KAMALABARI, Feb 17 — Majulials — the people of Majuli, the largest fresh water island on the earth, are now consolidating their unity more and more every passing moment to put up a rock-solid front in their campaign for securing the World Heritage Site status for their unique island, — which is the seat of Assamese Vaishnava culture and religion and a treasure house of diverse ethnicites. The campaign for securing the World Heritage Site status for Majuli is spearheaded by the Majuli Island Protection and Development Council (MIPADC), — an NGO headed by Dr Arun Kumar Sarma, MP. Dr Sarma is a senior leader of the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
Significantly, the working president of the MIPADC is Sri Rajiv Lochan Pegu, MLA who won the last byelection from Majuli Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) on a Congress ticket. In the State politics both the AGP and the Congress are known to be sworn enemies of each other. But in the case of Majuli, the situation is just the opposite. Sri Rajiv Lochan Pegu explained it thus, — “The problems (faced by Majuli and its people) are not earmarked for any particular party to fight out. These problems are faced by the entire Majulials. Hence, we must sink all our difference and unite to uphold the cause of our island.
“We have already sent our invitation to Union Minister Smt Bijoya Chakravorty and Smt Rani Narah, MP, to join our organisation as advisers. We have already received the consent of Smt Chakravorty and we are hopeful that Smt Narah will also oblige us with her consent to comply with our request,” Sri Pegu said. He also made an appeal to all the ethnic groups living in the island to put up a solid front for the purpose of securing the World Heritage Site status for Majuli.
Noted cultural activist and president of the Majuli Block Congress Charu Chandra Kakati also said, while talking to this correspondent, that the Majulials have sunk all their petty difference to make the campaign successful. To him, political allegiance can never forestall a campaign like securing World Heritage Site status for Majuli. Majulials always subscribe to this belief, he said. Besides, Sri Kakati said, Majulials take pride in identifying themselves with the campaign also for one more reason, —the campaign is aimed at providing an enviable status to Majuli — the core of State’s culture. It is worthmentioning here that Sri Kakati is the eldest son of renowned cultural activist and actor of yesteryears Late Bhola Dutta Kakati of Garamur Barsatra.
Majuli also provides an exotic mosaic of diverse ethnicism. Several colourful ethnic groups like the Misings, the Deoris, the Kacharis and the Naths and the Koches have been living here for centuries. The enthusiasm among these peoples to receive renowned conservationist Bruce Jefferies of UNESCO during his two-day visit to the island on February 12 and 13 was remarkable. Wherever Jefferies went — Major Deori, Sriram Deori or Jengraimukh, he confronted only one appeal — “Please use your good office to convince the UNESCO that Majuli be granted World Heritage Site status without any delay”. Noted academician and founder principal of Jengraimukh College, Indreswar Pegu while welcoming Mr Jefferies at Jengraimukh on February 13, said, “...we appeal that the UNESCO may kindly declare Majuli a World Heritage Site and provide it with all necessary help to preserve the excellent heritage of its people.”
Jefferies was so moved facing such univocal requests that he commented before a select gathering at the Majuli College, Kamalabari in the evening of February 13, “So many people spontaneously came out with the same plea. Nowhere I confronted such a situation before. “It is also striking that here people have sunk all their petty differences. I am impressed that two key politicians (Dr Sarma and Sri Pegu), despite being poles apart politically, are now sharing a common objective in terms of welfare of the people and conservation of the natural and cultural resources, values etc of the island,” Jefferies said.