Walong Calling : Gateway To Nature’s Bounties
‘Only those who risk going too far can possibly find how far they can go’—- Anonymous
By Col Satish Singh Lalotra
The north eastern part of our sub-continent has always maintained a shroud of enigma around itself for centuries, which has been now slowly on the roll revealing its myriad facets for all to savour. The area comprising the ‘seven sisters’ of NE region of our country i.e. Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram has always served as a conduit to the far east Asia for centuries. With a local time zone difference of about two hours between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat the two extremities of our country notwithstanding, the region has been always in the limelight of Indians for some or the other reason. Though the entire NE region of India is choc-a-bloc with a razzmatazz of colours, scenes, places and sounds typical of that region,each enchanting to captivate your hearts and minds, still there are areas which are a notch above the rest of them in this remote corner of India. In fact the recent rail connectivity between Manipur and rest of India and the commissioning of Vijay Nagar ALG/Advance landing ground in 2019 by the Indian air force has once again shifted the gaze of India to this forgotten NE region of our country.
Walong in the far eastern corner of Arunachal Pradesh and the so called last township before the Sino-Indian border retains its old world charm of the bygone era with a curious mix of modernity ushered in by the improved air /land connectivity to the place as such. Self was lucky enough to be posted at Walong while in service in the army and was witness to the charisma which it used to unfold before a new comer be it a tourist, soldier or an ordinary citizen of India having braved the rigours of terrain and weather so fortuitously. Located 20 kms south of Kibitho and 60 kms west of Diphu pass with district headquarters at Hawai about 90 kms north of it, Walonghad always been at the center of British Geo-political radar during during their reign before 1947 to check mate any Chinese intransigence across the Mac-Mohan line. Unscathed tropical forests, alpinemeadows, shrubbywoods, bamboogroves, sloping grasslands, deep gorges and the Lohit river all combine to make a heady cocktail sure enough to spin even the most level headed of tourists out of their minds. Parts of Walong fall in the Dichu reserve forest. It is an important Bird area (IBA) harbouring 250 bird species. While going to Walong by hepter flying over R.Lohit meandering in all its fury and glory with canopies of forests all around, a new comer’s heart is bound to come to his/her heart while gazing down the navigation window.
Coming to the flora and fauna aspect of this place, besides certain eastern Himalayan species found in the Yunan and Sichuan provinces of the PRC/People’s republic of China such as the Yunan Nuthatch, Sichuan leaf Warbler, Daurian redstart and Derbyn Parakeet are also found in Walong. The serene wilderness of Walong is extremely attractive for nature lovers, ornithologists and researchers alike. Birding along the turquoise R. Lohitis genuine solace to the soul. As for the historical aspect of Walong, it is quite a mix of mythology, history and military heritage. In the Mishmi dialect (Wa means Bamboo and long means place). It is a cantonment town that has an ALG (Advance landing ground) and is also one of the circle headquarters of the Anjaw district. Walong holds great military cum historicalimportance, having witnessed the bloodiest battle during the Chinese invasion of 1962. The war memorial at ‘Helmet top” (2250 meters) is 18 kms uphill from Walong dedicated to the fallen heroes of the short Sino-Indian border war. Have had the good fortune of paying obeisance at this memorial while posted as a company commander with the SFF in this area in 1994. ‘Battle of Walong” is the only battle in the entire Sino-Indian border war of 1962 when India went in for a counter attack and gave a creditable account of itself dispelling the gloom which had tentacle like grip on India’s psyche of defeatism. It was only when Walong fell to the Chinese on the night of 16/17 November 1962 that Nehru gave his ominous speech from All India radio, Delhi that his heart goes out to the people of Assam at this juncture,a totally unwarranted one which put the entire NE of India into a tizzy.
Coming back to exploring Walong.If anyone has to plan his trip to Walong by air then the nearest airport is Dibrugarh about 384 kms by land route. It has a direct flight connecting from Kolkata, New Delhi and Guwahati as well. By rail, Walong has to be approached from (NTSK), New Tinsukhia junction (335 kilometers) with direct rail connecting from Howrah, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Guwahati. The recommended access is Dibrugarh- Tinsukhia –Alubari Ghatbridge- Namsai-Tezu-Hayuling/Hawai. Tezu town is about 20 kilometers away from Alubarighat Bridge. Walong is 200 kilometers from Tezu and Kaho is another 26 kilometers north of Walong. In patches the road between Tezu and Walong is very narrow with countless hairpin bends and prone to frequent landslides.As for the timings of the visit, though a footloose tourist is not bound by the schedule of terrain, weather etc but prudence demands that the basics of itinerary governing in this part of NE be kept in mind.The months of December to January are the coldest with temperatures plummeting to 3 degrees centigrade. During this period snowfall in the upper ridges surrounding Walong does become a dampener for a die-hard tourist out to explore his surroundings. February to May is the ideal time to visit Walong with temperatures hovering around 8 degrees to 14 degrees centigrade. March and April are flowering months for Rhododendrons and orchids during this time of the year.
The month of March also ushers in pre-monsoon showers which may act as a spoil sport. With June to September the perennial monsoons in its full fury the road conditions as well as the cloud cover make both the road and air journey tedious process. If travelling by road, then a tourist is advised to spend some hours birding at ‘BherjanBorajanPadumoin’ wild life sanctuary in Tinsukhia for Niltavas, Tesias, flycatchers, Warblers etc. Slow loris, Assamese Macaque, Northern pig-tailed Macaque, Rhesus Macaque, capped langur, western Hoolock Gibbon and Indian leopards too are in abundance in this wild life sanctuary. If travelling from Tinsukhia then one should stop at ‘Udayak pass” an excellent spot for sighting broad leaved forest birds such as Black faced laughing thrush,Green Cochra,beautiful Sibiaetc. When I was serving with the SFF, and frequented Tezu while enroute to Walong only a very select few national parks used to be in existence in this part of NE of India. But over a span of 25 years or so the landscape for wildlife conservation has undergone a drastic overhaul for the better. This aspect of nature conservation has been given a further fillip with excellent joint efforts of the locals of Arunachal Pradesh and the state government.
The famous ‘Air gun surrender ceremony’ a unique initiative under the aegis of the home minister of Arunachal Pradesh Mama Natung is one such step which has started bearing fruits for everybody to watch. The initiative was to get the locals of Arunachal Pradesh give up their air guns for hunting purposes thereby giving a new lease of life to the hapless birds of the state. In areas like Pasighat, Tezu, Mechuka, Tuting, Along, Zero etc the results have been very encouraging with even the BNHS(Bombay natural historical society) acknowledging the yeoman’s service in such activities. Recently even the PM, Modi was invited exclusively to one such ceremony with the entire country watching in appreciation the land of rising sun having carved a path of Nature conservation on its own volition. The general area Walong and ahead has recently got a shot in the arm in connecting with the rest of the country by way of commissioning of ‘Vijay Nagar’ ALG (Advance landing ground) in the year 2019 by the Indian air force which falls under the same tourist circuit. But it seems more needs to be done to jack up this nascent place of nature and put it on the tourist map of India, which alone will see a true integration of our NE of our country which is need of the hour.
