Day 9: Ziro-Raga-Daporijo

I thought visting the Apatani village would never be topped. How wrong I was! On arrival into Raga, we were kindly invited to attend a family 'puja' ceremony. After being offered Poinia served in a simple but beautiful bamboo 'cup', I did my best to avoid eating the local 'mithun' meat. Nothing though prepared me for what happened next. I felt something brush against my back, only to notice two men carrying a large wild pig strung upside down from a bamboo pole. I tried to watch as they lunged into the pig as it squealed in agony. Being a 'fishatarian', it was too much for me and I had to leave the room. Then I saw what was coming next. The next victim, an elegant muscular mithun, was being dragged to a sacrificial area, followed swiftly by a panic-stricken goat, chickens and even a dog! I kept a distance and found the experience too overwhelming and stomach-churning.

It was amazing for me to think that in a mainly vegetarian land which considers the cow sacred, in this remote part such traditions still occur. However despite the brutality of these sacrifices, I was still able to feel the genuine warmth of the local tribe people. This was possibly the first time an 'outsider' had been able to witness a very personal ceremony, and they wanted to share their culture with us. They believe that by offering these animals to God, they would be rewarded with a good harvest and healthy and prosperous family. We shared more drinks, sang each others local songs and even did some impromptu bhangra (Punjabi song/dance)!
It was a day full of confused, conflicting, upsetting, heart-warming and exhilarating emotions, which perfectly sums up this great and fascinating country.

- Rahul