Ziro: The pride of Arunachal
[ Robin Hibu & Gyati Kacho ]
ZIRO, 17 Sep: Of late, Ziro, the headquarters of Lower Subansiri district, is slowly and surely getting acknowledged as a pride district of Arunachal Pradesh for its all-round rapid development taking place in various fields, viz, socioeconomic, cultural, education, and tourism.
Tourism is gaining ground in Ziro with the recently completed Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH), shortening the journey between Itanagar and Ziro to two hours, availability of plenty of good hotels, resorts and homestays, coupled with a mild climate, which makes it an ideal getaway tourist destination place. World famous festivals like the Ziro Festival of Music (ZFM), identification of Ziro as a potential World Heritage Site for its enchanting cultural landscape, and discovery of the world’s tallest natural Shivalinga has catapulted Ziro as the sixth most favoured tourist destination place in India.
Ziro also boasts housing more than 20 residential schools, making it an educational hub, as well. Earlier, parents enrolled their wards in hill station schools in Shillong and Darjeeling, but now the trend has reversed, and children not only from the neighbouring districts but also from every part of the state and even from outside, are receiving education in Ziro.
As for healthcare facilities, the Gyati Takka General Hospital boasts state-of-the-art medical facilities with specialist surgeons available in almost every medical department. The hospital is being upgraded to a zonal hospital, which would cater to the medical needs of not only Lower Subansiri but of neighbouring districts Kamle, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey and Upper Subansiri, as well.
Over a period of time, several individuals have immensely contributed in shaping the destiny of Ziro and bringing it to world limelight.
To salute and honour a few of these pioneers whose contributions for Ziro are unparalleled, Helping Hands, a Delhi-based NGO, will felicitate them during the forthcoming Gandhi Jayanti. Helping Hands will also inaugurate the ‘Mahatma Gandhi Centre’, with facilities of library, digital career guidance centre, children’s activities centre, citizen services centre, farmers’ sales hub, panchayat ghar, and health clinic.
The ‘Pride of Ziro’ awards with gold medals to winners and the Administration Excellence Award-2023 will also be given away at Hong village during the function. To select the awardees, a panel of jury had been constituted, comprising retired IAS officer HK Shalla, retired IFS officer Millo Tago, Prof Nani Bath, Dr Dani Duri, and Robin Hibu.
The awards will be given away by Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, in the presence of eminent personalities from Delhi.
The winners of the maiden prestigious Pride of Ziro award are bureaucrat, social reformer and preservationist of the culture and heritage of the Apatani community, Lod Kojee, who modified the Apatani Dree festival celebration and was instrumental in central celebration of Dree festival; poet, teacher and lyricist late Nani Challa, who composed the Dree anthem ‘Ngunu Tanii Ka Dree Janda’, and penned the emotive Dree pre-dance song ‘Supung Milang Dree Soko Sukun Akung Toh’; Tailyang Moth, the founder of Mother’s Home shelter for orphans; renowned footballer Lod Tabyo, who represented Ziro and Arunachal in various prestigious tournaments; singer and lyricist Hage Tade, who has devoted his life to preserving the Apatani folklores; Taku Chatung for initiating the Mission Clean Kley River and for donating his ancestral land for the TAH; and Bobby Hano for initiating the ZFM and putting Ziro on the global music map, besides for starting a holistic, hybrid micro-economic initiative for farmers through his ‘Bhoom E’ startup.
The Administration Excellence Award will be given to Lower Subansiri Deputy Commissioner Bamin Nime for his exemplary people-friendly initiatives involving all stakeholders and benefitting the public.
