India’s north-eastern region has a long history of neglect. Separated from mainland India by difficult terrain and a very different cultural map, its people often complain of discrimination and alienation. Of the eight States, Arunachal Pradesh is the largest, the eastern-most, and often in the news only due to its contentious border with China.
When the Ziro Festival of Music came here in 2012, hosted in the home of the Apatani tribe in their beautiful, hidden valley, it was a unique effort to bring the mainland to the margins. And so when we heard that ZFM had returned this year, after the pandemic, we thought it was a superb opportunity to focus on Arunachal Pradesh—not just on the festival but also on the State’s music, ecology, people, food, and politics.
We found that Ziro, known for the Apatani’s sustainable lifestyle, could rapidly change as it comes under a growth and infrastructure push. Arunachal Pradesh itself is at risk with mega hydropower projects on the anvil. Politically, the RSS is pushing against Christianity while assimilating tribal faiths into Sanatana Dharma. In the midst of all this, its people are creating some astonishingly good music.
Elsewhere, the issue pays tribute to the late Mulayam Singh, looks at Trump’s resurgence in the US, and talks to two very interesting people: poet Vivek Narayanan and Australian historian Peter Stanley.
I could go on but will leave you to discover the rest.
