When I was confirmed about a promised trip, I was not quite expecting my friend to fulfil it so promptly. It was a long-promised trip of us classmates who could not meet up for almost a decade. We had things to discuss, stories to share, secrets to exchange, and Shergaon gave us the right answer to all our questions. As a short trip, we could call it a perfect weekend getaway to Shergaon, a quiet and peaceful corner in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The way to this amazing place was wonderful. As my friend from Itanagar picked me from Balipara near Tezpur, we took the Bhalukpong road in Assam to cross the Bhalukpong Gate to enter Arunachal. It took us nearly four hours (or even more! I cannot recall exactly) to reach Shergaon after passing through Army base stations and of course, the scenic beauty. It was a tough ride, but Nabirul, our shy driver, was a pro in mountain driving who made the journey comfortable and stress-free.
The
landscape changes with every turn we take to reach Shergaon. Not only that, but
the colors of the mountains also keep turning from light green into a dark
tone and again to a familiar and fresh green as we cross mountain tops. There
are small hamlets on the way to Shergaon, our exact location, which is locally
known as Seinthuk. It is the land of the Sherdukpen community, an indigenous
group with a population of around 4,500 speakers (or more, updates of the
census report are awaited). The Sherdukpens are closely scattered in West
Kameng covering the places of Jigaon, Rupa, and Shergaon. Jigaon looked like a
small hamlet with a village gate entering an organized housing colony of simple
yet beautiful structures spreading across a small acre of land facing the
mountain, almost like a valley. Rupa is more like a tiny township with
commercial buildings and shops catering to the needs of the nearby areas along
with the Army station. Our home for the weekend was in Shergaon and Red Berry Riverview Homestay to be precise.
When
Google Map showed us the exact location of the homestay, we ended up in a
bifurcated road next to which were a few houses. Our homestay is said to be one
of the few traditional houses of the Sherdukpens. The design is simple and
sustainable. The structures use stones and red clay along with wooden window
and door frames to build even a storied house which is sturdy enough. We had to
look for the exact house since there was no signboard of the homestay. Since it
was drizzling and network availability was almost zero, we decided to chance
upon the homestay and went to a house which coincidentally belonged to a friend
of my travel buddy. Luckily, we got the network back and the owner received our
call. And surprisingly, the homestay was the one adjacent to the friend’s home.
Anu, our host and her mother (we fondly called her Ama) received us warmly. The
first thing I noticed undoubtedly was their skin, so flawless and radiant. It
is the weather I am sure, I told myself.
The
best thing about our homestay was its pristine surrounding. The river flows
right behind the house! Its rhythmic sound blends well with the breeze, the
cold, and the ambience. It is a quiet corner of Shergaon, and a colder one too.
The shift of air was quite obvious as we moved from 27 degrees to straight 10 degrees.
It felt like winter, it was winter indeed. But the air was warm and welcoming.
And so were its people. There is something in that cold air that keeps you feel
warm and active, that takes away your lethargy and weariness of a long travel.
So, we went to see the river right after keeping our backpacks in our room. And
the view, exceeding our expectations, was beyond breath-taking.
Evening
was a blend of rain and drizzle which got us to the Bukhari, the stove
filled with woods to keep us warm, stored in the middle of the entrance hall. Lucky,
the little Pomeranian pet, was sitting beside the stove, asking desperately to
be cuddled which I happily obliged. As Anu served us tea with some local
snacks, her husband joined us and explained a bit of Sherdukpen history. It
seems the Sherdukpens are descendants of a Lhasa king and his wife who was an
Ahom princess. Being an Ahom and a history enthusiast, I got curious to know
more about it. I could not get enough information about it, but I will look for
more details later. It is how the legend has it, but I feel there would
certainly be something evident in history to back that story. The Sherdukpens
do share a lot of traditional practices similar to the ones in Assam as Anu’s
husband, the perfect storyteller, described. But before discussing the past, it is time to explore the
present and how.
Our
first morning in Shergaon blessed us with Peno, a wonderful guide, an active,
award-winning social activist, and a humble human being who took us to the
trails leading to Choskorong waterfalls, trout fisheries maintained by the State
Horticulture department, the ancient ruins of Kamchoyam which they have
successfully convinced the government authorities to turn into a heritage site
and a rhododendron garden, the cave site of Ane or a female monk which
the locals consider sacred, the oak tree forest which is considered sacred and
not allowed for any sort of deforestation, the apple orchards, plum and peach trees, cherry blossoms, rhododendrons, the list can go on. Our caring host served us with a sumptuous lunch of
yak meat in between the trails. The biodiversity Shergaon is blessed with is simply
spectacular. And the best part of it is the fact that the Sherdukpens, even
though a small community, are aware and trying their best to preserve it with
the sustainable practices their ancestors used to follow. We called it a day after
exchanging hundreds of pictures and videos of the place, its nature, and
people.
The
second morning began much earlier than we expected. Reason? The friend next
door was home and surprised us with an early morning fishing adventure. It was
indeed an adventure as he got us out of our bed and then walk right across the
river behind to witness their traditional way of catching fish with Hop,
a bamboo-made cylindrical object to trap fish inside in the most natural and
humane technique that does not require anything else. To prevent fish from
swimming through the currents, they put the Hop in the riverbed, especially
in places where the currents are stronger and huge rocks and stones are found.
Over it, they put bunches of algae and other river weed in between those stones
and rocks where fish are easily trapped. This takes hardly few minutes: around
30 minutes or so for preparing the trap in the riverbed which is usually done
at night and then barely five minutes to take the Hop out in the
morning which is usually filled with the trapped fish. This traditional technique
is used during the breeding season to catch huge quantities of fish. Luckily,
it was that season and we witnessed around two kilos of fish trapped in three Hop the friend and his brother had put in the riverbed the night before. This
further resulted in a delicious breakfast his sister prepared for us that
morning with the fried fresh fish, mota roti, homemade chilly chutney,
fried veggies, and black tea, all ethnic delicacies made in the traditional way.
Our
first outing that day was to a small meadow near our homestay, a usual field
which no tourist would think of exploring. The charm was that there was more to that
usual view which one cannot assume without going through the meadow, walking a
few steps inside. After we crossed the Buddhist prayer flag-clad tiny bridge
and walked through the usual field with a layer of bushes, it opened to a plain
in view that felt beyond real. It would pass for any European landscape with
the melancholic brown hues, still and calm waterbodies, and its unavoidable
pristine beauty. Walk a few meters more, and there is a Maane or a
structure made of stones and clay which is considered sacred and built at the
beginning or end of a hamlet signifying the protecting spirit of that
community. Sherdukpens revere the Maane structures which one will find
almost everywhere in Shergaon and the neighboring Sherdukpen villages.
Apart from the Maane, the meadow led us through the surreal waterbodies
and Primula flowers in different shades of purple, blue, and white. The sylvan
mountain tops at the backdrop made that place surreal, almost out of a fairy
tale. It is a place where wanderlust souls like me can walk around, sit, read,
write exploring and unfolding the mystery of the land for hours alone. Because
a place like this will never make you feel alone and will inspire you to love
life more. Or that is what I felt there. The vibes were strong enough to make
me feel at home.
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Later
that day landed us in Mandala Top, a place with 108 mandalas donated by
different people and authorities. It feels so much at peace there. It is colder
than Shergaon due to its location at a higher altitude. I just felt it would
have been nicer if there were no names of donators on the mandalas. Clouds tend
to drop a thick blanket upon the mandalas and the hillocks every now and then,
making it a place of mystic beauty and charm. In fact, I have found this mystic
charm almost everywhere in and around Shergaon. I think, and I strongly feel
so, that this mystical element makes Shergaon a place of mystery waiting to be
explored, unfolded, and discovered. We did explore a bit more of Shergaon after
we returned from Mandala Top and visited Garung Thuk (meaning 'our village' in Sherdukpen), the community run library
which is a great initiative taken up and promoted by the youths of Shergaon,
especially the ones in authoritative positions. These responsible Sherdukpens braved
all challenges to bring out the best for their community in terms of education,
biodiversity, health, cultural heritage, and ecotourism while following their
ancestors’ footsteps for sustainable lifestyle. This has landed them with many
accolades recognized by the state government and national bodies. We also
happened to meet with a group of NSS students from the government college in Bomdila with
whom we shared our journey of life, academic and career paths, and our
perspectives of making choices.
We had the yummiest pork that night in the homestay that Anu made us for dinner. The next morning, we left Shergaon for our homes which I found really hard to do. Our friend gifted bottles of Aro (people from Shergaon call it Aro, from Rupa Photko, and from Monpa call it Ara) the local beverage made with sandal wood, along with Sichuan pepper seeds of Shergaon and Khada, the traditional white silk scarf as a symbol of respect. Ama tied red threads around our neck which symbolize prayers for our wellbeing. The hospitality of the Sherdukpens is outstanding, something I am going to cherish for the time to come. The mountain spirits are definitely what I am looking forward to encountering soon again (To be continued...)
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