-Dr. Hano  Hailang

A book on Apatani Language titled “The Quintessence of Apatani Language (Prelude)” was launched by Hon’ble Minister for Power, Forest, Environment and Parliamentary Affairs, Setong Sena on Dree, July 5 last at Ziro.

The Book is authored by Nending Ommo, a young Linguist serving as Assistant Professor at Rang–Frah Government College, Changlang. He has two Masters of Arts in English and Linguistics and an MPhil in English. He is registered for PhD at Deccan College Post Graduate & Research Institute, Pune.

Hon’ble Minister for Power, Forestry, Environment and Parliamentary Affairs, Setong Sena releasing the book on the occasion of Dree

The book underscores on the importance of preserving Apatani language, talks on the linguistic affiliation of Tani Languages, spotlights on the dialectal variations in Apatani, highlights on the provisional phonetics of Apatani language, accentuates on the exigency to standardize orthography, discusses the limitations of Tani Lipi with regards to Apatani etc.
The writing of the book is sociolinguistic in nature and it challenges the readers to contemplate on saving of one’s mother tongue. The copies of books are now available in all leading book stands in Arunachal.

Well, the wait is over. Google Earth has finally uploaded the high resolution image of Ziro (see the screenshot below).

High Resolution Satellite Image of Ziro-Hapoli Township

Now denizens of Ziro, go find your home.

(Information via FB friend)

Never before had I seen organizations condoning condemning the mob act similar to November 3^rd outburst at Ziro after similar murder incident. Take for instance, the July 15^th death of Late Jumchi (Tachi) Nguso in police custody where students’ body tried to bury the dead body inside the police station premise or another instance where an old man Late Miti Mepo died due to high handedness of IRBn personnel on August 2^nd and subsequent ransacking of Deputy Commissioners office, SP office etc at Roing. In both the instance, various organizations just condemned the murder of innocent citizen and not the resultant act by the public. And they demanded that the culprit of the crime be brought to book and there  was never any demand for arrest of those involved in the mob act.

Why? Why the mob act was not condemned that time? Why arrests of those involved in vandalism in the above instance not demanded? Was it because in both the instance the perpetrator of the act was the man in uniform and it was seen as a fight against failing system? But then, wasn’t the mob act at Ziro on November 3^rd also a resultant of failing district administration? Or was there any other reason? I’ve been told that there has been cold blooded murder since the past few years in this otherwise peaceful and eventless Ziro Valley and the administration was not able to contain the crimes. Also, it has been told that while dealing with the sensitive issue like murder, the approach of the district administration was callous. So, was this callous attitude of the administration that led to public outburst on November 3^rd at Ziro? Only impartial magisterial inquiry as demanded by ZCD (Ziro Development Committee) would reveal the exact cause that led to November 3rd public outburst. But then, is the government ready to institute such impartial inquiry to unearth the real cause and penalize those in authority if found at fault?

Well, having said that, I’m not trying to glorify or justify the act of vandalism of public property on November 3^rd, but instead do condemn the act of Vandalism of November 3^rd, or for that matter, any act of vandalism on public property by anyone in severest of terms. It’s just that we should shun this double standardness and hypocrisy while condemning any act.

At the moment, the drains are still choked with polythene bags, plastic bottles, wrappers and so on. And the people (races and communities – no bar) are still hurling trash in night at somebody else’s property to keep their yard clean. Migrant laborers and traders still pee on the roadside. Cattle, dogs, pigs, cars, poultry, motor bike and beautifully attired men, women and children still roam and share the same street and market place as ever.

The dumping ground is where you’ll see the most cattle frequent as if it is some kind of bars or night-clubs. Stray dogs are not too far behind in foraging for left-over in such locus, which sometimes become an excuse for feud between dogs and cattle. As a result, Dogs often dragged the scraps from the site and scatter it all over the road. Like human, the cattle too die ultimately after consuming too much polythene bags at these night-clubs. Many a times, I saw bloated dead animals on the road. Once, my friend told me about an incident during a festival when they had extracted a whole leather bag from the sacrificed Gayal’s stomach. I thought all cattle of Ziro town would die if they keep on visiting these night-clubs with their kids. On the contrary, lately, I have observed that the numbers of stray animals have actually increased. I wonder. It’s a wonder that despite the stubborn plastic and toxic waste they could still survive. Please don’t tell me that polythene bags are “VIAGRA” for cattle.

Does anyone know that the builders also lend a helping hand in beautification of Ziro town by jettisoning unwanted pebbles and sand on the road? Moreover, the contractors would choose only a rainy day to fill the potholes with soil – making the road as muddy as swamp. Why not sand or pebbles? Why soil? It is obvious that the contractors pay less money for soil. Thus, more money in the pocket of contractors. On a romantic day when rain pours, our town resembles a town in cowboy movie. Django, if I am not mistaken. Only the horses are missing. Oops! I forgot the cattle, we can’t ride it though. Where was I… yes, on rainy day when the rainwater cannot find its way to drain because it is being clogged by god damn non-biodegradable rubbish. The rainwater rules the road. This is when you can see the myriad things floating around – PANTENE shampoo container, LAYS chip wrapper, Pepsi and Coke bottles, Manikchand Pan Masala wrapper, even discarded underwear and bra, and so on.

Some people in my hometown implore for downpour as it would wash away all the dirt from their courtyard but I always laugh at it. You can never tell what it might bring in my front yard and backyard from others. Apart from polythene bags; used-condom, medicine container, half-sleeve pullover, rum & whiskey bottle (quarter size seems to be very popular), incandescent light bulb, etc. always flow into my property. So every morning and evening, I burn incense not for religious ceremony but to keep away the appalling smell.

God bestowed abundantly on Ziro. The landscape is awesome. Emerald mountains. Blue sky. Fresh gentle wind that chill us to the marrow. Lush forest and paddy fields, which is sadly decreasing rapidly. Our forefathers understood the importance and preserve it so that one day we may also reap the benefit. Look at our hometown now – another slum in the making. Wherever you go, you’ll not miss a trail left by human being. Can you imagine a beer bottle in the middle of a jungle?

We do not have a rich cultural heritage. Ask yourself – What sort of cultural heritage are you going to bequeath to your offspring? Poly vinyl culture? The offspring will not dig the earth to bury our dead bodies. Instead they’ll be sorting out the heaps of plastic from soil and they’ll say, “Look. What I’ve found, CD!”  It is not too comforting to think of lying down with potato chips wrapper next to you in deathbed and kissing nappy pads. Isn’t it?

Most people I talked to regarding civic duties and poly bags, they say that the authorities and civil society have to initiate a program. Washing hands of sordid task, huh? For god’s sake, they alone are not littering the whole town. On the other, the authorities would say that the public have to cooperate. Washing hands again. Too much washing is not good. It’ll make the hand dry and creased. As a matter of fact, the common people don’t give a damn and so are the authorities. No need to waste your valuable time in pondering over how the layer of plastic has piled up. There is already a ban on poly bags at Ziro. It is just that the authorities do not monitor the violation and the public cannot say “NO” to poly bags as they are so used to it.  They would even get enrage if the shopkeeper don’t hand them the stuff in poly bags. Great!

If a tourist of foreign origin can respect our motherland by adhering themselves to the civic responsibilities of their country, then why we are so incline in maligning it. Or are we waiting for somebody extra-terrestrial beings to do our job. Dream on! Keep laughing.

Once I asked my students, what they do with the poly bags in their house. How they get rid of it. “We burn them”, they told me. Quite logical. What alternatives do we have besides burning them? There’s no recycle plant. Rag pickers would take any scrap of metal without our permission, yet they would never touch the plastic even if I offer remuneration. Bloody stubborn plastics. So I told them that it is alright to buy things that come in plastic package but not to accept extra poly bags from shop. Hence, beginning of my cause – the “GREEN CLASS”.

So far I had conducted only five classes with seven standard students – one class in a week. And they are extremely enthusiastic about it. Now they are asking me to conduct additional classes. Since their summative exams are approaching very near, I have had to express my disapproval every time they plead for Green Class. I am happy; my students are supporting me at least. Now I realized that I was knocking at the wrong door.

It is information to general public of Raga & Yachuli Constituency that there will be meeting on 03-04-10 at Hotel Arun Subansiri, Itanagar, Time 10 a.m. onwards to discuss about Hapoli township. NES, ANSU, AYSU, ARASU, intellectual, senior leaders etc. with panchayat leaders also present. All are requested to attend positively.

-Signed, President L.S.Y.O

What’s up? When you are calling a meeting to discuss about Hapoli Township, why invitation only for NES, ANSU, AYSU, ARASU intellectuals, senior leaders, panchayat leaders of only one community? Why have you forgotten to invite the residents of Hapoli Township?

BTW who’s this LSYO? If I’m getting it right LSYO stands for Lower Subansiri Youth Organization. If yes then, when you are inviting ANSU, AYSU and ARASU why didn’t you invited the students’ and youth organisation of Lower Subansiri District like ALSSU or ASU or AYA? And moreover, when you are discussing about Hapoli Township, why conduct meeting at Itanagar and not Hapoli? Is Itanagar closer in distance to Hapoli Town for public of Raga & Yachuli Constituency? Or is there any ulterior motive? Only those who attended the said meeting today would be able to tell what’s up?

Below is the circular as published in The Arunachal Times.

P.S. Those who attended the said meeting today, do please tell us what’s up?

On the fateful day of the January 19, 2008, the people of Ziro Valley were shocked at the news of the gruesome incident of murder of a young boy by his friends. The turn of events that followed was no less shocking to the mute spectator of the valley:

Apatanis working in Raga area suffered the backlashes. They and their relatives back home spent two long days under mental agony. They were harassed for no fault of their. A motor bike of one of them which was parked in front of his quarter was damaged. There were instances of some people forcibly entering the houses with intent of grievous physical harm. Thanks to the few good people there in Raga but for whose timely intervention things could have gone worse. Finally, on the January 21, Apatanis of Raga and its adjoining area have to flee for their life.

Just as Apatani people were fleeing from Raga area, a mob of people, apparently the relatives of the deceased, who arrived Ziro the previous day, loaded in Tata mobile vans and motor bikes, all armed with daos, took the body of the deceased and buried it inside the Subansiri Stadium (more commonly known as General Ground). District administration did nothing to stop them. Moreover, on the same day, three cows were slaughtered by the mob. Two near the burial place and one in roadside at Nenchalya, old Ziro, on their way back to Raga. For the innocent owners of the cows it was like attempt on their life.

However, the silver lining in the entire episode was that the victims of the backlashes and their relatives lived up to the age old reputation of the Apatanis. They patiently turn to the District Administration for justice instead of turning their anger and frustration on the innocent people from Raga area residing and working in Ziro.

Now, more than two weeks have passed since but the District Administration is still indecisive about whether to allow the construction of cemetery at the burial place or to exhume the body and shift it to different location. Neither has it initiated any action against the ones who harassed the innocent people and damaged their properties. However, in an apparent show of boldness, S.D.O Raga on the behalf of District Administration told the victims of the backlashes to go back to their respective working places.

That was how the incident of January 19 has unfolded so far. Whether the body of the deceased is exhumed or not, I expected that the District Administration will take appropriate action against the person involved in harassment of innocent people and destruction of their properties. I also expected that the general public of Raga area and their leaderships, particularly, will come out in open to criticize harassment of innocent people. Unfortunately, neither has happened. Can any sensible person go back to their working places in remote areas under such circumstances?

District Administration seems to work on this principle: the time will heal the wound so put everything into closet for the time being. I feel, in that process a spark is being neglected. With rumour mills doing around, I just hope it does not flare up into flame.

Related reading:-
Are we heading towards (un)civilization?

Yesterday, on my way to Ziro around 9.45 AM (IST), I saw a truckload or rather a TATA mobile full of people carrying dao (traditional sword), followed by equally large number of people on motor bikes and cars with daos on them. I thought why was this large number of people and where are they heading to? Was there any religious festival? Wasn’t carrying of dao banned at this district headquarter? Then I remembered, there was a report of murder of one 15 years old boy from Godak, whose body was found thrown at a small rivulet on the way to Hong village on the wee hours of Saturday morning. Was this large crowd got to do anything with the death of the boy, I thought?

Yes, it was. When I returned, I was told that the victim was buried at General Ground (Subansiri Stadium) by that crowd and that Cr.PC Section 144 has been imposed till further orders at the twin township of Hapoli-Ziro. My initial reaction was-was the administration justified in allowing burial to take place at public place (Subansiri Stadium)? I was afraid that it could flare up communal tension but luckily no untoward incident till now has been reported.

Though, I fully sympathize with the victim’s family and pray to God to give them strength to bear the irreparable loss they suffered and pray that the departed soul may rest in peace and believe that they might have carried this act in a fit of anger over the murder, I still wonder, shouldn’t they had thought once, atleast once coolly before burial at general ground (though for me also at that time it could have appeared to be the best action) considering the impact it would have on the denizens of Ziro-Hapoli Township? Besides, shouldn’t they have faith in the justice system and let the law takes its own course? Apparently, those involved in the murder was reported to be arrested.

This entire incident has totally shocked me out of my wits. I was shocked by the murder of a minor by a minor; I was shocked by the repercussion of the relatives of the victim and above all, I was shocked by the administrations way of handling of such situations. However, I should and must appreciate the denizens of this Twin-Township of Hapoli-Ziro for keeping their cool and for not letting this incident flare up communal tension. And this incident has made me question the credibility of the claim of students’ body being the guardian of society (though I still detest their involvement in activities other than students’ welfare); Where were they when they were needed the most (being the guardian of the society) to diffuse the tension at that time which could have flared up communal tension?

With shops closed and vehicles off the road, some seized this opportunity to turn the road into a cricket pitch; some made the pavement- a gambling den, playing cards and simultaneously enjoying the warm sunlight in this chilly winter without a trace of worry of being run-over by vehicle or stumbled upon by the pedestrian and for some it was forced confinement at their homes.

Yes, the so-called moral police, social guardian and custodian of the society are back at what they does best-giving ‘Bandh’ call at a drop of hat. And yesterday people of Ziro-Hapoli Township witnessed the first Bandh Call of the year, thanks to Apatani Students’ Union (ASU). The reason-poor mobile network provided by the lone service provider BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited).

Ziro-Hapoli Township had been subjected to quite erratic mobile network this past month, with no network most of the time, which the BSNL reason- is due to damage done to OFC (Optical Fibre Cable) linking Itanagar Swtiching Centre to Ziro Exchange by road cutting work at Hoj-Doimukh road. And despite their assurance of linking Ziro exchange with Itanagar via satellite to improve the connectivity, they failed to link the exchange and switching centre at the time stipulated by the Students’ body leading to this ‘Bandh’. The consequences at the end of 12 Hr Ziro-Hapoli Bandh-vandalism by students’ body at BSNL office-cum exchange at Hapoli and at Old-Ziro.

Quite surprisingly, majority of the people (read BSNL mobile subscribers) felt that the students had done the right thing which made me wonder, what’s the connection? What’s the poor mobile network got to do with students’ affair? Wasn’t it the subscriber’s who would have been affected by this network problem? Or was the students’ mere puppets at the hands of ‘Cell-One’ and ‘Excel’ subscriber’s to raise their voice on their behalf? When would people stop pointing gun from other’s shoulder? And when would the students’ body stop being puppet to some people who use them for their own gain?

Another question that comes to mind is-would this vandalism lead to better mobile service at Ziro? I doubt, considering the technical or administrative hurdles that may lay ahead with the BSNL authorities at Ziro, to improve the service overnight. Hadn’t it been a better option had the subscriber’s lodged a complaint at Consumer Court and made BSNL pay heavy compensation for the loss incurred to them owing to disrupted mobile network? With thousands of subscriber’s, I guess, BSNL would have thought it a better proposition to improve the connectivity and maintaining it well rather than part with huge sum of money as a compensation.

Seems like the craze that talent hunt shows like Indian Idol 3, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa or the Voice of India generated, has seized the psyche of people of this sleepy little town of Hapoli-Ziro to launch it’s own miniature version of the talent hunt called Voice of Apatani.

The event is being organized under the banner of Apatani Youth Association (AYA) from 18^th November, 2007 to 31^st December, 2007. The rules are simple-If you are an Apatani, has attained the age of 15 years and has a flair for singing then you can register your name for participation before 5th of November, 2007; though the professionals (singer) are excluded from participation. For audition you have to prepare two songs-one in Apatani and the other in Hindi. And those selected for top 20 has to deposit a non-refundable amount of INR 2,000.00/-; which I seem not to understand why? When asked, the organizing Chairman told that since they have to arrange orchestra and accommodation for the participants, they are charging this non-refundable fee of INR 2000/- from the top 20 participants.

So what’s the catch? The winner takes away INR 50,000/- as prize money besides a contract for cutting an album and the runners-up bag INR 20,000/- as prize money and an one album contract.

For more details, contact the Organizing Chairman Millo Tamang at +919436230319 or see the contact details at the poster above.