Arunachal Pradesh Foundation Day

Arunachal Pradesh, home to numerous tribal groups and is adorned with dense forests, beautiful river valleys, high mountains, and the Brahmaputra plains, is a much-ignored state of India and deserves to be recognised.

The beauty of Arunachal Image source: The Times of India

Perhaps the only remnant of Arunachal Pradesh in the collective memory of Indians is its role in the Sino-Indian war of 1962. However, the land of the rising sun continues to be excluded from mainstream discourse. Let's look back on its history of origin, culture, and, most importantly, its mesmerizing beauty today, on the occasion of its foundation day.

It all began with the British annexation of Assam, when imperial forces encountered difficulties in managing the native tribes of the north-eastern frontier, such as the Abor and Mishmi. The British maintained a policy of non-interference with the hill people of the region because of their personal interests. Given that it had not faced any foreign challenges on its eastern frontier, British India's government indicated a state of what could be called a political vacuum. All of that abruptly changed when Chinese forces began to advance in Tibet and patrol the region north of Assam.

The British Government was alarmed by this move because it posed a direct threat of foreign invasion in what was British territory. The old "non-interference" policy was replaced by the "forward" policy due to the deep economic interests that the British had in the Assam plain. The North-Eastern Frontier Tract, which included the Balipara Frontier Tract, Lakhimpur Frontier Tract, and Saidya Frontier Tract, was quickly established in 1912–1913. The English further drew the contentious McMahon line to mark the borders between Tibet and British India in order to increase their control over the region. China is yet to accept the McMahon line, and once again, the hurried and half-hearted division of regions performed by the British gave rise to the border disputes that are still an issue today.

The North-Eastern Frontier Tract was incorporated into the Assam Government in 1947, after India attained independence. While the plains of these tracts were still part of Assam by 1950, the tribal regions were divided and became known as the North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA). Later, the Indian Union government sought to improve regional administration, and, as a result, NEFA was renamed Arunachal Pradesh, which means "land of the rising sun," on January 21, 1972. On February 20, Arunachal Pradesh finally became a state after waiting fifteen years.

Since then, the state has celebrated its founding day on February 20 each year and has worked to develop its economy, society, and culture. The annual budget allocation and literacy rate are on an upward trajectory, and as a result, the state's GDP has grown significantly. Border disputes with China are one of the major threats to the state that are impeding its full-fledged development. As a result, Arunachal Pradesh is waiting to be recognised for its unrealized potential in a variety of fields, including tourism, hydropower, natural landscapes, and cultural sites.