| Ziro, September 26, 2025
The gentle terraces of Ziro came alive today not only with the music that has placed the valley on the global cultural map, but also with a tradition-inspired recreational sport that is fast becoming a tourist favourite—Live Hand Fishing.
On the eve of the Ziro Festival of Music (September 25–28), the 3rd Edition of Live Hand Fishing was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Smti Oli Perme at GB Siiper near Biiri Road. The event is organised by the Diibo Gaon Bura Buri Association (DGBBA) in partnership with the Department of Fisheries, Lower Subansiri District, with the vision of blending ecological awareness, community empowerment, and tourism.
The event offered visitors—both Indian and foreign—the rare opportunity to roll up their sleeves and wade into water alongside Apatani grandmothers, catching live fish with bare hands, a practice rooted in age-old local traditions.
Speaking at the programme, DGBBA convenor Shri Yachang Tacho traced the genesis of the initiative. What was once an abandoned rice field in disrepair was transformed into a community pond in 2023. From there, the villagers revived traditional fishing practices, later opening them to visitors as an experiential attraction during ZFM 2023. “Our objectives were twofold—safeguarding the environment and educating the community. Today, it has also become an avenue for cultural tourism,” he said.
DC Oli Perme, while applauding the villagers’ initiative, encouraged the community to further diversify by cultivating vegetables and planting fruit-bearing trees around the pond. She also assured the district administration’s support in strengthening such grassroots models of tourism.
District Fishery Development Officer, Shri Liagi Lasa, supplemented the initiative with technical guidance, promising continued supply of fish fingerlings and fisheries support to sustain the programme.
The event drew curious participation from tourists, who gleefully plunged into the pond, turning the session into both a spectacle and a shared cultural experience. The sight of Apatani elders guiding visitors in the age-old art of hand fishing brought warmth and vibrancy to the festive atmosphere.
As the Ziro Festival of Music continues to captivate audiences with its rhythm and scenery, Live Hand Fishing is steadily carving its place as an equally memorable attraction—one where culture, ecology, and tourism meet in the most organic way.