Flights Of Fantasy
[ M Panging Pao ]
Arunachal Pradesh, the Land of the Rising Sun, the pradesh of 14th century Malinithan, the mediaeval Itafort, the land of Parsuram Kund of Mahabharata era, the land of Bhismaknagar and the beautiful Rukmini who was whisked away in marriage by Lord Krishna, the land of the 400 years old second largest monastery of the Buddhists.
Our Arunachal… the pradesh of picturesque Mechukha, scenic Ziro valley, lovely landscape of Bomdila, Dirang, Tawang, snow-laden Mayudia, white water rafting on the Siang, Subansiri and Dibang rivers, challenge of freshwater angling in the Kameng, Siang, Dibang and Lohit rivers; rejuvenating mountain trekking in the virgin areas of Pemako.
Arunachal, the pradesh of 28 major tribes, 100 sub-tribes, 50 distinct languages and dialects, intermingling and happily living alongside each other for centuries in complete harmony with people and nature, animists, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians living peacefully.
Arunachal, the largest state in Northeast India, with the lowest density of population in the country, the pradesh of the majestic hornbill, exotic orchids, rare animal and bird species
Arunachal, the pradesh of hardworking, sturdy tribal villagers who tend to be brutally honest, display high integrity, helpful out of the way, one rarely heard of rape, murder, burglary in tribal villages in the olden days.
A pradesh dependent on aid from the central government; only a few industries in the state due to inadequate electricity supply, poor infrastructure, bureaucratic bottlenecks; a nascent tourism industry due to poor infrastructure, transportation, roads, and bleak electricity.
A pradesh of loads of big and expensive SUVs, many rich politicians, contractors, government officials, many multimillionaires, maybe one of the highest density of them vis-á-vis the population.
Also a pradesh with bad roads in almost all districts, frequent electricity load shedding, very low voltage, water scarcity despite numerous rivers.
A pradesh with people who claim huge compensation for almost everything, who erect structures and plantations overnight to claim land compensation, people who oppose dams, airfields, railways, colleges, just about everything.
A pradesh with too many unions and organisations, there seems to be all kinds of them, including unemployed associations.
Also land of khushi-khushi, land of bandhs.
A pradesh where many voters sell their votes for cash, vehicles, bikes, etc; only few vote for ideology, development, progress, peace.
Ours or whose Arunachal?
(The contributor is retired Group Captain, Indian Air Force)
