I have by virtue of my profession had a birds eye view of our beautiful and varied country. I have seen India in its entirety; whilst its thirst was being slaked during the cleansing and headily perfumed Monsoon, drying heat of the summer and freezing cold of the winter. We live in a really beautiful land which is filled with wonders large and small. Which we in the hurry of our day to day life just gloss over. I am trying to make it my job to write about some of the places I have seen and explored a little more than the average countryman of mine. My endeavor is merely to try and bring to your notice the little gems which exist in our land, ones we need to see, as they are slowly but steadily being crushed in the march for modernization.
If I were to be asked "which is the most beautiful place you've ever seen" I'd say without any hesitation 'Arunachal'. I'd say this even if I was asleep, half asleep or wide awake. The erstwhile NEFA was rechristened in 1986 as Arunachal Pradesh. It is in the euphemistically called North Eastern India it is the politically neglected and collectively forgotten / ignored part of India. Its in what I call the mystic and magical North Eastern India.
If one was to consider politically neglected as a negative attribute, forgotten and ignored are certainly not. Its precisely because of these attributes that for me Arunachal is such an amazing destination. Let me try to describe how it used to appear to me from the air, ground and from my heart.....
The sluggish looking brown river called Brahmaputra has to its north, hills, where I could see the end of the color brown. The hills are covered with thick green verdant forests. Patches of blackened earth with smoke rising due to Jhoom cultivation and tiny villages are the only breaks in the green foliage. As I move ahead, the hills gain height slowly and their tops are covered by wispy cotton like clouds. The confluence of any two hills are marked by a river rushing, frothing its way in an unseemly hurry to marry up with the Brahmaputra. Dozens of waterfall dot the ridge line. Some were so high I just couldn't see any cascade reaching the bottom, only what seemed to me as a heavenly cooling mist.
Seldom are words spoken while flying through this area, esp for me as I try to soak up every little thing I can see, far in the distance I can see snow capped peaks. More clouds allow me to play peek a boo with the mountain tops. When I look down no concrete can be seen any where, all houses are made the traditional way, using locally available produce. When I say all houses I mean a cluster of three or four every 20-30 miles as a crow flies... Talk about space!!!
All houses are beautifully handcrafted, built with love they are without doubt both Traditional and Eco friendly.......
I lost my track as I frequently do in such breathtakingly beautiful places, forgive me... I gradually reach the snow topped mountains... the snow is covered by beautiful snow laden coniferous trees. These slopes would rival the most sought after slopes any where in the world....Ahead in the distance I can see a beautiful bowl surrounded by scraggly peaks. beautiful patch work terraced fields with a small clumps of houses in the middle.
If one was to consider politically neglected as a negative attribute, forgotten and ignored are certainly not. Its precisely because of these attributes that for me Arunachal is such an amazing destination. Let me try to describe how it used to appear to me from the air, ground and from my heart.....
Seldom are words spoken while flying through this area, esp for me as I try to soak up every little thing I can see, far in the distance I can see snow capped peaks. More clouds allow me to play peek a boo with the mountain tops. When I look down no concrete can be seen any where, all houses are made the traditional way, using locally available produce. When I say all houses I mean a cluster of three or four every 20-30 miles as a crow flies... Talk about space!!!
All houses are beautifully handcrafted, built with love they are without doubt both Traditional and Eco friendly.......
As I set my bird down with a mild thud, absolutely no one complains.... after all who would complain of a mild thud while reaching heaven.. would you? :) 
The first thing which strikes a visitor to this small piece of heaven on earth is the cold bracing breeze which welcomes one and all. The air is so crisp, so clean that I began to wonder how in the world had I survived in the real world outside till date? The only sounds I remember hear was the soft pleasant but persistent gurgling of the stream close by, persistent because it is making an attempt to remind one not to miss the stream. The river I remember was about 30 odd feet wide and inspite of it being approximately four odd feet deep the rocks lining the river bed are clearly visible. The the water is bone numbingly cold.
All along the river are small houses with fields all around. Fields filled with tall stalks of corn ready to be harvested. This corn I can tell you from personal experience is the tastiest, most tender and organic corn anyone could ever taste. I remember walking with a slight amount trepidation into the compound of house which had no gates what so ever and hesitantly asked I could buy corn.
It is not at all unusual to see a warrior clad in traditional finery carrying a finely encased Dao (deadly long knife) strapped on his back lugging a 12 Bore rifle, heading out to the forest for a spot of hunting if you please!! In fact in this village one of the bigger shops is one which sells weapons and ammunition!! Hunting is one of the commonest professions.
This is a breathtakingly beautiful place where trust is easily gained by flashing a happy smile. Where friends are quickly made merely by a jovial wave of the hand. No Internet, no mobile phones, hardly any cars, the favoured way to travel is walking, No hurry, no rushing... We have utopia within our reach.... I can reach this place simply by closing my eyes and allowing my mind to drift.... Once you visit this place you'll know why... :)
