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Tuting holds the promise
Tuting does not have mobile networks or fancy tourist accommodation. But it has highly hospitable people, reports Ripu Daman Singh.
If it is adventure you crave on your next vacation, there is no need to look as far as the snow-capped mountains of Antarctica, the forests of South Africa or the torrential waters of Peru. Nearer home, Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh could give you just the adrenaline rush you need.
Nestled in the lap of the Siang River, Tuting offers a wide array of adventure sports like white water rafting, trekking and mountaineering. A small drawback is that it has no airport within a 500-kilometre radius or even a railway station within 350 kilometres. But that could be a good thing if what you want is peace, quiet and no holiday crowds.
“It is the one corner of our country that still has its virginal beauty intact. If it had better connectivity and was marketed well, Tuting could be a hub for adventure sports and eco-tourism,” says Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni. She feels Bollywood stars “should come here instead of going to Switzerland”.
Tuting does not have mobile networks or fancy tourist accommodation. But it has highly hospitable people; an STD call at the only phone booth comes with a cup of coffee. Tuting does not have a college, people here depend largely on agriculture and the whole place is in bed by six pm. But Chief Minister Gegong Apang has high hopes for it: “We have the potential to produce one lakh MW of electricity. Tuting will produce more tea than Assam.”
