The word Majuli always brings back sweet memories of my hometown Jorhat. During the festivals of Bihu or other family functions, we always arranged for some good home made curd & milk cream from Majuli. It also reminds me that along with the curd we also used to hear the news of someone losing their land, home or loved ones due to the massive floods almost every year. Recognized as one of world's largest pollution free inland river island Majuli extends for a length of about 90 kms on the east west direction & about 850 square kms along the north south.
It is also home to dozens of monasteries called Satras established by 15th century Hindu reformer Srimanta Shankardev. They are the epicenters of vaishnav art & culture spread across the entire state of Assam. I was well aware of the plight of the people of Majuli from a young age, but got horrified realizing now, that it might totally disappear from the map of India in the course of coming 25 to 30 years. The island has already been reduced to one-third of its size in the last four decades due to massive soil erosion, frequent earthquakes and floods. My photo project "The vanishing island" portrays this struggle & dilemma of the people of the island.
From centuries the fertile lands of Majuli has provided the environment to develop and sustain art forms like pottery without tools, Mask making with natural ingredients, dance forms as satriya & also traditional theatres like Bhaona & Raas Leela. If Majuli disappears, traditional arts like these will also disappear without the environment & ingredients to flourish them . The government is spending lots of money through different schemes to improve the condition of people there, but all of such schemes seem to reach them as an aid, not as a solution to their problem. A lot of money is being invested each year, a lot has been reported & documented , but no solution to their problems has been achieved.
“Land of the river and the whispering wind
Sweet rice and plenty of fish,
Where the sun rises to the sound of a hundred birds,
And the evening resonates to the music of cymbals and kirtans”.
- Written by Sanjoy Ghosh, a dedicated activist for the cause of Majuli, who was kidnapped & killed by ULFA in 1997.
It is also home to dozens of monasteries called Satras established by 15th century Hindu reformer Srimanta Shankardev. They are the epicenters of vaishnav art & culture spread across the entire state of Assam. I was well aware of the plight of the people of Majuli from a young age, but got horrified realizing now, that it might totally disappear from the map of India in the course of coming 25 to 30 years. The island has already been reduced to one-third of its size in the last four decades due to massive soil erosion, frequent earthquakes and floods. My photo project "The vanishing island" portrays this struggle & dilemma of the people of the island.
From centuries the fertile lands of Majuli has provided the environment to develop and sustain art forms like pottery without tools, Mask making with natural ingredients, dance forms as satriya & also traditional theatres like Bhaona & Raas Leela. If Majuli disappears, traditional arts like these will also disappear without the environment & ingredients to flourish them . The government is spending lots of money through different schemes to improve the condition of people there, but all of such schemes seem to reach them as an aid, not as a solution to their problem. A lot of money is being invested each year, a lot has been reported & documented , but no solution to their problems has been achieved.
“Land of the river and the whispering wind
Sweet rice and plenty of fish,
Where the sun rises to the sound of a hundred birds,
And the evening resonates to the music of cymbals and kirtans”.
- Written by Sanjoy Ghosh, a dedicated activist for the cause of Majuli, who was kidnapped & killed by ULFA in 1997.