Ziro’s hills are alive with music

Come September, music lovers in the country know it is time to pack their bags and head Eastward. Ziro, which hosts an annual music festival, is back with its 10th edition to be held between September 28 and October 1 this year. 

For the uninitiated, here is a short introduction to Ziro and what makes this remote town so special: sitting on a plateau surrounded by pine-covered hills, Ziro is a quaint town located in the Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. Rolling hills, lush rice fields, the inhabitants of Ziro — the indigenous Apatani tribe — and their rich culture and traditions, form the essence of Ziro. 

“Initiated in 2012 by musician Bobby Hano, and Menwhopause guitarist Anup Kutty, and hosted by the Apatani community, the Ziro Music Festival has become one of the most popular festivals for music and nature lovers over the last decade. The festival has been designed in a sustainable, environment-friendly way, keeping in consideration the core beliefs of the Apatanis that are rooted in Paganism. It is perhaps the first and only festival in India, made almost completely from locally sourced eco-friendly materials like bamboo and wood which is reused every year. Bamboo, an abundant local resource, is extensively utilised in constructing the festival’s infrastructure. Hence, it has come to be known as India’s “most eco-friendly” festival.

The festival also encourages sustainability practices, including the zero-plastic policy, and waste reduction measures such as composting.

Free water stations are set up throughout the venue, and the organisers encourage everyone to bring their reusable water bottles so that they can fill them up as and when required. This year the organisers of the festival will encourage plogging — a combination of jogging and picking up litter on the route — through these four days. Guests put up at the campsites will be expected to leave zero waste behind and leave Ziro in its pristine form.

This year, the festival will have an additional stage — Takvr (Star) Stage — dedicated to electronic music. It will be an addition to the other two stages: the Danyi (Sun) Stage, and Pwlo (Moon) Stage. The festival will showcase 47 acts, out of which 13 are international acts. Some returning acts to look out for include American rock legend Lee Ranaldo, music producer Leon Somov and multi-award winners Antikvariniai Kašpirovskio Dantys (AKD), both from Lithuania. Other celebrated international acts include The Boo Boo Bama Orchestra (Sweden), Mannequin Death Squad (Australia), Puuluup (Estonia), Barnet (Germany), Angata (Israel) and Eliasse (France) to name a few. There is a long line-up of Indian artistes such as Farhan Akhtar, Taba Chake, Mohit Chauhan, Kiss Nuka, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Komorebi, and MC Altaf, to look forward to.  

Beyond the festival

But there is more to Ziro than its annual music festival. Let’s start with the people of Ziro. It is, after all, the inhabitants of a place who have the power to make you feel at home. Ziro is home to the Apatani tribe, and is known for practising ecologically sustainable methods of sustenance; their rich culture and traditions.

One of the most striking visuals is that of the elderly women who wear nose plugs and have their faces inked. The practice of tattooing their faces and wearing nose plugs is said to have begun as a precautionary measure to protect the beautiful Apatani women from being abducted by men from other tribes, by making them look less appealing.

The tradition was banned by the government of Arunachal Pradesh in the 1970s, making this the last generation of elderly women to carry this age-old symbol of resistance, which eventually became a cultural practice.  

The Apatanis are known for their handloom work and other handcrafted items like bamboo baskets, rugs, and jackets.  

Places to visit in Ziro

From photography to music lovers, Ziro has something in store for everyone. If you are a fan of ancient architecture, the 5000-year-old Meghna cave temple dedicated to Lord Shiva would make for an ideal visit. The Apatanis follow the Donyi-Polo faith, which literally translates to the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo). One can visit a few of such Donyi-Polo temples around the valley. A naturally formed Shivalinga standing tall at 25 feet can be seen in Kardo forest. For lovers of wildlife, Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is the perfect place to explore the region’s flora and fauna. Kile Pakho, a ridge a few kilometres out of the town, offers stunning views of the valley on one side and the snow-clad Eastern Himalayas on the other. This spot is a photographer’s delight. Ziro is an ideal place for hiking, so make sure to carry comfortable walking shoes. Midey Dolo Mando, Dilopolyang Maniipolyang and Ziro Pine Grove are popular hiking spots. 

How to reach Ziro 

Indians travelling to Arunachal Pradesh need an Inner Line Permit and foreigners need a Protected Area Permit that has to be arranged prior to the journey. There are multiple ways to reach Ziro. The nearest airports are all located in Assam — Guwahati, Jorhat, Lilabari, and Tezpur. For those travelling from outside of Northeast India, the most common option would be to travel by air to the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati. This airport is roughly 455 kilometres away from Ziro. From Guwahati, one can take a train to the Naharlagun railway station which is the closest station to Ziro, followed by a cab ride to Ziro.