…monyul chokley gyal lo
monyul chokley gyal lo
[…long live the Monpa land
long live Monyul]
It is the last song at the school assembly that leaves me with questions. Not just because it is unfamiliar or because it’s in a tongue I don’t know, but also because it sounds quite different even from the language I have heard local people speak in this Himalayan valley. I have been in Chug village of the West Kameng district documenting Monpa life for a while now.
It is an early Thursday morning in late July and I am, in what many believe is Arunachal Pradesh’s most scenic village. Riding pillion on Nawang Tsering’s bike – he is a government school teacher – I have reached the PM SHRI Government Secondary School in Rama Camp, about six kilometers away from Chug. Many children from nearby villages walk to the school every morning.
It is 9 a.m. assembly time and I am trying to stay as close to the wall as possible, right behind a few students who are leading the programme from the stage. Facing me are lush green mountains, a sky, wearing aqua blue and untainted clouds of white, matching the colours of the students' uniform. Lined up in neat rows are 260 students of the school.





