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Beyond the nose plugs and face tattoos often associated with them, the Apatani people of Arunachal Pradesh have preserved a slower way of life against all odds.

- ARMAN KHAN

At nearly 5,000 feet above sea level, in Ziro Valley, subtle changes appear in our bodies worn down by urban traffic and exhaustion. Our lungs function like lungs, surprised at the clean air. Our eyes don't burn; our legs serve the purpose they are meant for. As we take in the surroundings, the quiet mountains, the terraced fields and nurseries blooming with flowers in endless colour combinations, we wonder: is it possible for a place like this to exist and stay that way for centuries? The odds, as it were, are surprisingly low.

Take the example of Antarcticanature's last enclave of peace, a place that was supposed to remain unsullied from all the base instincts and excesses that mutate the rest of the planet. According to multiple news reports, TikTok tourism has reached its icy shores: Inbound travel has spiked 215 per cent in the past decade, swathes of garbage have formed a sorry rim around its many islands and luxury cruises keep bringing in flotsam and invasive species.

Ringed by the Eastern Himalayas and topographically isolated from Arunachal Pradesh, for Ziro Valley to exist in this new world order and thrive the way it has, many things must fall into place. The Apatani community, its grand custodian, has maintained this sanctity through a careful network of rituals, legends, wellness traditions, ironclad community ties and a slow way of life.