IAS Diaries Part 12- North East Darshan

So, it had been a while since the best part of our IAS training concluded- Bharat Darshan. More than two months of crazy hopping around the country and experiencing a different landscape every mile. O’ Incredible India, truly. I personally feel that we learned more during our travels than sitting in a cozy classroom of some hill station academy pretending to be deeply absorbed in the theoretical propaganda. And just when the nostalgia escalated to unbearable levels we had a wonderful surprise waiting for us ~ North East Darshan.

It was a home coming of sorts where suddenly we were 25 IAS probationers coming from our lonely districts. We were all stationed at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati. Before we embarked upon this remarkable journey across several states of the North East, there was this one week special course all about knowing the North east better. Through these lectures we came across several aspects of administration and governance which were totally new to us. Like the case of Meghalaya which is entirely a 6^th Schedule area and where the model of governance is entirely different. Even in Assam, there is a stark difference how hill areas are administered and how the majority plain areas are governed. The lectures also covered variety of customary laws and practices especially the ones prevalent in Nagaland. Moreover, they made us aware with the rather less known historical evolution of the North eastern states.

Startled with how less we knew about the region’s history, we kicked off the tour with my home district. We had a one night halt at Tezpur where I am currently posted as part of my district training. We had a planned tour to one of the biggest tea estates in the Sonitpur district. The light rains and the fantastic weather made it a mesmerizing experience. We first went through the vast expanses of the tea gardens which almost seemed endless to me. Then there was a detailed tour of the processing units followed by tea-tasting.  We also had an Army attachment planned with the 4^th Corps Unit stationed in Tezpur and they had a wonderful presentation on the deployment of the Armed Forces in the entire North eastern region.  

After Tezpur, Itanagar was next. The capital of Arunachal Pradesh was totally packed owing to a National level Badminton event and we were forced to go to a nearby place called Naharlagun for accommodation. One thing which instantly strikes you there is the penetration of Hindi language in the state as all the tribes and local people communicate with each other in Hindi. Something which is rare to be seen in the North East and the reasons abundantly clear in the history of it’s geography.

When one enters Arunachal from the border at Biswanath in Assam, one gets the glimpse of the Trans-Arunachal Highway in the making. It is an absolute delight to see and have a drive. But the beauty is only till the capital city. But I am sure that once this project gets complete, the tourism scenario of the State will see a huge exponential growth. The green pastures of Assam were replaced by canopy rich mountains creating beautiful gorges. The serpentine rivers of Assam were replaced by the voracious streams coming down the hill. Among these replacements, one thing stayed intact, the beauty of it all.

Next stop, Shillong. The journey to the capital of Meghalaya from Guwahati is perhaps as beautiful as the city itself. Almost inadvertently every tourist goes to the Shillong peak. But the real high of this place is the ever beautiful Elephanta Falls. Then the next day we decided to drive up to Cherapunji and do the pretty famous trek to the double decker Root Bridge. The trek is essentially going down into the valley by those 3000 steps which are a delight while going down but the real fun is while coming back when you would surely take twice the time you took to go down. But an absolute must in case you are in Sohra.

After a brief but beautiful rendezvous with the Khasi Hills, we flew to the capital of Tripura from Guwahati the next day. More than the local sights, it was the opportunity to meet and interact with Miss Dipa Karmakar which was the highlight. The district administration had organized for a felicitation event where they had invited her and her coach Mr. Bisweshwar Nandi. Various officers of the district were also present on this occasion. She was patient enough to answer all our questions and certainly it was a proud moment for all of us to meet the Golden Girl of Tripura. CLICK HERE to read more.

From there, it was Dimapur by train and then to Kohima by road. In Dimapur Government College, we had this amazing and fruitful discussion on the political, social and economic dynamics of Nagaland. This way is much better than having a session on Nagaland in the Staff College. On the other day we went to Kohima and stayed there at the ATI. We visited the local sites like the Kohima War Memorial and other churches and cathedrals. The place has 16 different tribal communities which use a lingua franca Nagamese. The stark influence of Assamese is more than apparent. Overall, this North East Darshan has been a fascinating learning experience and an eye opener of sorts. There is a vast difference between the realities of these states and what the common perception is about them in rest of India.

However, there are always some points on improvement namely – to cover all the states of NE, more time allocated to each place as there isn’t a point of touching base and the itinerary and the places to be visited can be decided in consultation with the Officer Trainees of that particular district. Like Bharat Darshan, this too had to end. We came out of it perhaps a little wiser, perhaps a little more aware about a region we had no clue of. The cultural affinity and diversity here are unparalleled. The natural landscape and the picturesque surroundings are unexplored. The affection of the local inhabitants is unprecedented. This is a world kept pristine by the dwellers, perhaps for us to see what the Earth was like before we ‘prospered’. Sublime beauty, you North East.