The fury of mighty Brahamputra river has again raised the fear of elimination of Majuli, The largest river island in the world, situated in north-eastern state of Assam. This squegging island is again cutoff from the rest of country with the ferry service from Jorhat district town is suspended since last week. The island waits for a saviour as the mighty Brahmaputra once again eats away at the banks of the world’s largest river island. And it's much beyond a cultural heritage that is at stake: along with the 22 satras—seats of Vaishnavite culture and religion set up by the sixth century saint Sri Srimanta Sankardev— the island is also home to a number of communities including the Deuries, Misings and a number of others, who have lived here for centuries. And this is why the people are remembering Sanjay Ghosh, The head of an NGO called Award-NE, who had to sacrifice his life on the hands of United Liberation Front (ULFA) insurgents exactly 10 years ago. He had done a lot to save Majuli..
Eliminating Island
Majuli has lost over 400 sq km of its area in the last five decades with the Brahmaputra causing massive bank erosion. It has been reduced to nearly 800 sq. km from 1250 sq km in 1950. With 22 satra institutions, it is the nerve centre of Assamese music, painting, theatre and other arts and has been vying for a World Heritage Site status. But floods and erosion have displaced several hundred families and more than 20 Vaishnavite satras have been shifted to safer places.
Sanjoy Ghosh
Residents of Majuli still remember Sanjoy Ghosh, his work and how he was snatched from them a decade ago. on the 10th anniversary of the social worker’s abduction from the island, hundreds gathered at Kamalabari Girls’ ME School this week to pay tribute to the man who showed them the way to self-dependence.
Educated in Oxford, Ghosh was the general secretary of AVARD-NE, an organisation that had entered Majuli for an anti-erosion project but went on to become a friend, philosopher and guide for the islanders. Ulfa militants abducted Ghosh in 1997 and killed him that very night, though it was not until months of drama that the outfit admitted it.
Ghose’s body was, however, never found. Although residents of Majuli still remember the good work done by Ghosh and his colleagues, the movement spearheaded by him has long died. Under Ghosh’s supervision, the NGO had planted trees along the banks of the Brahmaputra in Majuli to stop the river from eroding more land.
Brahmputra Board
For an island that has tried hard to be recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Majuli’s problems are multi-faceted, beginning with a 'technical error' that prevented the heritage status, to the Brahmaputra Board, constituted to look into the problem of floods in the state not being able to deliver the goods. To prevent flooding and erosion at Majuli all Assam Students Union (AASU) has demanded that the Centre call for global experts to solve the perennial problem. The opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has also raised an alarm over the delay in execution of the project to protect the Majuli island from erosion. AGP MP Dr. Arun Sharma says, “The Brahmaputra Board, which is assigned to implement the Master Plan, has failed to discharge its mandated . “The board is a complete failure,” says Jiten Deka, secretary of the Majuli Suraksha Samiti (MAJULI PROTECTION COMMITTEE), “all it’s done is conducted model studies for the past seven or eight years.”
Not an Easy Task
But on the other hand Brahmaputra Board Chairman T G Antony Balan says that protecting Majuli from the fury of the Brahmaputra is not an easy task and detailed studies are required to find a permanent solution to the problems of flood and erosion. "Majuli is a complex situation with the Brahmaputra posing the twin threat of flood as well as massive erosion. But whatever little that the Brahmaputra Board has been able to do in the past few years has already started showing results," said Balan.
Heritage status
Sluggish pace of work on part of Government of Assam and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) might further delay completion of formalities leading Majuli River Island to again miss the bid for World Cultural and Heritage Site The government of Assam had constituted a committee to furnish the relevant data to UNESCO.
“At this pace the Committee is going to miss many deadlines and Majuli Island might miss the bus,” apprehends Dr Arun Kumar Sarma, who has been actively following the case.
The French Connection
Majuli may have dropped off the list of contenders for a place in Unesco’s World Heritage List but Sattriya, the abiding symbol of its cultural richness, is set to go places with a Parisian playing patron.
Mathias Coulange’s dream is to see Sattriya dance on the world stage. The 44-year-old French culture activist has made the island his second home to identify talent and form a troupe of Sattriya dancers to showcase the dance form before a global audience.
According to Mathias that two of France’s famous dance platforms — the Dautomne Festival in Paris and one in Montpellier — would host the Sattriya troupe next year.
When Mathias bumped into French travel writer Nadine Deltech in Majuli, a vision was born. Nadine was there to do research for her book, Dancer Monks of the Island, and liked her countryman’s proposal to do something for “this unique island tucked in a remote corner of the world”.
Orphan Baby
From the attitude of the centre and state governments, it seems Maujli is an orphan Baby. And no one is bothered about the fate of this island. And this is the reason why one of the biggest cultural centres of the region may just be wiped out by the Brahmaputra in near future.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Victims of the Global Warming
The effects of the global warming are taking its toll in Cherapunji in the North-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya and Sunderbans (West Bengal), the largest mangrove forest and largest home of the Royal Bengal tigers in the world. Both places are victims of rapid changes in the climate. While Cherapunji, which has earned the distinction of being known as the wettest place in the world, is reeling under severe water crisis. The islands of Sunderbans are vanishing slowly in to the Bay of Bengal.
Sinking Sunderbans
If the Latest report of inter-governmental panel on climate change(IPCC) is to be believed, Sunderbans is on the verge of sinking in to The Bay of Bengal. The Researchers at the School of Oceanographic studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata has been studying the phenomenon since last 6 years. According to the studies the sea –level is rising at the rate of 3.14 mm annually. And if the government does not initiate concrete steps, in another 15 years the sea will lay claim to a dozen islands in the Sunderbans, six of which are populated, rendering about 70,000 people homeless. The Sunderbans is a sprawling archipelago of several hundred islands stretching nearly 300 km between West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is part of the world’s largest delta (80,000 sq km) formed from sediments deposited by three great rivers-the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna-as they empty into the Bay of Bengal.The minister of Sunderbans affairs in West Bengal Government Mr. Kanti Ganguly says that the government is aware of the situation and we are planning to initiate concrete steps to minimize the danger due to increasing human population.
Wet Desert
Cherapunji, the wettest spot on the earth is fast heading towards becoming a desert. More popularly known as Sohra, the capital of the rain world, Cherapunji enjoys an annual average rainfall of 10,871 millimeters and is situated around 1300 meters above sea-level. Around 60 kilometers away from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya in the north eastern part of India, In 1820, the British settled in Cherapunji and made it the capital of the Northeast region. Cherapunji entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the wettest place in the world. But now one can see women and children trekking long distances for a bucket of water.
At the root of the problem is nothing but severe deforestation and changes in the climate world over causing environmental imbalance. moving slowly but steadily to becoming a ‘wet desert’.
IPCC REPORT
Massive population displacement across Asia from climate events is a potentially huge problem that needs to be made immediate and concrete enough for governments and corporations to implement changes to help reduce or prevent it. The evidence keeps mounting. Climate change is inevitable and sea levels are going to rise. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its paper “Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” in april,2007.
The IPCC report suggests that “many millions more people are projected to be flooded every year due to sea-level rise by the 2080s”. The report points out that large coastal conurbations are the most worrying areas of potential/probable damage, and that “the numbers affected will be largest in the mega-deltas of Asia and Africa, while small islands are especially vulnerable”. The report estimates that sea levels are more likely to rise between 22 and 34 centimeters between 1990 and the 2080s.
Sinking Sunderbans
If the Latest report of inter-governmental panel on climate change(IPCC) is to be believed, Sunderbans is on the verge of sinking in to The Bay of Bengal. The Researchers at the School of Oceanographic studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata has been studying the phenomenon since last 6 years. According to the studies the sea –level is rising at the rate of 3.14 mm annually. And if the government does not initiate concrete steps, in another 15 years the sea will lay claim to a dozen islands in the Sunderbans, six of which are populated, rendering about 70,000 people homeless. The Sunderbans is a sprawling archipelago of several hundred islands stretching nearly 300 km between West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is part of the world’s largest delta (80,000 sq km) formed from sediments deposited by three great rivers-the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna-as they empty into the Bay of Bengal.The minister of Sunderbans affairs in West Bengal Government Mr. Kanti Ganguly says that the government is aware of the situation and we are planning to initiate concrete steps to minimize the danger due to increasing human population.
Wet Desert
Cherapunji, the wettest spot on the earth is fast heading towards becoming a desert. More popularly known as Sohra, the capital of the rain world, Cherapunji enjoys an annual average rainfall of 10,871 millimeters and is situated around 1300 meters above sea-level. Around 60 kilometers away from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya in the north eastern part of India, In 1820, the British settled in Cherapunji and made it the capital of the Northeast region. Cherapunji entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the wettest place in the world. But now one can see women and children trekking long distances for a bucket of water.
At the root of the problem is nothing but severe deforestation and changes in the climate world over causing environmental imbalance. moving slowly but steadily to becoming a ‘wet desert’.
IPCC REPORT
Massive population displacement across Asia from climate events is a potentially huge problem that needs to be made immediate and concrete enough for governments and corporations to implement changes to help reduce or prevent it. The evidence keeps mounting. Climate change is inevitable and sea levels are going to rise. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its paper “Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” in april,2007.
The IPCC report suggests that “many millions more people are projected to be flooded every year due to sea-level rise by the 2080s”. The report points out that large coastal conurbations are the most worrying areas of potential/probable damage, and that “the numbers affected will be largest in the mega-deltas of Asia and Africa, while small islands are especially vulnerable”. The report estimates that sea levels are more likely to rise between 22 and 34 centimeters between 1990 and the 2080s.
India is changing, but not The North-east
Many things have changed in India since Independence. But one major part of the country has remained unaffected from these changes in every walk of life and society. And that is the troubled North-Eastern states of India. No development, no Industries, falling per capita income and rising Insurgency. The word Independence is widely used in seven states of the area known as SEVEN SISTERS. But this is used to describe Independence from India and not Indian independence. Each time insurgent groups carry on blast and killing of innocent people in run-up to Independence Day. This year also is no exception. The insurgents have killed nearly two dozen innocent Hindi-speaking migrants in the first two weeks of August. Four Major insurgent groups in the area have appealed to boycott the Independence Day celebration like before.
Linked by a 20-Km wide corridor to the rest of the country, the remote northeast is India's most violent and heavily patrolled region after Kashmir. It is plagued by a fierce guerrilla war between tribal separatists and Indian troops. The conflict has claimed about a life a day over the past four decades. Despite a peace process going on for one decade (10 Years completed on 1st August this year) between Naga Insurgents and Indian government, the ground situation remains the same. The question people ask are-Are we really Independent? But it seems no one including the Governments has the answer. The area where peoples from other states of India are called HINDUSTANI (INDIAN) even after 60 years of the Independence, this question is worth asking. The Independence Day celebration in this part of the country means a day of strike amid gloomy atmosphere. In nagaland and Manipur, the situation is worst. The Hindi-speaking businessmen are fleeing the area due to the killings and extortions by Insurgent groups. The situation has worsened in last two decades. In these states insurgents groups are running parallel administration and police and government are helpless.
Within the seven north-east states, Manipur remains one of the most violent. Officials estimate more than 10,000 have died since the conflict fully broke out in the early 1980s. Other experts say that the real figure is far higher. Each and every militant organization is fighting for what they call "Sovereign, independent Manipur, Nagaland or Assam The historical inclusion of Manipur, a distinct kingdom for nearly 2,000 years, into the Dominion of India is hotly contested. More than one dozen militant groups are active in this tiny hill state alone.
When the British colonial rulers left India in 1947, Manipur actually regained its independence. But just two years later, it became part of India. Many Manipuri's claim that their king was forced to sign the controversial Merger Agreement of 1949. Several insurgent groups increasingly issue diktats and rulings on moral and social behavior, enforced with the threat of violence. Bollywood films are no longer screened in the state because of their allegedly "corrupting Indian influence".
In Assam, which is called the Gateway of the northeast, the situation remains volatile. United liberation front of Assam (ULFA)and other insurgent groups have killed more than 2 dozen peoples of Hindi origin. No one dares to defy the ULFA dictate of not to unfurl the tri-colour on Independence day.
A senior Indian government official says that the bulk of the violence is being inflicted by these insurgents, who have converted insurgency into a livelihood. The desire of the Indian Government to invest in the north-east is increasingly evident. All state departments have provisions to spend 10% of their budgets on the development of the region. But the development is nowhere to be seen. With no new industries coming up in the area due to militancy, more and more youths are treading the path of violence with one militant organization or the other. And the problem seems to be getting complex by each passing day.
Linked by a 20-Km wide corridor to the rest of the country, the remote northeast is India's most violent and heavily patrolled region after Kashmir. It is plagued by a fierce guerrilla war between tribal separatists and Indian troops. The conflict has claimed about a life a day over the past four decades. Despite a peace process going on for one decade (10 Years completed on 1st August this year) between Naga Insurgents and Indian government, the ground situation remains the same. The question people ask are-Are we really Independent? But it seems no one including the Governments has the answer. The area where peoples from other states of India are called HINDUSTANI (INDIAN) even after 60 years of the Independence, this question is worth asking. The Independence Day celebration in this part of the country means a day of strike amid gloomy atmosphere. In nagaland and Manipur, the situation is worst. The Hindi-speaking businessmen are fleeing the area due to the killings and extortions by Insurgent groups. The situation has worsened in last two decades. In these states insurgents groups are running parallel administration and police and government are helpless.
Within the seven north-east states, Manipur remains one of the most violent. Officials estimate more than 10,000 have died since the conflict fully broke out in the early 1980s. Other experts say that the real figure is far higher. Each and every militant organization is fighting for what they call "Sovereign, independent Manipur, Nagaland or Assam The historical inclusion of Manipur, a distinct kingdom for nearly 2,000 years, into the Dominion of India is hotly contested. More than one dozen militant groups are active in this tiny hill state alone.
When the British colonial rulers left India in 1947, Manipur actually regained its independence. But just two years later, it became part of India. Many Manipuri's claim that their king was forced to sign the controversial Merger Agreement of 1949. Several insurgent groups increasingly issue diktats and rulings on moral and social behavior, enforced with the threat of violence. Bollywood films are no longer screened in the state because of their allegedly "corrupting Indian influence".
In Assam, which is called the Gateway of the northeast, the situation remains volatile. United liberation front of Assam (ULFA)and other insurgent groups have killed more than 2 dozen peoples of Hindi origin. No one dares to defy the ULFA dictate of not to unfurl the tri-colour on Independence day.
A senior Indian government official says that the bulk of the violence is being inflicted by these insurgents, who have converted insurgency into a livelihood. The desire of the Indian Government to invest in the north-east is increasingly evident. All state departments have provisions to spend 10% of their budgets on the development of the region. But the development is nowhere to be seen. With no new industries coming up in the area due to militancy, more and more youths are treading the path of violence with one militant organization or the other. And the problem seems to be getting complex by each passing day.
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