CULTURE AND COMMUNITY WAY OF LIFE TRAIL BRIEF

Transcription

1 RIDE TO LIGHT Ride To Light is North East India s first full-fledged cycle tour. Spanning 300 kilometres across Lohit, Dibang and Lower Dibang Valley districts of Arunachal Pradesh, the tour rides in support of Batti an initiative to provide basic lighting to North East India s most remote inhabitants. Ready yourself, to ride for a cause, and to experience the most pristine forest and intact mega-biodiversity in the Himalayas. THE STATE Arunachal Pradesh holds the most north-eastern position among the other states in North East India. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Burma in the east and the country of Tibet in the north. Itanagar is the capital of the state. Arunachal Pradesh, whose name means land of the dawn-lit mountains, is also known as the Orchid State of India or the Paradise of the Botanists. Geographically, it is the largest among the North East Indian states (commonly referred to as the Seven Sister States). As in other parts of North East India, the people native to the state trace their origins from the Tibeto-Burman people. THE REGION Dibang Valley (covering vast areas of Dibang and Lower Dibang Valley districts) has the distinction of being the least populous region in the country! Known for its cover of thick forest - which clothes roughly 82% of the region - the vegetation here can be classified into the following forest types: Tropical Evergreen, Tropical Semi-evergreen, Sub-Tropical Broad Leaved, Sub-Tropical Pine, Temperate Broad Leaved, Temperate Conifer, Sub-Alpine Woody Shrub, Alpine Meadow, Degraded, Bamboo, and Grasslands. Rare mammals such as the Mishmi Takin, Red Goral, Gongshan Muntjac, Red Panda, Mishmi Hills Giant Flying Squirrel, Musk Deer, Hoolock Gibbon and Himalayan Black Bear are found in these habitats. These are in addition to the abundance of cats like the Tiger, Common Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Snow Leopard, Golden Cat, Jungle Cat, Marbled Cat and the Leopard Cat. It s a fitting site for India s third largest protected animal zone the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary.

2 CULTURE AND COMMUNITY Ride To Light - The Mishmi Hills Challenge is aptly named for running through the Mishmi Hills. This geographical feature is home to a number of ethnic groups and sub-tribes. RTL will interact predominantly with the Idu Mishmis (a sub-tribe of the larger ethnic group of Mishmis). Immediately recognizable by their distinctive hairstyle, clothes and weaving patterns, the Idus are a people of temperate nature. While Idu is their native tongue, Hindi is known by virtually everyone (barring the very old members of the tribe). These hunter-gatherers, long settled into a pastoral lifestyle, still exist (for a large part) as they did centuries ago. Considered among the Endangered Peoples of the world, theirs is a rapidly dwindling population of only 13,000. All aspects of their culture flow from an animistic belief which is safeguarded by the shaman/priest or Igu. Their customs predispose them against reckless hunting which has helped the area become a stronghold of mega flora and fauna in the region. WAY OF LIFE In the plains, life is mainly pastoral dotted by the occasional commercial hub. But as the tour progresses into the mountains the tribal way of life is almost entirely agricultural with aspects of hunting and gathering. Traditional income sources, which are urban constructs, are few and far between. Members of the community etch out an income by carrying head load, contract work of building homes or gathering medicinal herbs (a.k.a. kicchu collection) for which they make long treks (sometimes over two weeks), into the upper reaches of the mountains. TRAIL BRIEF Starting at the Digaru plains in Tezu, the RTL trail winds upwards to the Eastern Himalayas, passing through Myodia the highest peak over snowline in Lower Dibang Valley. Continuing through an almost unbroken line of jungle, the trail concludes in the meadows and pine forests of Anini. Covering 300 kilometres over 6 cycling days, the tour is considered appropriate for intermediate level riders.

3 Detailed Ride Itinerary OVERVIEW The Mishmi Hills of Eastern Arunachal Pradesh is made up of India s four eastern-most districts. Together they form the eastern-most flanks of the Great Himalayan Range (bordering China and Myanmar). RTL begins in the Lohit district and makes its way - via Lower Dibang Valley district - to Anini, the headquarters of Upper Dibang Valley district (deep in the folds of the Mishmi Hills). Most of the riding will take place in these two districts of the Dibang Valley which is chiefly inhabited by the Idu Mishmi people. The ride can be considered challenging given the road conditions and the continuous changes in elevation (with the highest oint at Mayodia Pass being 2618m and the valley floors lying anywhere between 450m to 1675m). Our destination - Anini - lies at an altitude of over 1500m, deep in the folds of the easternmost flank of the Great Himalayan Range. WHOLE ROUTE : TOPOGRAPHY The region can be described as a vast maze of ridges, in all shades of green, with fast flowing emerald rivers that merge to form the mighty Brahmaputra. These feeder rivers constitute the watershed area of the Brahmaputra and together they create one of the largest drainage systems in the country.

4 Day 1 January 26 th TEZU to ROING 70 km DAY 1 ROUTE The first day of cycling takes us from Tezu (the district headquarters of the Lohit district) to Roing (the district headquarters of Lower Dibang Valley). The day s ride is quite easy in relation to the other days, both, in terms of terrain and road conditions. A couple of water crossings also ensure that riders have a chance to get their feet wet. ROUTE : TOPOGRAPHY Good Average Poor Bad 10 km 20 km 30 km 40 km 50 km 60/70 km ROAD CONDITION ITINERARY

5 Day 2 January 27 th ROING to 47 KILO 40 km DAY 2 ROUTE Here, the Mishmi Hills start in earnest. The day s short distance is justified by a 1600m climb to our campsite for the day. Once out of Roing, we climb relentlessly into the folds of the Eastern Himalayas. This vertical altitude of about 1600m is gained in 40kms, making it the toughest day of our challenge. ROUTE : TOPOGRAPHY Good Average Poor Bad 10 km 20 km 30 km 40 km ROAD CONDITION ITINERARY

6 Day 3 January 28 th 47 KILO to KEBABONLI 49 km DAY 3 ROUTE Day 3 is a relaxed day of riding in comparison to the previous. It starts with a steady climb towards the Mayodia Pass, which is one of the eastern-most drivable passes of the Himalayas. Although just 2600m in altitude, one can expect the summit to have a fair amount of snow during this season. An altitude of about 430m is gained in the first 10kms, following which the route to Hunli is generally downhill. ROUTE : TOPOGRAPHY ITINERARY Good Average Poor Bad 10 km 20 km 30 km 40 km ROAD CONDITION 50 km

7 Day 4 January 29 th HUNLI 17 MILE to ALOYA 60 km DAY 4 ROUTE This is a fairly tough day of cycling given the road conditions and the numerous short but steep climbs. Again, a beautiful day of cycling deep in the Dibang valley. ROUTE : TOPOGRAPHY Good Average Poor Bad 10 km 20 km 30 km 40 km 50 km 60 km ROAD CONDITION ITINERARY

8 Day 5 January 30 th ALOYA to AGUI 65 km DAY 5 ROUTE Another beautiful yet tough stretch, with most of the day spent riding along the Dibang and the Dri Rivers. Numerous small landslides with gravel make for fairly tough going. Today, the climbs get longer than the previous - and coupled with the road conditions - makes for the next most challenging day, after Day 2 of RTL. ROUTE : TOPOGRAPHY Good Average Poor Bad 10 km 20 km 30 km 40 km 50 km 65 km ROAD CONDITION ITINERARY

9 Day 6 January 31 st AGUI to ANINI 30 km The last day of Ride To Light is a short but constant climb all the way to Anini. The road conditions are better than the previous days making it an easy climb. DAY 6 ROUTE ROUTE : TOPOGRAPHY Good Average Poor Bad ROAD CONDITION 30 km ITINERARY

10 Road conditions Index Good Average Poor Bad

11 WINDING UP Day 7 February 1 st The tour will spend the day interacting with locals of Anini and observing the festivities of Reh the most prominent of Idu Mishmi celebrations. Day 8 February 2 nd The team will begin their journey, back towards Roing, with a stopover and stay at Ryalli. Day 9 February 3 rd The team continues their journey onward from Ryalli to reach Roing. Here, the team will freshen up, pack for their travel back home, and celebrate the completion of RTL. Day 10 February 4 th Participants needing to catch a flight out of Dibrugarh on the 4th of February will be ferried out from Roing (early morning) directly to Mohanbari Airport. ITINERARY

12 Additional Information CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE Winter begins in November and extends all the way to the beginning of February. During the ride dates temperature can fluctuate from a high of 25 degrees Celsius (in the day) to a low of 5 degrees Celsius (at night). Also, Mayudia, the highest peak in Lower Dibang frequently receives snowfall during the early days of January. So if we re lucky we ll ride through snow. TELEPHONE SIGNALS Cellphone connectivity is present all the way to Roing but is almost nil post this milestone. TRAFFIC Traffic along this route is little to nothing. Most traffic is seen when riding in the plains. Some stretches see a little more vehicular movement than others but on the whole you can expect to see a vehicle every 15 minutes or so (once the tour reaches mountainous terrain). Even so, RTL employs a lead vehicle to clear the way for its riders. DEPARTURES Any queries concerning departing schedules and such can be addressed to the Support Staff who will assist in streamlining your travel itinerary out of Arunachal Pradesh. RESPONSIBLE TOURISM Being a responsible tourist is pretty easy. It comes from the understanding that you are simply passing through an area and experiencing something you haven t. With that in mind here are a few tips that will help guide your actions in a strange land: Your opinions (especially of the more unpalatable parts of a host culture) are best left to yourself Carrying arms (rifles and machetes) is commonplace amongst tribals, so don t be alarmed Please remember the above mentioned point when mingling with tribal women Please be respectful of people and ask their permission before taking pictures Littering is an obvious no-no

13 BATTI & LIGHT 248 HOMES LIT Batti is an initiative to provide basic lighting for North East India s most remote inhabitants. Batti strives for sustainable change by harnessing the power of renewable energy sources and connecting those in need with those willing to help. For more on Batti visit WHY LIGHT? 1200 PEOPLE BENEFITTED In the absence of light, activity ceases. Many North East Indian tribal communities may never experience power as supplied through the conventional grid system. Violently shifting landscapes; great distances from the nearest grid source; and small clusters of habitation; make this a very remote possibility. It goes without saying, that their need for an artificial source of light is very real. THE FOCUS OF RTL Ride To Light tours in support of Batti- an initiative to provide basic lighting to remote off grid settlements in North East India. Currently, Batti has made its way into 248 homes in Lower Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, benefitting approximately 1200 people. Batti s current focus is to light up 1500 homes in the Seppa valley of East Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh. All proceeds raised from RTL 2016 will go towards achieving this target. To contribute to this on-going effort, support us at

14 Partners BATTI Batti is a project that provides basic lighting to North East India s most remote inhabitants. This is achieved by harnessing the power of renewable energies and connecting people in need with those willing to help. Ride To Light is an initiative of the Batti project and endeavours to support the same cause. MISHMI HILLS TREKKING COMPANY Headed by Tine Mena North East India s first woman Everest-er - the Mishmi Hills Trekking Company provides RTL with logistical and camping support. Hers is a dynamic and enthusiastic young team that always puts the safety and comfort of their fellow travellers above all else. CYCLE TOURS INDIA Cycle Tours India is an outdoor adventure company that offers cycling and multi-activity holidays across the country. It s their belief that cycling is the just medium of travel; what takes centre stage is the environment, people, food and languages that one cycles through. Therefore, as cycling partners for RTL, they ensure safety and cycling support of the highest calibre so people get to experience cultures fully; oblivious to the cycles underneath them.