Анини: История и современность северной оконечности Аруначал-Прадеша

Anini is the headquarters of the Dibang Valley district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. Anini was also the district headquarters of the undivided Dibang Valley district. Most of this location's population consists of the Idu Mishmi tribal people. Due to its remote location, Anini remains a small and underdeveloped town. However, it still has basic road and air links to the rest of India. The town is fully dependent on the nearest major settlement, Roing, which is in the Lower Dibang Valley District, for most commercial needs. The Anini sub division consists of six administrative circles— Anini, Mipi, Dambeun, Etalin, Anelih, and Arzoo.

While there is no definite answer, Anini's name may have come from Inini or Innini. Historical maps of Arunachal Pradesh from times before the Lower Dibang Valley district were carved out of the Dibang Valley District in 2001. Before Roing was established, these maps indicate the capital of the Dibang Valley District was "Inini." Inini may have come from the Idu word "inni," which is the word for the Idu Mishmi people's supreme deity or god.

Like the history of Arunachal Pradesh, Anini's history is cloudy. The native Idu Mishmis and other tribes were said to have migrated from ancient Tibet back in the 1st or 1st millennium BC. They have been believed to have stopped in Lhoyu. Lhoyu became under Tibetan control around the 7th century. Although inhabited by Idu Mishmis in all that time, it took until the times of NEFA and the British Raj for Anini to be officially established. Anini's importance grew during World War II, when supplies and troops needed to be sent to China through the Ledo Road in Assam. In 1947, Anini became a part of India. At this point the Republic of China was free to claim most of Arunachal, making it and Aksai Chin under dispute. The People's Republic of China emerged in 1949, and once the British left in 1950, Arunachal and Aksai Chin were under dispute. Since then, they remained under dispute. In June 1980, the Dibang Valley district was finally carved out of the Lohit District, and Anini was pronounced capital. Since then, Anini has been the only district headquarters without proper road links to the rest of India.

Most of Anini is located on a miniature plateau between two tributaries of the Dibang river, the Dri river and the Mathun river. The town has a subdistrict of its own: Anini Circle. Its location just south of the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary makes Anini the northernmost district headquarters in Northeast India.

The small settlement of Anini is located at an elevation of above sea level. but the average elevation of the town is 2,068 meters. According to Google Maps' terrain feature, Anini is around 1,600–1,800 meters above sea level and up north of Anini, the elevation can go up to 3,800 meters above sea level. According to the official website of the Dibang Valley District, Anini's altitude is at 1,968 meters above sea level.

Anini is located on the Eurasian Plate, about 420 miles north of the junction of the Indian and the Eurasian Plates, which makes Anini earthquake prone. The 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake badly affected both the Dibang and Lower Dibang Valleys. 70% of the residents of the area died in this earthquake.

Anini's climate varies by elevation. In the lower elevations, the climate is humid subtropical. In the climate around the plateau, it is temperate. Anini is within the monsoon zone and receives both the southwest monsoon of South Asia and the northeast monsoon of East Asia. During the May–October time, Anini receives 80% of its precipitation. Snowfall is common in the winter, and can become quite heavy (6m 10m) in the mountains. The Midu Dialect is only spoken in Anini. Soon, government officials will start using the Idu Azobra script, a script proposed by the Roing MLA, Laeta Umbrey, that aims to preserve the endangered language.

Anini has a population of 2,264 people living in 613 households as of 2001. Of those 2,264 people, 1,331 are males and 933 are females. Due to its small population, Anini is not yet a census town, needing about 3,000 more people to qualify. Idu Mishmis, also known as Yidu Lhoba in China, are the main inhabitants of the district.

Although remote, the town has basic infrastructure. There is a government hospital, district library, police station, and accommodation for visitors in the Circuit House. The two schools in Anini are the Government Higher Secondary School of Anini, a school run by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) that has 450 students on roll, and Jawahar Navodaya Vidalaya, which is also a hostel for students. Dr. Saga Migri is the medical superintendent at the hospital. which is used by the Arunachal Helicopter Service for transportation and by other helicopters bringing in supplies from Roing.

The nearest airport from Anini is the Tezu Airport, about 300 km by road. The easiest way to get to Anini is through the Dibrugarh Airport (through Guwahati airport), though it is unlikely that Anini will get an airport closer than Itanagar anytime soon due to the sparse population.

The Arunachal Helicopter Service makes several stops to Anini, connecting Anini to the rest of Arunachal and the Dibrugarh Airport in Assam. Anini is a main stop in both the Eurocopter Dauphin and the MI 172 helicopters' schedule. The helicopter service is a branch off of Pawan Hans, which is responsible for supplying the helicopters.

Although these efforts are being made to improve the infrastructure in Anini, the Arunachal Times newspaper claims that Anini has been neglected due to "frequent communication disruption and deteriorating health conditions." The Government Higher Secondary School hasn't had either a principle or a vice president for two years. A similar situation is present with the Jawohar Navodaya Vidalaya school in Anini. The All Idu Mishmi Students Union (AIMSU) as well as the Dibang Valley Students Union|Dibang Valley Students Union (DVSU) are protesting about the apparent miserable conditions in Anini. The AIMSU secretary Rajiv Mihu feels that, "None of the government employees want to serve in the remote district. The people of Dibang Valley aren't scaring them away. It is the pitiful living conditions that are driving them away." The government responded to the situation by assuring the protesters that the required number of teachers will be hired, and a new vice principal and principal will be deputed. "Anini is neglected politically," commented Mihu. "Similar protest action in Roing would have shaken the political corridors of Itanagar."

The Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, is located just north of Anini and was established in 1992. The region is very mountainous, and snowfall is common in this region. It is protected by the Department of Environment and Forest of Arunachal Pradesh. The altitude ranges from an absolute low of 1800 meters to the peak of Kalaii Kala at 5000 meters. Some infrastructure that you may find are the forest rest house and a hiking trail. A flying squirrel new to science has been recently discovered from the edge of this sanctuary. It has been named as Mishmi Hills Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista mishmiensis.

The winning candidate for the position of the MLA of Anini was Shri Rajesh Tacho, winning 41.57 percent of the 3038 valid votes in 2004. There were actually 4741 voters, even though Anini's population is only 2264 people. He had a lead margin of 260 and a total number of 1263. He is a part of the Indian National Congress Party. Also, he was re elected in 2009, barely beating Eri Tayu of the Nationalist Congress Party by 81 votes. Tacho also was nominated as Chairman of the Committee of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Balanced Development of CD Blocks in Arunachal Pradesh, replacing Shri Lombo Tayeng, who has resigned after his induction into the Council of Ministers, otherwise known as the Cabinet of Arunachal Pradesh.

Anini sits near the McMahon Line, the disputed northern boundary of Arunachal Pradesh, previously referred to as the North East Frontier Agency. The Chinese government has never accepted the McMahon line as a legitimate boundary and refers to the region as South Tibet. Sovereignty over the territory south of the McMahon line was the apparent cause of the 1962 Sino Indian War.