Snapshots in sepia: Parts VI and VII

VI

Along, our next stop, greeted us with the familiar bustle of a busy town; and after the wilderness and desolation of Tuting, seemed like a much-needed relief. Our intial plan was to take the next available transport out of Along and head to another jaw-dropping destination --- Mehchuka. However, by then the election campaign was gearing up with full gusto, so much so that the hotel where we had checked into in Along was full beyond its gills, block-booked by election camapaigneers for the next month or so. With a possibility of being stranded in a remote place looming large, we dropped the idea of going to Mehchuka and decided to move towards Guwahati from where we were to take the flight back to Kolkata.

Being the district headquarters of the West Siang district, Along witnesses a lot of activity throughout the day, mostly centred around the town square, which is where all the government offices are located. A quick walk led us to an enclosed space, where people were celebrating Durga puja. As a banner revealed, the puja was started way back in 1953 by Bengalis who mostly had come here as government officials. Over the years, this has become an occasion for all the people of the neighbourhood to assemble and make merry, brushing aside feelings of animosity or grudge that otherwise cloud the relationship between the tribals and the settlers. Interestingly, here in Arunachal, the idol has slight Mongoloid features and resembles the famed beauties of Upper Assam.

VII

The broad sweep of the mighty Brahmaputra valley came into view and, immediately after, came the checkpost. This was the last time we had to

get our ILPs stamped, that would proclaim our departure from Arunachal. From here we were to cross over to Silapathar, the border town in Assam and take the night bus to Guwahati. As the mid-afternoon heat licked the jeep's windows, I realised with a sudden bout of longing that the trip had come to an end. Sure, it had its share of uncertainties, the trials and tribualtions. But long after the grudges go to rest and quotidian concerns colour life, memory will occasionally fiddle with the snapshots in sepia, evoking the awe-inspiring beauty of a land filled with mist and mystery and a diminishing tribe of ever-warm and hospitable people.

Give me another trip to Arunachal any day!

Fact of the matter

The itinerary

Kolkata (by flight) ----> Dibrugarh (by boat across the Brahmaputra and then a 3-hr bus ride) -----> Pasighat (shared Sumo) ----> Yinkiong (shared Sumo) -----> Tuting (shared Sumo) ----> Yinkiong (shared Sumo) ----> Along (shared Sumo) --------> Silapathar (night bus of Green Valley bus service, fabulous) ------> Guwahati (flight) ----> Kolkata

Accomodation (all mid-range, 2010 rates)

Dibrugarh --- Hotel Devika (Rs 850)

Pasighat ----- Hotel Aane (Rs 900)

Yinkiong ---- Hotel Libang (the only-available decent accommodation, Rs 350)

Tuting ---- Inspection Bungalow PWD

Along --- Hotel Aagam (Rs 400)

Snapshots in sepia: Part V

"Beware of dumdings, they are tiny but can really give you a very nasty itch," cautioned our jeep driver when we got down for lunch at a small wayside shack the next day. Lunch would mean rice, dal and desi chicken curry (broiler chicken is looked down upon here!), all pepped up by the famous chilly, bhoot jolokia. For a change, the rains had let up and the bright blue sky dazzled behind white wispy clouds. We were on our way to Tuting, the last destination on this leg of the journey. From there we had decided to go down to Along and follow the road to Mehchuka. Tuting is also the last roadhead on that route and if you are keen to visit Singa, a village some 80 km away from Tuting and home to the famed musk deer, you have to walk your way to it.

I've grown up with stories about the jungles along the eastern border of India. As our Sumo negotiated the mountain terrain, I now got to see them in their monsoon splendour. These jungles are home to exotic flora and fauna, a few of which are endemic to this part of the world. Apart from the view of an exquisite landscape, the road trip itself offers practical lessons on the lives of the local people, their habits, the things they use, for example, the wonderful bamboo baskets and the unique bamboo umbrella. On the whole, the journey can be educating as well as entertaining and will easily make you forget the little glitches and discomforts that are integral to a trip to most parts of Arunachal.

Tuting is one of the remotest towns in India (try Googling it and see what that yields!). The town has no electricty (the only turbine conked off and was yet to be repaired back then).

Most non-tribals are government officials who see their carrer in Tuting as punishment posting and find the merest excuse of seeking transfer. Even the Arunachalis that one meets at the BDO office are quite disillusioned and want to get back to their home terrain at the slightest pretext. "It's great to come for a short trip here but try staying for more than

a week and you're likely to lose your mind," was the sentiment echoed by most of the non-tribal residents whom we met here. The only accommodation available for tourists is the PWD inspection bungalow, for which a written permission from the PWD department / BDO office at Tuting is a must.

This being the election season in Arunachal, getting transport was extremely difficult, as most Sumos that are the lifeline of Arunachal's

transport system, were being pulled out and used for election campaign. We got panicky as we came to know that the next available Sumo would not leave before a week. Not knowing how to get out of the place, we began trying all possible modes of transport -- from supply trucks to helicopters. During one such frantic hunt we met a kind soul, who moved by our plight not only gave us a lift down to Yinkiong, but also offered his home for the night stay. Speak of Indian hospitality!