station  and thereafter for reaching Itanagar the State Capital  it is a six hours journey by road or a bumpy ride in chopper which has to be booked sufficiently in advance. 

CHOPPER ARRIVING AT ITANAGAR HELIPORT IN DENSE CLOUDS

While both the modes of travel have a lot to offer by way of exposure to natural beauty and moments of excitement yet the traveller  has to spend extra time since one is normally required to make a halt at Guwahati guest house due to flight timings. Some of the pockets on road route from Assam are not meant for journey after dusk.Therefore a passenger from Delhi reaching Guwahati after 4 PM would start the road journey only in the next morning.

A WAY SIDE TEMPLE

Logistic difficulties have kept Arunachal beyond  access of regular travelers and tourist. The State besides natural beauty is home to several maonstries including Tawang Monastry which is the second largest monastry in the world.

VIEW OF ITANAGAR TOWN

ITANAGAR MONASTRY

VIEW AT SUNRISE AT TAWANG

Very little information about the natural beauty and flora and fauna of the place is available to average Indian. Spread over 6000 sq kms  Arunachal is home to 27 major tribes each having different anthropological history and cultural orientations.

It is considered to be among the top 10 biodiversity hotspots of the world being located at trijunction of three different climatic regions. I recall that while writing a review of the book Arunachal a Hidden Land authored by Mamang Dei an arunachalese authoress of repute, the legendary Khushwant Singh had observed  that before reading the book he himself knew only as much about Arunachal as could be written on back of a postage stamp.

VIEW OF TAWANG TOWNSHIP

The locals affectionately call their State land of " khusi khusi " since life was till sometimes back simple and everyone was happy.The tribal festivals and fairs which are unique to each tribe regularly follow in a chain. However even today the State which is home to thousands of flowering species,hundreds of varieties of orchids and medicinal plants and being gateway to exotic places like Tawang and Namdapha wild life sanctuary has by and large remained unexplored.

GUEST HOUSE AT NAMDAPHA NATIONAL PARK

However some recent developments were quite heart warming for all Arunachal lovers since it appeared that Arunachal was at long last giving up it's solitude. The first development of consequence was opening of Railway link from Assam to State capital Itanagar and second development concerns success  of a popular rock music festival at the town of Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh which saw participation of music lovers from all over the North East in a grand fashion.

The first development concerning connectivity was culmination of long drawn efforts by State  Govt and the Indian Railways. State has been considering various options for improving the accessibility including setting up of a green field Airport and establishing train link through hilly tracts from Guwahati. The railway link which got in full swing after a visit by former Prime Minister in 2009 has been under implementation for a long time . After overcoming the difficulties in land acquisition process and tackling the the natural obstacles involved in the 190 km route from Assam to Naharlagun located at 15 Kms from Itanagar in Arunachal the turning point was finally reached when the train link up to Naharlagun Itanagar was completed in April this year.

EXOTIC FLOWERING VARIETIES

STATUE OF PAHALWAN WHICH IS A LAND MARK OF NAHARLAGUN TOWN SHIP

 It was a happy development for all Arunachal lovers and for those who had been to Arunachal in course of call of duty, since while leaving the beautiful State every Govt employee had felt an emotional urge to return to the place some day to once again savour the delights of nature with which the State has been lavishly blessed.The train link was formally declared open in April this year. Indian Railways soon announced their intention to start operating Shatabdi and Rajdhani Trains up to Itanagar. 

However there have been certain teething troubles with the project. The State population needs to be given adequate safeguards against influx of outsiders to shield it against exploitation by unscrupulous traders and settlers. There is presently a system of permits to take care of unchecked inflow of outsiders. This system shall have to be reinforced in context of accessibility through rail route.While the train connectivity remains temporarily suspended it would be welcome if the difficulties are sorted out quickly in the best interest of the State.The charm of hidden land would then be for everyone to share.

Regarding the other happy development it may be added that Ziro is a town located at approximately 170 kilometers from the capital city Itanagar.It is one of the oldest towns in State and has been on list of contenders for world heritage site The place is accessible by road and chopper. The Ziro valley is home to colourful Apatani Tribe which follows a unique practise of making facial tatoos .Because of transportation difficulties  the beautiful Ziro valley with it's charming tribe has also remained a hidden piece of paradise. However winds of change have been creating some openings recently. 

For past several years based on the initiative taken by local music lovers a rock music concert known as Ziro Music Festival has blossomed into a major cultural event. Music lovers and performers reach the valley in motorbikes after travelling upto North Lakhimpur or Guwahati in Assam. Organised in September this year the Festival saw participation from more than 30 rock groups.

VIEW OF ZIRO TOWN

The town of Ziro has in a very short period set up several hotels with class facilities . The organizers also set up a camp city which offers interactive environ ment friendly option for stay.The rapidly growing popularity of the festival and the initiative taken by local enterpreneurs is another sign of hidden land opening up to the world.