Ode to Majuli

1995, early summers in Assam. As a tele journo of sorts at that time, I happened to go to the river island - Majuli. It's claim to fame is that it is the largerst riverine island in the world. 20 kms off the town of Jorhat, the only way to reach it is by a ferry ride on the river Brahmaputra. I was going there to do a TV story on how erosion of the island was threatening its very existence. The concern was compounded by the fact that the island was the seat of Satriya culture that is unique to Assam. The Satras there are a microcosm of the religious ideology of the great Assamese medieval Vaisnavite Saint Sankardeva & Madhavdeva. (For more on Majuli visit http://www.majuli.org/)
We drove from Guwahati to Jorhat. In Jorhat, we halted for the night at the Circuit house. Early next morning, we set out for Nimati Ghat on the outskirts of Jorhat from where we were to board a ferry to Majuli. My heart skipped several beats when I discoverd that the ambassador car that we were traveling in would also make its maiden ferry ride with us. Two startegically placed wooden planks served as the bridge for the car to board the ferry. Needless to mention, the TV equipment, the amby & a girl with this motley set up was enough fodder for the locals to ponder and stare at us.
Packed to its gills with people and stuff that was ferried to & fro from the town to the island, the motor launch then made its way across the muddy, swirling waters of the mighty Brahmaputra. A clear sky, sunny, humid and warm air tinged with a smell of the river and the morning catch of fish added to my excitement. I was like a sponge, ready to absorb whatever lay ahead of me. After a ride that took less than an hour, we reached the banks of Majuli. Some more excitement followed the de-boarding of the car. Then, off we went in the car, driving through embankments. Either side of the embankment was flanked by paddy fields punctuated by neat bamboo houses on stilts.
We put up in a guest house with one of the Satras. It was a great learning for me to discover the Satriya culture, the NGOs struggling to reverse the process of erosion, the unique way of life in the island and most of all a peep into the lives of the Mishing folks. I fondly recall how I was fed a meal of boiled rice & fresh fish curry (that still had some remnants of where it had come from). The family watched me eat, as I sat on the floor of the bamboo house on stilts through which I could see the turbid water gently flowing. I was pleasantly surprised to learn of how aware the people were of the effects of the erosion and how they were partnering with the NGOs to save their part of the planet they called home.
4 glorious days of discovery, brilliant shots of the island, scary footage of land eroding and slipping away into the swirling waters, colourful canvas of the Mishing handlooms, whispers of the nexus between ultras, government & traders, glorious images of the Satras the Deos (monks) and their life.....there have been very few experiences post this, that have matched up to my discovery of Majuli.