Urbanization in the Apatani Valley, Ziro of Arunachal Pradesh

The purpose of the paper is to understand the urbanization process in the Ziro valley which is new phenomena experiencing by the Apatani community in recent time. The urbanization is a process happening due to migration from the rural to town and cities because of social situation. The study is approached from explorative research design which furnish for further descriptive and analysis. Various data tools have been used to gather the objective data. The paper deals with three significant variables migra tion, economic and political variables to study the process of urbanization in the Ziro valley.


Introduction
According to Victor S. D'Souza (1984) "Urbanization is a product of various kinds of changes taking place in a society, especially in its economic sphere. But it is essentially a process of population redistribution from the rural to the urban communities and from one region to another, and of a continual differentiation of the society both in its rural and urban components. These aspects of population redistribution and social differentiation inherent in the process of urbanization are also fraught with the possibilities of generating various kinds of social problems including the ones pointed cut above". Urbanization is the process of population accumulation in any town or cities in general understanding of the phenomena. The significant study of the urban has been adopted by many different disciplines and they all have approached, studied and analysed from their own discipline perspective. Study of urban society has been gaining an importance over the period of time.
Urban sociology is the branch of Sociology that takes up the studies -social organization, social change, and interaction -behavioural change from the social institutional level. The first formal school of urban began in Chicago School with the use of systematic field studies and ethnographic notes of the Chicago cities as a laboratory. It is popularly known by the approach, Human Ecology (Gottdiener & Budd, 2005, 1-2). Sociology tends to understand the and analyzed impact of population on society's culture, the emergence of a distinct cultural characterized by the breakdown of families ties, individualism, and competitiveness, diversity of social commitment , transition from primary to secondary relations, absence of direct social control, anonymity, isolation, utilitarianism role segmentation and anomie ( Patel & Deb, 2006, 4).

Methodology
The Ziro (Hapoli) town of lower Subansiri district was taken as the area of the study and the Apatani community residing in the urban area as the population of the study. The Ziro town consist of several colonies, each colony were clustered into 3 groups namely; cluster 1 consisting of seven colonies and sample of 126, cluster 2 consisting of four colonies sample of 120, and cluster 3 consisting of four colonies and sample of 114. The total representative sample of the study was 360 respondents that account to 4.22% of the total urban schedule tribe population of 8537.
The study is based with explorative research design. The exploration inputs data for further descriptive study and analysis of the impact of urbanization at social institution level. The voter list was consulted for identifying the individual whereabouts and listing of the names as per the cluster wise. Thereafter, randomly the respondents were selected from the cluster lists. After preparation of the respondents list it was again stratified on the basis of social attributes to classify the groups and to analyse their opinion and to measure influencing behaviour by the group according to their social positions in the society. Different techniques of data collection were used to collect the primary information from the respondents by the application of survey method, interview method by using structured interview schedule. Open ended questions were asked for in depth information and qualitative answers from the selected groups. Participant observation methods were used during the survey and participation in many of the social occasion about the changing pattern due to impact of urbanization.
In which pattern has the urbanization induced development process? 3.
What is the relationship between urban and rural?

Background
It was only after independence the region was open for development and integration into the Indian nation. The state changed from isolated frontiers to popular frontiers after the 1962 Chinese aggression. The state was gradually emerging and structurally changed with the advent of political development rather than industrialisation or economic development. The state is politically induced state where everything is brought and bought by political institution.
Till 1961 the entire state was under the rural status and in 1971 there were 3 census towns/ urban -Pasighat, Along, Bomdila and Tezu declared on the basis of census enumeration with pronounced urban features with built modern infrastructures and civic amenities. The urbanization gradually took place after the 1971 in different districts, most of the people came from the other states of the nation due to lack of human resource to work skilfully in the offices and to take up the contract work, business, labourer and defence services. Due to late education facility the local people could not joined in white collar and blue collar job in the beginning of the state formation. The ostentatious transformation and changes in the state came with the shifting of the state capital from Shillong to Itanagar in the year 1974. The administrative work and building were shifted to Naharlagun (Old Itanagar) and New Itanagar. The declaration and mobilization itself was the benchmark for bringing the state under the process of urbanization and determining the fate of the state and its people towards modernity road and development (Hana, 2019). The urbanization processes were already taking place by moving to town area by the local youths in search of jobs, employment, income, opportunity etc and incoming of large population from the neighbouring states and other states of the country in different public sectors.
Due to lack of industrialization and absence of proper road and communication in the states rapid urbanization could not take place in the beginning of the state formation. The state development came with the formation of district headquarters for different areas being assigned. The administrative set up is becoming a kind of industrialization place in case of the state situation, attracting the nearby villagers and other caste group from different parts of the states to migrate and engaged in different economic activities other than agriculture.
The headquarter for undivided Subansiri district was managed from the North Lakhimpur of Assam that was shifted to Kimin in 1950 as a temporary post later it was shifted to old Ziro in 1952 (Kani,2008). The shifting of the Post was an indicator or seed of urbanization and urban growth in the valley. Ziro as a district headquarter remained for undivided Subansiri region which was later bifurcated into many districts formation-Upper Subansiri in 1980, Papumpare district in 1992, Kurung Kumey in 2001and Kamle district in 2017.
Ziro valley is occupied by the Apatani tribe. Apatani tribe remain isolated during the British period hardly, few European had visited the valley on the occasion of their mission. The visits had acknowledged the unique cultural practices and scenic settings of the tribe and valley in their ethnographic notes.
Ziro valley is one of the fastest growing urbanization among the state's districts. Ziro was declared as the census town in the year of 1991 along with Roing, Namsai and Khonsa. Basically, it was declared as an urban following the second criteria based on Census enumeration not on the basis of statutory status.

Urbanization in the valley
To understand the process of urbanization the following parameters have been taken for the study and analysis; Migration: The census 1971 presents the emergence of the urban area and addition of several adjoining villages due to the growth of population. The total population in 1971 was 15253 and 1981 census 17765. From the 1971-81 statistical data and records, it was found that the number of population from the villages was decreased due to mass migration towards Hapoli and Old Ziro town (Kani, 1993).
From the survey it was found out that the year of migration of the respondents took in the year between 1990-2000 from their village to Ziro town and Old Ziro. The preferences for migration were economic in nature -absorption and employment in the government department, setting up own business enterprises, availability of urban facilities like water, electricity, newspaper, shops for marketing, nearby to education institution, medical facility, administrative office, bank, post office, telephone exchange etc were some of the benefits which could be availed directly by the urban dwellers. between 1990-2000 from their village to Ziro town and Old Ziro. The preferences for migration were economic in nature -absorption and employment in the governm own business enterprises, availability of urban facilities like water, electricity, newspaper, shops for marketing, nearby to education institution, medical facility, administrative office, bank, post office, telephone exchange etc were some of the benefits which could be availed directly by the urban dwellers.

Economic practices
Before the advent of any foreign culture into the valley and societal and cultural level the Apatani remained isolated and practices their own primitive and ancestral practices. The villagers were engaged in their agricultural, hunting, food gathering and gardening practices.
The mode of business was processed by the system of exchange and barter system. The people had direct social contacts with interaction and valuation of the commodity was high for those scarce resources. The community people were agriculturalist where the young and old; man and women took active participation in bringing up the crops till it is harvested. The common commodities that were used for transaction were baskets of rice, mithun, pig, poultry, and Tibetan sword. The division of labour was simple based on the age, sex and in few technical specialities like pottery making, iron smelting, hunters etc.
The dawn of independence has transformed the structure and function of the tribal community. It has brought infrastructural development and population from the different socio-cultural background into the valley. The social process of change itself brought the elements of modernization along with it. Therefore, the urbanization and modernization is the two forces of phenomena that is witness together.
There is increasing rate of next generation opting for non primary kind of occupation. The situation has changed since the introduction of modern education facility in the valley and other parts of the state. Education has laid down broad scope for getting absorbed into government services easily and live life comfortably. The present population are mostly engaged in government services in the form of regular, contract and contingency. The private enterprises are also engaging the local people in the services. Many of the youths are running their own business establishment. It is foresaid by the respondents that in near future the art of doing the indigenous practices will lost or perished with urbanization and modernization.
Banking facility has transformed the saving and investment knowledge of the community people. The notion of currency system has drastically changed the traditional system of transaction in the community. It has replaced the basic economic system of barter and exchange system. The give and take relationship among the groups has been distance. The value of the possession is lessening while the value of money is held high by the people. The banking institution is helping the people to have saving of their income and it is also providing financial grants for investment and opening of new business firms for those enterprising individuals. In this way many of the local people are benefitting from the infrastructural development and helped them to moved into urban area and try their opportunity.
Urbanization process in the valley has directly affected the land value. Possession a land in the Ziro town area is luxury and lucrative endeavour due to its high prices in the market level. The periphery of the urban area is also brought under high price scale due to expansion of the urban area.
The urbanization processes have led to preference of the local products. The migrated population are doing a business by producing the local items and selling it to the customer by opening emporium and art and craft stores in the market area. The buyers include both local and non local customers. Besides, mechanised products the local women are largely indulging in providing organic produce vegetables, fruits from garden and forest, and fishes and other aquatic edibles from their personal paddy fields and fish ponds to the urban population.

The political acclamation
There could not be an urbanization and urban growth for the Ziro valley if there were no political mobilization. The political setting was set by the Indian government rather than the local community itself. It was a kind of imposed machinery for the people which proved to be a blessing in disguise.
The declaration of the district headquarter brought immediate infrastructural development in the Ziro valley in terms of road connectivity, construction of green airfield, health clinic centre, schools, administrative office, defence quarter, post office and telephone exchange, bank etc. These infrastructures have changed the physical face of the valley and given the modern touch.
The modification in the political institution came with the introduction of Panchayat Raj system in the valley in the year 1969 with the Panchayat raj Regulation Act. The Panchayat raj system was made into four tier systems, Pradesh council as the apex body of the organization which later converted into legislature of the state assembly. The traditional village council (Builyang) was reduced to mere socio-cultural representative. The Builyang as an institution is replaced by modern political system. The modern political system has replaced the traditional structure based on heredity occupation of the authority, arbitrarily role of the village council with no proper written procedures for conducting the role and function of the position, it is clan based representative, there is no provision for the revenue generation that could used for the welfare development of the village. The modern representatives are elected from time to time period. It is one of the popular processes of political arrangement for administrating the rural development.
Because of its democratic features people have faith in the system which was accepted and still participating in the system. The modern political system has given the people an opportunity to be a leader, to get elected as a leader, to elect and select the leader in making by the people. Besides, there is provision for women to be a part of the governing system mandatorily which was absent in traditional political structure. The provision has largely impacted the social positions by empowering them politically at the grass root level. The modern political system has created political based groups in the egalitarian society of the Apatani community. The people are now being differentiated on party lines and the leader they support. The kinship plays a significant role in the political life of a leader. The kinship obligations are moulding the changing pattern of voting behaviour.
In recent decade, growth of religious groups as an indicator of urbanity plays prominent role in the local politics. In considering the rapid urbanization in the valley, different religious group are flocking in and around the urban areas. Several of the non tribal population working in the valley have enrolled in the voter list and they are becoming a focus group for the leaders.

Conclusion
Urbanization is universal process of phenomena taking place across region, ethnic, religion, caste and languages. Urbanization is basically a migration process from rural to urban areas. Urbanization could take place for several reasons and factors. But one thing remain the same is for better opportunity and scope which urban has a lots to offer who has the capacity to obtain it.
Urbanization in the Ziro valley is purely based because of administrative set up. It is political mobilization that has changed the traditional heredity based administrative system and reduced into a just cultural representative for the community. The village councils has been substituted by a modern democratic Panchayat Raj system at the grass root level by giving equal status and power to womenfolk which has neglected in patriarchal society. The modern administrative have taken away the jurisdiction and administrative power from the village councils.
The economic structures have changed over the period of time, the practices and imparting of knowledge is at peril stage. With the present situation it is certain that the popular agriculture cum fish cultivation of the Apatani community will soon be a history. Because of the modern occupation and modern education has distance the people from its own traditional practices.
The consumption pattern of the people has changed drastically with the coming of other non tribal communities into the valley. The availability of the consumer goods from the market has lessened the intake of local cuisine and people are consuming more of spicy foods, fast foods, oil based cooked food. Non tribal foods are gaining popular among the people. During the ceremonial and social gathering local brewed rice beer, millets beer is replaced by whisky, scotch, beer, rum and brandy. With the rise of income and standard of living the consumption pattern is changing. Urbanization has also highlighted the economic value of the indigenous products which is serving as an economic opportunity for the people.