Visions of Corn from Dirang

It was a bright and nippy winter day and I was at the tiny hill station of Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh. The place was very scenic and beautiful, but the vision that remains etched in my mind is that of the corn stacks that could be seen nearly everywhere in this pretty hill station and around.



Whether I was inside the Dirang Basti or was exploring the tribal villages in Sangti valley, these corn stacks greeted me everywhere. Their bright orange colour stood out beautifully in the Himalayan sun.



It looked like most of these corn stacks were kept out to dry. I am assuming that this corn would help the locals bide the bitter cold winter and hence they were drying them out and making them ready for storage.



But, then, this is just an intelligent assumption of mine. Would you know the true reason?



In any case, here are some more of these interesting corn pictures.

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Sangti Valley–A Valley in Heaven!

Sangti valley is not well known to the outside world. In fact, very minimal tourist infrastructure exists here. But, in my mind, this is the place to be if you are looking at holidaying in a heavenly hill station.


Let me help you visualize Sangti Valley…Surrounded by the towering ranges of Eastern Himalayas, blessed with pleasant weather round the year with maybe some light snowfall in the winter months, covered with fruit orchards (kiwi fruit, apple, apricot, orange), dotted with pristine forests and meandering fast hill rivers and home to a very interesting culture and tradition.

 
And it is also home to the black necked cranes who come to the fields of this valley every winter. Sangti valley is situated about 15 kilometres from Dirang, which is on the Bomdila - Tawang highway of Western Arunachal Pradesh in North East India.

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Monpa Tribal Women from Arunachal Pradesh

I was backpacking through the lovely valleys and hills of Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh when I spotted a group of local women walking along the side of the road. It looked like they were done with their daily quota of work and were heading home.


Their colourful attire, head gear and their smart way of carrying loads were the things that stood out.

 

It was only later did I find out these women were actually the local Monpa tribal women and were labourers in the neighbouring village.

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