Moji Riba

Moji Riba (1911–1973) was the eldest son of Gomo Riba and Nyapu Riba, and was an Indian freedom fighter from a village called Dari in the Lepa Rada district of Arunachal Pradesh, previously known as North-East Frontier Tracts/North-East Frontier Agency, who participated in the Indian independence movement.

Early life and education
When Riba was twelve years old, he was admitted to Lower Primary School at Sadiya in Assam which was run by the American Baptist missionaries. He studied there for four years from 1923 to 1927. In 1927, Riba changed schools and transferred to Mission High School in Jorhat, Assam. While studying at Jorhat in class seven, his father grew very old and his family members demanded his presence back home. Due to being the eldest son, Riba was obligated to look after him during the last days of his life. In 1931, he abandoned his schooling and came back to the Dari village. His father passed away on March 1, 1932. Supporting his family became his duty, making it impossible for Riba to go back and pursue his studies at Jorhat. He was one of the first people to get an education in his area.

Path to nationalism
What Riba acquired while studying at Assam stayed profoundly embalmed into his memory. He was highly knowledgeable in English, Hindi and Assamese languages. While studying in Assam, Riba studied freedom fighters like Maniram Dewan, Piyoli Phukan and their battle for independence. He also became acquainted with Mahatma Gandhi, his principles, and the Indian National Congress that were fighting for the country's freedom from the British colonial government. Riba was motivated by the concepts of nationalism. Following his return to his home, Riba's patriotic yearning to fight against the foreign rulers further increased after observing atrocities and the unfriendly attitude of the colonial authorities towards his people. Riba began plotting against the British colonial administration and organised operations in the villages against colonial authorities who had their headquarters at Pasighat. He achieved enormous renown in the region as the person who was spreading the liberation struggle. After the Quit India Movement (1942) started in India, Riba felt the urgent need to start a movement in the hills. This desperation was only aggravated when in the same year Riba and his group learnt about a scheme that some British officials were propagating in the hills; it was the Crown Colony scheme, or the Reid Plan, envisaged by Robert Reid, the Governor of British Assam. According to the proposal, the British administration was hesitant to bring the territories of North-East India and North-East Frontier Tracts under far distant Delhi. Governor Reid said that the future of the hills surrounding Assam should be determined by the British Parliament and not by the Indian political leaders, they intended to carve off North-east as a distinct colony of Britain. This proposal became an unsettling problem for Moji.



Dipa Congress Movement
Moji recommended his team that they would initiate a freedom cum congress movement in the hills. For this aim, they travelled to Dibrugarh where he met Lalit Chandra Hazarika, the General Secretary of the Dibrugarh District Congress Committee. Moji offered his wish to join the Indian National Congress with support from Assam Congress to start a Congress campaign in the hills hence forming a Congress committee in the hills to obstruct the colonial administration. Lalit pledged to obtain full assistance from the Dibrugarh Congress Committee in creating a Congress committee in the hills and enrolled them in the Indian National Congress. With the Dibrugarh Congress’ assistance, Moji started the movement in the hills with the aid of people like Moje Riba, Rimo Riba, Ligin Bomjen, Dagi Angu, Kore Bagra, Kargo Basar, and many others from his area. In 1946, they constructed their headquarters and a Congress venture school in a village named Dipa in the foothills of Lower Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, Tomo Riba, the first Agriculture Minister and second Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, was among the first students of that Congress venture school in Dipa. Hence, Dipa Congress Committee was formed, of which Moje Riba became the President, since he was the senior most member in their team and young Moji himself assumed the office of General Secretary. This was the first time a modern political party was formed in Arunachal Pradesh, also, it was in this Congress headquarters at Dipa where for the first time the Indian national flag was hoisted in Arunachal Pradesh by the men of Dipa Congress Committee. During the stretch of their movement, Moji and his Dipa team even met with Gopinath Bordoloi. Throughout the movement, the Dipa Congress team was harassed by the British authorities, but the movement eventually succeeded and the British Political Officer Peter Loren Seton James was removed from his post at Pasighat.

Moji Riba's arrest
During their movement, Moji Riba became the first person to be arrested. Moji was arrested from his village Dari and taken to Pasighat by a very popular and influential Political Interpreter/Kotoki of that time, Boken Ete. The people of Dari opposed Ete when he came to arrest him but Moji himself advised the masses not to do so, reasoning that Ete was just doing his duty and following orders of the authorities. This was a big blow to their movement since Moji was the main orchestrator of their movement. His arrest was followed up by the arrests of Moje Riba, Rimo Riba, Ligin Bomjen, and many of his Dipa Congress members. The arrested Congress members were later released at the prompt of the last British-appointed Governor of the province of Assam, Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari.

During World War II
During the Second World War, a plane of the Allied forces (now part of the MIA aircraft) crashed on the hills of Taju-Rapa Modi, near present Dali-Chisi village in Dari administrative circle of Lepa Rada district, Arunachal Pradesh. To recover the remains of the pilots of that plan, an airplane with some Americans landed at Pidii-Rijo on the banks of the Ego River. That event gave the people of that area some new knowledge about aircraft and foreigners talking in an unheard language, which the people could not understand. But interestingly, that language (English/American English) was known to only Moji Riba who was the only person in the region who had some education, he was well-versed in his native dialects, English, Hindi, and Assamese. Moji conversed with the Americans and guided them in their mission.

Awards
For his contribution to the Indian Independence Movement, Moji Riba was included among the first batch of Tamra Patra recipients. He was given this prestigious award at Red Fort, New Delhi, by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President V. V. Giri on 15 August 1972. On 23 September 2021, postal department of Arunachal Pradesh released a stamp in honor of late Moji Riba. In 2023, he was also awarded posthumously the state silver medal for Unsung Hero award by the state's Governor Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik.

Later life and death
Bharat Chandra Bhuyan, the first Indian Political Officer in the Siang region recognised him as an important figure in the society and appointed him as a Gaonburha of his village and took him on tours into the District. Moji also served as the Bango secretary (a Bango is an area comprising several villages) of the Ego Bango. Further, Moji Riba was involved in the construction of Aalo-Likabali road. He also became the first person to purchase and use a Jeep vehicle in the region. At the age of 62, on 11 October 1973, Moji Riba took his last breath in his village Dari leaving behind his wife, a son, six daughters, and grandchildren.