Nagaland - Journey to the edge (Part-I)

This is a blog that i wrote earlier at tumblr about 2 years back but am shifting it here for collecting all my thoughts and writings at a single place. Hope you enjoy reading as much as i enjoyed writing them. 

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I started my journey from Dimapur in the early hours before the sun was above the horizon. It was a beautiful morning with clouds hanging over the hills and little drops of rains hitting against the window. The journey started with a drive down the memory lane where I reminiscence about my early childhood days in Kohima. This was a journey that I often undertook during my childhood as well as my youthful days but this time it felt different. I often took the beauty around me for granted and never once did I look at my surroundings with the kind of interest that had gripped me. Everything felt different and new like I was looking at it for the first time in my life.

(The Beginning)

This gate is symbolic of the beautiful culture and traditions of the state. It signifies the beginning of a journey to the hinterlands.  The gate is to be found in almost all the entrances of the villages in Nagaland and each embossed with their own unique cultures.

The distance between Kohima to Dimapur is roughly 75 Kms and takes normally a period of 2 and a half hour. As the journey starts, one can see the sudden change in the landscape.  Dimapur is the commercial capital and is flat/plain and hardly any vegetation can be seen around due to the rapid commercialization and ever-increasing population. But as one begins their travel towards Kohima, the senses are in for a pleasant shock. The road travelled is a winding path through forests, waterfall, rivers, streams, hamlets and everything that one can ever hope to be bestowed upon by Mother Nature.

(Nature’s Gift to Nagaland)

But sometimes the beauty is marred, and the harsh realities present themselves like a thorn and we come down crashing to reality again. Just as soon as I felt at peace and serene with the surroundings, the images that has been haunting this region are borne to reality again. We find armed forces moving around and for the civil population, they have become a part of everyday life. What we can never conceive in cities cocooned around our centrally air-conditioned rooms, the population of this region have come to accept  it as does a child who breathes air for the first time when he’s born.

(Guarding the People – from the People)

I quickly put these images out of my mind and go into “denial” mode to avoid my senses being overwhelmed and to concentrate on the task at hand.

As I continued my journey towards Kohima, I saw the usual sights of Pineapple vendors strewn on the road. It is estimated that roughly 600 hectares of area in the state are utilized for pineapple cultivation which are grown randomly throughout. Pineapples grown in the state are organic by default and also the quality of pineapples is considered to be among the best.  It is believed that pineapple cultivation has the potential for improving the livelihood of rural population in the state and hence there has been a rapid change in government policies in the last couple of years for more streamlined commercial production. But farmers in the state suffer heavy loss to the tune of 30-35% of the total production due to poor marketing and post-harvest facilities.

(Pineapple Vendors)

After the heat and dust of Chennai, Standing by the side of the road with the mountains in the backdrop, munching on the pineapple was a delight that I had long missed and I gladly downed a whole pineapple and bought a few more.

As we travel further along the road, we find terraces of paddy being grown. With 70% of the total population of the state dependent on farming, “Terrace” cultivation and “Jhum” cultivation are the main methods of cultivation in the region. Most of the horticultural crops like pineapple, etc grown in the state are done through Jhum cultivation.  In this system of farming, a plot of land is identified by the farmers, and the trees are felled and dried. This area is then burnt down and crops are sown. The area is left for afforestation after cultivating the land for a period of 2-3 years. So, it is a constant cycle of deforestation- Crop cultivation- afforestation.

(Terrace Cultivation of Paddy)

The journey which was supposed to take a little bit more than 2 and a half hours extended due to my constant stops and by now it was already 4 hours and yet we were nowhere close to our destination. I could clearly see the frustration in the face of the driver who wanted nothing more than to just drop off his fare. Continuing further on my journey, I came across a small waterfall on the side of the road and I couldn’t help but stop the car and click some pictures again ignoring the dark looks of the driver who was by now clearly looking at me like it was a mistake to have picked me up as a fare.

I reached Kohima at last at around 1:00 in the afternoon and after paying the fare, the driver was so relieved to let me go that I almost felt bad for him. I had planned to visit a few tourist places in the area on arrival, but there was such an extreme downpour, that I had to search for cover from the rains.

(Kohima – Paradise on Earth)

After waiting and waiting, the rain at last subsided in the evening with a slight drizzle so I decided to venture out from my place again. I managed to click a few pictures more before I had to run for cover again. But, the sight of the foggy mountains was worth getting all soaked up.

 

(Blanket of fog)

I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather tomorrow turns out to be better than today.