New Delhi: A former student of Massachusetts Institute of Technology has given global exposure to a major tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.
Kapil Dev Singh, who is also a graduate of Indian Institute of Technology, has named his adventure gear company Mishmi Takin, after Idu Mishmi, one of the two major tribes of the northeastern Indian state.
All his gear and active wear have the Idu Mishmi badge on them and adventure enthusiasts from England, Germany, United States and other countries will sport them. There have been more than 30,000 orders for his to-be launched products which will be available from October onward.
The tribe of Mongoloid descent speaks a Tibetan-Burmese language. Their distinct hairstyles and attires distinguish them from other tribes in northeastern India. They are relatively unknown around the world, but Singh’s efforts will bring them international recognition, reports thenortheastindiatoday.com.
Singh’s work with the community started in 2014 when he launched a Kickstarter fund to raise money to help the community with their healthcare issues. He is still doing his part to promote the community and is now offering people trips to the state to see the tribe in their natural habitat.
He realized that his waterproof active wear was very uncomfortable and the idea of gear popped while hiking in the state. It has now materialized into reality.
The Mishmi takin is an endangered goat-antelope native to northeastern India, Myanmar and the People’s Republic of China. It is a subspecies of takin.
The Mishmi takin lives in southern China and eats bamboo and willow shoots. It has an oily coat to protect it from the fog.
Several zoos and wildlife parks keep Mishmi takins in captivity.