At home in Ziro

Ngunu Ziro and Responsible Tourism in Ziro

It is the month of September in Ziro and the sun is already high up in the sky by half past seven in the morning. In the traditional village homestay at Tajang village, it is time for a traditional Apatani breakfast. If a beautiful day at the splendid Ziro valley begins with a hearty traditional meal, how much better is that than staying at a hotel and being just tourists? While in Ziro, homestays like this ensure that a traveller gets a full experience of the place, its scenic landscapes and the culture of its people- the Apatanis.

Ngunu Ziro is a handful of socially active and environmentally responsible Apatani men who formed the community based NGO in the Ziro valley. They have been working towards sustainable development in the area since sometime now. It is Ngunu Ziro who have been setting up these non-profit making homestays devoid of any advertising

The harvesting season is at its peak and the villagers are out in the fields. It is mostly women that one sees harvesting the crop in the rice fields of the Ziro Valley. Apatanis, as a tribe, are closely associated with bamboo and rice cultivation. Tajang village has a bamboo grove, like every other village in the valley. The bamboo grove of Tajang village is right next to the homestay. Morning and evening bird watching walks there are an enjoyable fringe benefit.

Ngunu Ziro, has been working at the grassroots level, as a government recognized NGO in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh. They have been working towards creating awareness amongst children to keep Ziro green and clean. At the Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya School, Ngunu Ziro organized a 'Zero Waste' programme.

The students of grades six and seven, who were a part of this programme seemed to have learnt interesting new lessons through Ngunu Ziro's initiatives. Their newfound euphoria about conservation and sustainability could be seen on their faces.

The vast Ziro valley has many villages spread out in all directions amongst its massive rice plains. Some of these are old villages while some are new satellite settlements. Ngunu Ziro has smartly taken up the initiative to have three different homestays in varied settings and with different USP's. One homestay is at Siiro and it is located on the way to the Talley Valley Reserve.

Speaking of bio diversity and wildlife, Ngunu Ziro and its members are themselves, very active wildlife and bio diversity enthusiasts. Ziro has an incredible number of species of moths and butterflies, with different varieties of day flying and night flying ones.

In 2012, around this time of the year, Ngunu Ziro, under the leadership of Dr. Kanno, discovered a new day flying species of moth in the Talley valley wildlife reserve.

The NGO and its members aim for a balanced, sustainable and self-sufficient society, which can exist in ultimate harmony with the nature around. Their inspiration is the ancient traditions and folklore of the Apatanis, which have always been based on these ideals. Though primarily a rice cultivating tribe, Apatanis have always had fruit orchards in their backyards and cattle and poultry in their homes.

Ngunu Ziro has adopted a model of tourism, which is purely a learning experience, much more enriching than the regular touristy visits. It has evolved as a means of promoting the culture and the very way of life of the Apatanis. They have had inquisitive travellers from all around the world staying at their homestays. And it is this window that they are providing into their very homes that has attracted international travellers.

Ngunu Ziro's concept of responsible tourism has been globally recognized. The basics lie in the fact that everyone involved - from tourists to tour operators to the local residents, takes responsibility for their actions. This works perfectly for the good of the environment and makes sustainability realizable.

This model is in sync with the Apatani culture because of the love for nature that Apatanis have traditionally had. This is what probably makes the tribe of the Apatanis progressive and forward thinking -- their lifestyle's harmony with the environment, their existence amidst nature and their thinking and vision.

This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of HD imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of tens of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM / SR 1080i High Definition, Alexa, SR, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at rupindang @ gmail . com and [email protected].