RIWATCH is a leading Cultural Research Institute of Northeast India, based at Khinjili PO- Roing, Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh. Established in 2009, it has been making remarkable contributions to promote culture with ecological sustainability and economic development by hand-holding with research institutions, universities and community organizations of Arunachal Pradesh.  It has a managing council with Arunachal experts and scholars, with a Fulbright Scholar as Executive Director. RIWATCH has also a unique ethnographic museum since 2017, the only people’s museum in the NE India.

RIWATCH has been ideally located in serene environs of a 6 hectare campus, far from the madding crowds, 10 Kms off Roing town. It is also a qualitative facilitation centre for various universities to execute field studies in different disciplines related to ethnic life of the local communities for awarding M.A., M. Phil, and Ph.D. degrees. RIWATCH also executes Study Abroad Program for the students of University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.

Withing a short span of 15 years, RIWATCH has number of research papers to its’ credit. It hosts Regional Centre of Education in Sustainable Development, recognised by United Nation’s University, Institute of Advanced Studies. Many universities like Dibrugarh University Dibrugarh (Assam), Rajiv Gandhi University, Doimukh, (Arunachal Pradesh), University of South Florida, Tampa (USA) have academic collaborations with RIWATCH.

A new species of ginger (Zingiberaceae) found in upper region of Dibang Valley has been named after RIWATCH as “Amomum riwatchii”.   In it’s effort in empowering communities, RIWATCH was catalyst in getting a GI tag to Idu-Mishmi textiles in the name of Idu Mishmi Cultural and Literary Society. Today RIWATCH houses

• An Ethnographic Museum
• A Documentation Centre
• Herbal Garden & Pancharma
• A Centre for Mother Languages
• Library
• Research Cottages

RIWATCH provides fellowships to number of Research Scholars, hosts research scholars of other institutes, and also the interns from institutes like TISS, Azim Premji Foundation, BRIT Dehradun etc. Every year, it publishes audio-visual Documentaries on rich cultural heritage of Northeast,  and number of books, monographs and Glossaries. 

The strength of RIWATCH is it’s volunteer force, honorary visiting faculties, traditional knowledge holders from different ethnic communities and above all great support of local people from Arunachal Pradesh.