The first ever Pakke Paga festival kicks off in Arunachal Pradesh with the best of intentions — to recognise the role played by the local Nyishi tribe in conserving hornbills in Pakke, to devise alternative sources of income for a region that relies too much on hunting and logging, and to tell the rest of India about the wonders of the Pakke Tiger Reserve and its surrounding areas. Visitors will be treated to cultural programmes (there’s a rock band too), food stalls, plays, sightseeing (also elephant rides and a trip to the tiger reserve), river and village walks, bird-watching, and screenings of short films. Enjoy games like segia ganam (archery), lepa (shotput), segia duknam (pole climbing), metewk hiknam (‘jump and pin’) and narmin sunam (stick wrestling), plus Nyishi, Galo, Apatani, Adi and Puroik folk dances. A tented village and homestays take care of visitors’ accommodation, and the festival grounds will be cleaned up as part of the last day’s programme (stay arranged at Rs 3,000 for doubles including breakfast and dinner).
What: Pakke Paga festival
Where: Seijosa, East Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh
When: January 16–18, 2015
Contact: helptourism.com