8th - 10th May Majuli island

So on the 8th May, having hastily managed to finalise arrangements for a trek in the Ziro district of Arunachal Pradesh, which is north of Assam and bordering with China, I caught the last ferry of the day at 4pm to Majuli.

After a short car ride from Dharmendra, who had accompanied me to Sibsagar, we reached the jetty and then boarded the boat, where the commander of the vessel informed Dharmendra that the Chief Minister of Assam would be visiting Majuli island the next day. Hence there were a very large number of soldiers on board, rifles slung over their shoulders, and as the boat then filled with Indian families, the contrast between brightly coloured saris, a collection of vivid pinks, blues, greens and oranges and the dull pedestrian grey of military clothing was striking. The light faded more quickly than I'd anticipated, and a short while into the journey, some fishing boats came into view, seeking to make the final catch of the day on the mighty Brahmaputra river. The width of the river was staggering, and I gained a sense of how the banks may burst during periods of incessant rain, causing devastation on the plains beyond.

Gradually the soldiers' voices that had been quite strident at the outset became less so, almost as if they had been becalmed by the tranquility of envelopment in these serene waters, until only the soft chatter of the women's voices, the gentle hum of the vehicle's engine and children's voiced fascination with the men and their weapons could be heard.

Arriving at Majuli, a military vehicle took us to the bamboo cottage where I stayed, just a short distance away. The place consisted of around half a dozen bamboo rooms with attached bathrooms built on stilts, with a small area where the helpful owner and a few assistants provided meals and arranged trips. At night I slept under a mosquito net, watching small lizards clambouring up and down it, while the noise of the frogs in the surrounding area was extremely loud.

The following day I hired a guide to take me around the island. There are about five Vaishnavite Hindu temples on the island that are roughly 400 years old, some of which were patronised by the Ahom kings. The highlight was visiting Natun Namaguri Satra, a monastery where there there has been a tradition going back centuries of manufacturing masks for dance and drama. When I visited, the monks were apparently giving demonstrations elsewhere, which was a pity, as I would loved to have seen a performance, or had a chance to see these masks being manfactured.

The masks are skilfully made using paper, clay and cow dung, and are painted in vivid colours. A bamboo framework is first made, then strips of cloth dipped in clay are draped over the bamboo, before a blend of cow dung and clay provide the necessary depth and texture. Eventually vegetable dyes are applied to give character to the figures represented. Its a tradition that dates from the 17th Century.

The process of making masks

Narasimha, an avatar of Vishnu

In addition to the mask-making, an unexpected highlight of visiting Majuli was finding out more about the bamboo cottage owner's involvement in supporting Rengam, a women's co-operative society which provides training and employment to poor, unskilled women in weaving different fabrics to manufacture clothes. Visiting a communal loom and showroom / shop was an eye-opener. A social worker supporting the co-operative explained that when the Brahmaputra floods, a whole field's produce can be lost very quickly, and that the women can earn more per hour through weaving than working in the fields. Setting up the co-operative meant that the clothes were sold directly to consumers, which produced a much higher income than the traditional process whereby goods would be sold to a "middle man" who would take most of the profits.

The additional goals of the co-operative are to promote women's empowerment and leadership, particularly as some of the menfolk were not as supportive of their families as they might be, with alcohol dependency among some being of considerable concern. I was particularly struck by a bicycle wheel being used as a tool for spinning cloth, which seemed highly innovative.

The bamboo cottage owner was very pleased to support Rengam, and was equally pleased not to have accepted any state government funding in relation to it. Although such funding would have been available, he explained that local corruption would have meant bribes would need to have been paid to regional officials in the state capital, Guwahati, in order to access allocated government funding. How sad.

Communal fly shuttle loom

Fabric for weaving; items for sale

Woman spinning cloth on a bicycle wheel

Looking back I wish I had spent more time in Majuli, particularly in seeing how the members of Rengam co-operative engaged with the initiative on a day-to-day basis. The island itself is a lovely place, and sitting in the uncomfortably warm hired vehicle as I sped around with the guide, I would have loved to hire a bicycle and gone on a long ride through the lush green villages. Leaving the bamboo cottage for the last time and saying farewell to the owner was a sad experience.