Friday, 31 August 2012
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
Xatra artiste dies in penury :
Jorhat, Aug. 6: An artiste of Xattriya culture and Majuli’s first violinist, Khagen Mukhtiar, died of cancer at his home in Bali chapori here today. He was 72.
The former mukhtiar of Adi Elengi Xatra is survived by his wife and six sons.
Friday, 3 August 2012
Plea to make Majuli dossier error-free :
Jorhat, Aug. 2: Several organisations of Majuli and xatradhikars of well-known xatras
submitted memoranda to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pranab
Mukherjee, chief minister Tarun Gogoi and governor J.B Patnaik through
the Majuli SDO (civil) today.
Thursday, 2 August 2012
After deluge, Majuli faced with receding landmass :
Jorhat (Aug 1): After the deluge,
Majuli, the world’s largest inhabited river island and hub of
Vaishnavite culture, is now plagued by severe erosion. After the
Brahmaputra waters receded, erosion has taken a serious turn in recent
weeks, with the river gobbling up vast tracts of the island’s
already-receding landmass.
More than 500 families have already been rendered homeless in the
recent floods in Salmora area of the island. Massive siltation after the
flood has forced people of the area to shift their homes to other
locations. Residents of the area have already turned down the
government’s proposal to rehabilitate them at the chaporis of the island.
Floodwaters also entered the island through the breached section of
the embankment at Sonowal Kachari in Upper Majuli, inundating several
villages and threatening the existence of the island. Several areas of
west Majuli were also inundated in the floods. With the residents yet to
recover from the damage of the floods, they are now facing a fresh
threat from severe erosion at the island. The Brahmaputra is flowing
just 30 metres from the Bengena-ati Satra, one of the oldest in Majuli,
threatening its very existence.
According to local residents, severe erosion had been witnessed
during the recent weeks at Bamungaon, threatening Auniati and Natun
Kamalabari Satra too. Erosion has also been reported at Salmora,
Besamora, Puhordia, Palasani, Pokimari, Bhakat Chapori and Dakhinpat.
Majuli sub-divisional officer (civil) Sonaram Khanikar told Seven Sisters Post that
he had already informed his higher authorities about the erosion.
“Although the total area affected by erosion has not been ascertained,
about 300 families have been affected by the recent erosion. The
administration has already rehabilitated 56 families at Sakala Chapori
in Dakhin Ahatguri,” he said. He said that erosion had posed a greater
threat than the floods. “I have requested the Brahmaputra Board to start
work at the affected areas immediately. The situation may be brought
under control, if immediate measures are undertaken,” he said.
On the other hand, measures undertaken to protect Majuli from flood
and erosion by the Brahmaputra Board in Halmora and Besamora areas have
now affected the downstream areas of Mouchapori and Nimatighat. Due to
the protection measures undertaken in these areas, the Sumoimari stream
passing through Majuli has been blocked due to silt deposits. This led
to the flow of excess water through the main stream of the Brahmaputra.
Officials of the water resources department said that Sumoimari
stream carried more than one-third of the Brahmaputra waters. “Due to
excess flow of water through the main stream of the Brahmaputra passing
by Nimatighat, the stream has become deeper, bringing threat to
Mouchapori and Nimatighat areas,” officials said.
Although the water resources department has prepared a detailed
project report to protect Nimatighat and Mouchapori areas, delay in
sanction of the protection works has led to severe erosion in these
areas.
(News from Seven Sisters Post)
-Abakash Majuli
Brahmaputra perilously close to Majuli village - Island sends erosion SOS :
WASIM RAHMAN
 |
| A damaged house. Picture by UB Photos |
Jorhat, July 31:
The Majuli administration has sent out SOS calls to Dispur and the
Brahmaputra Board as massive erosion is threatening several villages
under different gaon panchayats on the island.
Sources in the Majuli sub-divisional
administration said Puhardia village under Kamalabari gaon panchayat was
the worst hit. The Brahmaputra, which was 500 metres away from the
village a few months ago, is now only about 200 metres away.
Majuli’s recent floods have augmented the
erosion because the rising water level softened the riverbank. Other
villages like Palasani, Pokimari, Sumai-mari, Bhakat Chapori and Sunia
Chapori under Kamalabari and Dakhin Kamalabari gaon panchayats have also
been severely affected, the sources said.
Erosion is also threatening the Bengenati and Auniati xatras, two of the oldest xatras
on the island. People of the affected areas are urging the
administration to take emergency steps to save their land and property.
Majuli sub-divisional officer (Civil) S.R. Khanikar told The Telegraph
that after visiting the affected areas, he has sent urgent messages to
the Brahmaputra Board and Dispur through the Jorhat district
administration. Khanikar said about 40 families of Puhurdia villages
have been badly affected.
The SDO said he has urged the Brahmaputra Board officials to immediately start work in the affected areas.
He said he has asked the board to lay
porcupine dampers on the riverbank in the affected areas and if work
begins immediately, the situation may be brought under control.
Khanikar said there was no need to
evacuate people from Puhardia as of now, but if the erosion continues
unabated, then such a step might have to be taken. Finding an
alternative site to shift the villagers would be a Herculean task
because land is scarce here, he added.
Erosion has left 2,097 families homeless.
These families have been living in makeshift camps on the banks for the
past 15 years, awaiting rehabilitation.
In the latest bout of floods, about 500
families lost their houses in the Salmora area of Majuli. Governor J.B.
Patnaik, during his visit to the island, had asked the administration to
relocate the families inside or outside the island. He had suggested
setting up 10 villages and rehabilitating 50 families in each village.
However, the administration has not been able to find land to relocate the families. Proposals to shift people to chaporis (sandbars) around the island are not accepted by the people, as chaporis are known to sink within a short interval of time.
(News from The Telegraph, Wednesday , August 1 , 2012 )
-Abakash Majuli
Neematighat awaits saviour :
SMITA BHATTACHARYYA
 |
| A boat at Neematighat |
Jorhat, July 31: The water
resources department here has prepared a proposal worth Rs 67 crore to
check the heavy erosion by the Brahmaputra at Neematighat on the
outskirts of Jorhat.
The proposal will be sent shortly to the Central Water Commission, New Delhi, for sanction.
“Investigations said erosion was particularly heavy near the ghat, making it difficult for the Majuli ferries to dock,” Robin Chandra Bora, executive engineer, water resources department, said.
The heavy erosion is because of the Brahmaputra hitting the bank at almost a 90-degree angle from the Besamora side.
“In the last couple of days, the erosion
has been less in the Neematighat area, but prior to that it was quite
heavy and ferries had to shift from one part to the other in order to
dock. However, the embankment protecting the town has not been eroded,”
Bora said.
Sources said the Brahmaputra, which had
earlier been flowing 200 metres away from the embankment, was now only
about 50 metres away, and if the embankment came under threat, Jorhat
town would be flooded.
“The Brahmaputra Board has given its
observations on a few technical issues and these are being incorporated
before sending it to the Central Water Commission for sanction,” he
said.
The proposal envisages a porcupine screen
downstream to divert the flow of the river and boulder pitching along
the bank, to prevent erosion.
The Neemati-Hatihal anti-erosion project in the area was completed four years ago at a cost of Rs 38 crore, but the bund now faces the threat of erosion.
Started in 1996, it comprises two
bullheads (pointed extensions of the spur) and three spurs, spread over a
13km stretch on the riverbank.http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6808711883118829693#editor/target=post;postID=1671445565893625111
A source in the department had earlier
said a piecemeal approach instead of an all-encompassing central plan
had resulted in the problem being diverted from one area to another.
The source also said there had been a
substantial increase of water pressure in the Brahmaputra channel
flowing by Neematighat, because of an increase in the volume of water in
the channel.
This was because of the anti-erosion
measures, which had been executed on the bank opposite Neematighat, on
the southern side of Majuli, in the past few years.
(News from The Telegraph, Wednesday , August 1 , 2012 )
-Abakash Majuli
Friday, 27 July 2012
Ramakrishna Mission takes up flood relief work in Majuli :
The Ramakrishna Mission (RKM)
has undertaken relief operation in certain flood affected
areas of Jorhat and Dibrugarh district of Assam.
The Mission authorities have distributed 5,000
tarpaulins among flood affected families of 76 villages in
Majuli Island and Gajimukh of Jorhat subdivision, the RKM said
in a statement here today.
In Tengabari village of Dibrugarh district, 256
affected families have been identified and relief materials
have been distributed among them.
Among the materials distributed are blankets, mosquito
net, lantern and utensils.
Volunteers of the Ramakrishna Seva Samity, Tinsukia,
helped the RKM monks engaged in this work.
(News from IBN Live)
-Abakash Majuli
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Majuli’s crack at heritage tag :
SMITA BHATTACHARYYA
|
| A sketch by artist Hem Chandra Goswami of the bridges being built in Majuli. Telegraph picture |
Jorhat, July 25: The Majuli
Cultural Landscape Management Authority is hoping that it will be fourth
time lucky for Majuli as the river island readies to make another
attempt to enter Unesco’s World Heritage Site list.
As the deadline for submission of a new
report by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in this regard draws
nearer, the authority is working on all fronts to ensure that Majuli
does not miss out this time. Upper Assam commissioner Syed Iftikar
Hussain — who is also the chief executive officer of the authority —
said GSV Suryanarayan Murthy — the conservation architect deputed by the
ASI to prepare and update the heritage dossier of Majuli — has been
asked to extensively interact with experts on Majuli’s culture and
history before submitting the dossier on September 30.
“This time we would like to see the
heritage and culture of Majuli properly presented, and Suryanarayan
Murthy has been asked to incorporate everything, which represents the
ethos of the freshwater island after talking to the people and
discussing with experts,” Hussain said.
“After going through the dossier there are
still many things which have not been put in and this gives the
impression that (the dossier) does not reflect the immense composite
culture that makes Majuli unique in itself,” he added.
According to Hussain, the island is
strewn with treasures. Lying buried among the treasures at Dakhinpat
Xatra — one of the oldest xatras in Majuli — is a wooden
contraption, which tells time. It consists of a wooden bowl filled with
water, which seeps down in drops. A class of people selected by the king
would tell the time using this device. This water in the bowl would
last for two months.
“Similarly, there is an earthen lamp that
is said to be burning in the sanctum sanctorum of the Garmur Xatra for
more than 300 years now and there is an array of kharams (wooden slippers) made of marble or wood worn by the xatradhikars
and heads of the monasteries. All this and more reflects the culture
and heritage of the island and should be brought to light,” Hussain
said. Hem Chandra Goswami — the renowned mask maker of Samaguri Xatra —
has proposed to adorn the pillars of all the under-construction bridges
on the island with figures from Hindu mythology. This proposal will also
be forwarded to the government. Goswami has been asked to compile or
make miniatures of all the artefacts and elements that reflect the
essence of Majuli. Before the dossier is submitted a meeting will be
held with experts on the culture and heritage of Majuli and the people
of the island so that nothing is missed out, Hussain said.
Murthy, the man who is preparing the
dossier, represents the Hyderabad-based consultancy firm M/S Kshetra,
which provides consultancy services in matters of preserving heritage
sites/buildings and architectural planning. He had made a case for
Majuli in June this year at Unesco’s 36th session in Russia, but the
largest river island of Asia was denied the World Heritage Site tag for
the third time.
-Abakash Majuli
Article on indigenous pottery culture of SALMORA -the heritage of Majuli :
by Dr. Pitambar DevGoswami (Sattradhikar, Auniati Sattra, Majuli).
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Sattradhikar dead :
The 'sattradhikar' (head
priest) of Majuli's Ahotoguri Borsattra, Bhoben Narayan Dev
Goswami died in the Vaishnav monastery today.
He was 86, monastery sources said.
He was head of one of the oldest sattras in Majuli,
which is the world's largest river island and seat of Vaishnav
culture. The monastery was established in the 15th century by
Madhavdeva, a disciple of Sankardeva who was the founder of
Vaishnavism in Assam.
The sattraadhikar was later cremated within the sattra
premises, sources added.
(News from IBN live )
-Abakash Majuli
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Friday, 20 July 2012
Flood of relief materials in Majuli :
| - NGOs in queue as administration tackles ‘heartening’ response |
|
Jorhat, July 19: Managing the flood
was hard, but controlling the overwhelming response in terms of relief
is not proving to be a cakewalk either for the Jorhat district
administration.
As the floods hit Majuli island twice
within a span of less than 20 days — on June 25 and July 15 — the Majuli
sub-divisional and Jorhat district administrations tackled the problem
by setting up relief camps, providing relief to the victims and taking
measures to prevent the spread of water-borne disease. But now the
administration is confronted with the task of managing the rush of
relief material for the flood-hit victims.
Relief materials, worth nearly Rs 1 crore,
have already been distributed. The administration has now asked a few
organisations, which have come forward to help people affected by the
second wave of floods, to wait for a few days.
More than one lakh people have been hit by
the two waves of floods but the intensity of the second wave has been
less than the first one with only about 10 villages under Luitporia gaon
panchayat being affected. No relief camp has been set up this time, as
houses were not submerged.
Jorhat deputy commissioner R.C. Jain told The Telegraph
here today that the response from various groups, including
international organisations, for the flood-affected people of Majuli was
“very heartening”. He said over 20 organisations had contributed in a
big way. Many local groups had also contributed on a lower scale, he
added.
“Altogether Rs 1 crore worth of relief
materials given by NGOs has already been distributed to the flood-hit
people of Majuli and many are still coming forward. We are requesting
them to wait a few days to let those organisations who are distributing
relief material at present to complete their work,” Jain said.
He said as news of parts of Majuli getting
submerged was splashed in the media, his office got offers of
assistance from various organisations and agencies. The administration
had to make plans to allot and guide the organisations in distributing
relief materials in the affected areas.
Some of the top donors are Ramkrishna
Mission, Belur Math, which distributed relief materials worth about Rs
25 lakh, the International Red Cross Society, which gave shelter kits
worth about Rs 20 lakh, the Rotary Club of Jorhat, which distributed
kits (each kit having 52 items) worth Rs 15 lakh, ONGC, which handed
over materials worth Rs 4 lakh, the Upper Assam Chamber of Commerce,
which distributed materials worth Rs 3 lakh, Supreme Master (Ching Hai),
which distributed materials worth Rs 3 lakh, and the Thengal Kachari
Autonomous Council, which gave materials worth Rs 3 lakh.
Majuli sub-divisional officer (civil) S.R.
Khanikar said at least six organisations have been requested to wait
for a few days so that there was no overlapping in the distribution of
the relief materials.
-Abakash Majuli
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