Thursday, July 7, 2011

Colors of the North East


The Transition zone between the Indian, Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese biogeographic regions.
Located between 22 and 30 degrees North and 89 and 97 degrees East
The North East India spreads over an area of 2,62,370 square kilometers.
Surrounded by a length of about 2000 kilometers of international border.
Home to 3.24 crore people of which the tribals constitute about 1.8 crore
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura
There are about 483 different tribes, classifiable into about 130 major groups in the states
The North East India presents a myriad of cultures and colors.
The depth of green from the tea gardens, much like the cultural richness of Assam
Is beyond expression even from the tip of Bhupen Hazarika’s flute.
The smoky blue hills, splendid white Churches and students converged in Shillong
Are struggling to find expression even in the melodious chorus of the Shillong Chamber Choir.
Gentle and sparkling in orange in the glow of the evening sun, Tripura’s Neermahal Water Palace
Is a legacy of the kingdom of Tripura, a story of splendor and opulence.
Watched over by the Kanchenjunga and the Himalayan ranges Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh
The seat of the Karmapas and the Mahayana form of Buddhism
The temples and monasteries spiritually dazzle in yellow, green, orange and blue
Beyond the heavenly peaks of Naga hills and gently rolling hills of northern Manipur
The wide expanse of valley is home to an amazing array of exotic cuisines and traditions.
You can waste time marveling the white kurta clad men and women painted in cream.
The most fascinating items are still tucked away in the hill side.
Popularly known as ‘song bird of the north-east’ Mizoram prides itself of her singers
Reverberating the silent music of the foggy blue mountains
To explain the true dimension of North East India
That prides itself of the Cherapunji, the Keibul Lamjao, the Ras Lila
The Siroy Lily and the 550 varieties of orchids and of course the Horn Bill
It’s said that no adjective is appropriate enough and no picture expressive enough
In view of the rich flora and fauna and certainly lack of preservation effort
Conservation International (CI) a body that strives to ensure a healthy and productive planet for us all.
Has identified the region as one among the 34 Global Biodiversity Hotspots on earth.