Majuli remembers Sanjoy Ghose a decade and half later

Guwahati, July 4 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday announced an ad hoc support of Rs. 500-crore for flood-hit Assam. He added that the Centre would decide on the exact financial support for the State after the Central team, which has reached the State to make an assessment of the damage, submitted its report.

Before announcing the relief fund, he made an aerial inspection of the flood-affected areas along with United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. "The people of Assam are facing one of the worst floods in recent times. These floods have led to loss of lives and have inflicted considerable damage to crops, embankments, roads, and other infrastructure," he said.

The 'worst' situation in the mainland regions of the state is still better than the devastation faced by the world's largest riverine island - Majuli which, every day, is a step closer to losing its very existence. The recent floods have submerged seventy villages completely, washing away thirty others. In the town of Jorhat, all ferry ghats were closed for days, cutting off the only access to Majuli.

Over 75,000 island residents are estimated to be camping in makeshift shelters. The temporary displacement is the least of their concerns; finding their land unfit for cultivation on return if the rains don't stop soon is foremost.

Majuli has been living with this fear for several years now and nothing "effective" has been done to save the island from the rage of the great Brahmaputra River. Majuli had a total area of 1,250 square kilometres (483 sq mi), but having lost significantly to erosion, it had an area of merely 421.65 square kilometres (163 sq mi) in 2001.

Of the many 'if-only' thoughts haunting the 1.6 lakh residents of Majuli Island today perhaps a significant one is 'If only Sanjoy Ghose was alive today'. But that is a hope extinguished fifteen years ago, on this day (July 4), with his abduction and murder by ULFA militants, on the very island that he struggled to save from obliteration.

Sanjoy Ghose, a young development worker who travelled and researched extensively in the region, was acutely aware of the threats and set up base, in April 1996, on the flood-ravaged impoverished island of Majuli along with a promising team of seven committed colleagues under the aegis of AVARD-NE (Association of Voluntary Agencies for Rural Development - North-East). He chose to work in this peculiar geography because, to him, the erosion of Majuli will mean more than the loss of land, or of livelihood - Sanjoy knew it will mark the extinction of a way of life.

With his experience of nine years in rural Rajasthan, Sanjoy chose the earthy approach to work in this part of the country where the ecological vulnerability of the people was intensified by the lack of infrastructure, with no interest shown by the government or the local politicians.

Sanjoy always believed in empowering the communities so that they can act as a vector of change for the benefit of society. But Majuli taught him that the conventional definition of the word 'development' doesn't always apply; for with such serious infrastructural problem, how are people going to generate the confidence to be innovative?

The task was difficult but AVARD- NE's determination towards the community was evident during the course of their flood relief work, which in turn earned them the love, and cooperation of the islanders. The turning point came in February 1997, when more than 30,000 man-days of labour were volunteered by the community, and an experimental stretch of 1.7 kilometers was protected from erosion using local wisdom and resources. The following year, this protected stretch of the island survived the floods, raising hopes and sending ripples of triumph through the people.

The team's effort was not simply to stop erosion, but also generate a sense of local participation and interest, and create a belief that something can be done, even on a small scale. For the first time, communities came together to save their land.

Shortly after, the achievement of self-reliance and sense of community ownership generated insecurity among those who had been benefiting from status quo. That resulted in Sanjoy's abduction and killing by the ULFA militants. It has been fifteen years of lost hope. Since then, no efforts have succeeded in saving the island from erosion.

The Charkha Development Communication network, which is striving to further the ideals of late Sanjoy Ghose, feels that with every year's floods swallowing the land of Majuli, the easiest thing for the government to do is give away some more funds and relocate the people.

Looking for sustainable steps that can save Majuli from annihilation, are yet to feature on the agenda. By Chetna Verma (ANI)