Travelling 200 Years in 4 Hours: A Journey Across Arunachal and Assam
Author: sachin nandha, trustee and director India is still incredibly poor. It’s a stark reality that I couldn’t ignore as I travelled across the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Despite the glittering towers and booming industries in India’s metropolitan centres, there’s another India—an India that feels like it belongs to a different century. This journey took me from the relatively developed yet fragmented plains of Assam to the remote, almost untouched hills of Arunachal Pradesh, where the contrast between progress and stagnation is palpable. The Three Centuries Model: A Snapshot of India Imagine traversing three centuries in the span of just four hours. That’s exactly what it felt like on my road trip from Dibrugarh, Assam, through the thick jungles and rugged hills of Arunachal Pradesh. In urban India, it’s easy to forget that not everyone is part of the rapid economic growth the country has seen over the past few decades. But as you move from the bustling streets of Dibrugarh into the dense forests and steep slopes of Arunachal, you quickly realise that many parts of India are still living in a world that resembles the 19th century more than the 21st. India’s growth is not inclusive. The country has certainly made significant strides, with a GDP growth rate that rivals some of the world’s largest economies. But this growth hasn’t reached everyone. The Three Centuries Model is a useful way to understand this: in places like Mumbai or Bengaluru, you might feel like you’re in the 21st century, surrounded by technology and modern infrastructure. In smaller towns like Dibrugarh, it’s more like the 20th century, with basic infrastructure, huge divides between the wealthy and the poor, and a struggle to balance the old with the new. Then, in places like Arunachal Pradesh, you find communities that are still living as if they’re in the 19th century—isolated, with minimal access to modern amenities, and deeply rooted in traditional ways of life. The Journey: From Assam to Arunachal Pradesh My journey began in Dibrugarh, a city in Assam that epitomises the clash between the 20th and 21st centuries. Dibrugarh is a city of contrasts, where the crumbling infrastructure and bustling, noisy streets stand in stark contrast to the serene tea gardens that surround it. The tea plantations here feel like stepping into a romantic novel by R.K. Narayan, with vast fields of lush green, the quiet broken only by the gentle rustle of the wind and the sight of butterflies dancing in the air. It’s a silence that is rare in India, a country known for its ceaseless activity. Yet, beneath this idyllic surface lies a deep economic divide. The tea gardens of Assam are a microcosm of the inequalities that persist across India. On one hand, you have the wealthy plantation owners, whose sprawling estates and luxurious lifestyles are reminiscent of a bygone era. On the other, you have the tea pickers—mostly women—who toil in the fields, earning meagre wages for seriously arduous work. Tea estates in Assam The disparity between the owners and workers is stark. The average daily wage for a tea worker in Assam is around ₹300 (approximately £3per day), a figure that highlights the poverty and what many call exploitation faced by these labourers. Of course, this statistic isn’t fully in keeping with the truth, as these labourers get given accommodation and rations of rice and grain as part of their package. Furthermore, these labourers are well organised and often flex their power to shut down factories should they feel that they are being mistreated. Yet, regardless of numbers, millions of workers in tea plantations lead peasantry lives. Meanwhile, the tea industry is worth around £3 billion, with India being one of the largest producers of tea in the world. But this is not a Dickensian tale about rich megalomanic landlords thieving off the hard graft of the poor. Far from it. Most tea plantation owners are struggling to make a profit themselves. Much of this tea is sold in the UK, or in Japan for as much as £10 for 200 grams. There are structural problems that are international, and India is caught in a serious wedge, which if not handled well could lead to social strife between the poor and the perceived land-owning classes. This glaring inequality is a reminder of how much work remains to be done internationally to make growth more inclusive. Then, as we crossed into Arunachal Pradesh, the landscape changed dramatically. The roads became narrower and rougher, winding through dense forests and steep hills. The air grew cooler, and the environment seemed to grow wilder with each passing mile. Arunachal Pradesh is one of the most ecologically diverse regions in India, home to a stunning array of flora and fauna. The beauty of the place is breathtaking—tall trees tower overhead, while streams and rivers weave their way through valleys, bringing life to the land. Yet, despite its natural richness, the poverty here is striking. India does not prioritise education anywhere near as it ought to. This is evident in Arunachal Pradesh, where schools are few and far between, and many children don’t receive even basic education. According to government statistics, the literacy rate in Arunachal Pradesh is just 66%, significantly lower than the national average of 74%. The lack of educational infrastructure in this region is a stark reminder of the deep inequalities that persist in India. The Reality: Life in the 19th Century As we travelled deeper into the hills, it became clear that life here has changed little over the past century. Villages are small and scattered, with houses made of bamboo and thatch. Amenities like electricity and clean water are rare, and healthcare facilities are almost non-existent. The people here live close to the land, practicing traditional agriculture and hunting, but they are largely disconnected from the rapid growth seen in the rest of the country. Traditional home in Arunachal Pradesh. Skills development in India in large parts of the country is
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