Red River and Blue Hills

Transcription

1 Chapter 2 Red River and Blue Hills

2 Chapter 2 Red River and Blue Hills 2.1 Introduction: The state of Assam, lying on the north eastern frontier of the country acts like a gateway to the North Eastern region of India. Geographically, the state lies between N to N and E to E (see Map 2.1). The state shares its border with all the seven sister states of North East, viz. Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh, as well as with that of West Bengal. The state also forms a part of India s international boundary with Bangladesh and Bhutan. The heavily silt laden Brahmaputra, winding its way through the breadth of Assam looks reddish because of high sedimentation and is thus called Lauhitya (meaning red in local language). From a distance, the snow capped Himalaya of Arunachal Pradesh and the heavily forested mountains of Meghalaya simmer, giving the Assamese horizon a blue haze. This is why; the state is called the land of Red River and Blue Hills. Red River and Blue Hills 23

3 Map 2.1: Assam: Location, Settings and Administrative Divisions Red River and Blue Hills 24

4 Map 2.2: Assam, 1950 During colonial times, the whole of North East, except the princely states of Manipur and Tripura were a part of a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Assam province (see Map 2.2). The present day Arunachal Pradesh was a separately administered part of Assam, and was called North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). Since independence, most of the ethnic groups of Assam have, in subsequent stages, been given the status of statehood (see Map 2.3). This is in line with the constitutional provision of giving full expression to the diverse social, cultural and linguistic groups of the country. Red River and Blue Hills 25

5 Map 2.3: Assam, 2011 The present day state boundary of the state was formed in 1972, when Meghalaya was created as a separate state. Dispur, within the Kamrup Metropolitan District serves as the administrative capital of the state and is also the biggest as well as the most important urban centre of North East India. In total, the state of Assam has 27 districts that serve as administrative divisions. The Brahmaputra carries a very high sediment load and thus, its course becomes braided. This has given rise to many anabranches of the river, and correspondingly many islands between the Brahmaputra and its anabranches. One such island is Majuli. Majuli is the most populated riverine island in the world and the largest riverine island in India. Red River and Blue Hills 26

6 Culturally, it is home to the Vaishanavite tradition of Hinduism as propagated by Shankar Deb in Assam in the 16 th century. The state of Assam, thus, is culturally diverse land, situated on the south of the Eastern Himalayas, and nestled by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. 2.2 Physiography Geologically, the state can be divided into three structural regions, viz. the alluvial plains of Brahmaputra and Barak, the plateau region of Karbi Anglong, and the Tertiary Era Mountains of North Cachar Hills (see Map 2.4). The three divisions of Assam are explained below: Map 2.4: Physiography of Assam Red River and Blue Hills 27

7 2.2.1 The Brahmaputra and Barak Plains The valleys of Brahmaputra and Barak form the agriculturally rich alluvial plains of Assam. The Brahmaputra originates from the Chema-Yung-Dung glacier of Tibet and enters Assam near Pasighat. From here, it covers the entire breadth of Assam till Dhubri, after which it enters Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra valley in Assam is nearly 80 to 100 Km wide and 720 Km in length Plateau Region The Meghalaya plateau has a north eastern extension in the state of Assam in the form of Karbi Anglong plateau. Karbi Anglong is thus the eastern most part of the peninsular plateau of India North Cachar Hills The North Cachar Hills are the Fold Mountains formed as a result of Tertiary depositions during Himalayan uplift. These hills comprise the highest range in Assam-the Barail range, from where the Barak River originates. 2.3 Climatic Characteristics Assam s climate can be categorised as Tropical Monsoon Climate, which is represented by the symbol Am in Koppen s classification. The state receives high precipitation during the monsoon season. The summers are warm and long and the winters are short but cool. The month wise average rainfall and average temperature for Guwahati is given below in Table 1. Red River and Blue Hills 28

8 Table 2.1: Average Temperature and Rainfall for Guwahati, Assam Temperature (in 0 C) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Rainfall (in mm) Source: IMD, 2006 The above data has been shown in the form of a Climate Graph in figure 2.1. Figure 2.1: Climate Graph for Guwahati, Assam 2.4 Demography Linguistically, ethnically, culturally, and racially, Assam has a diversity of human population. As per 2011 census, total population of Assam was 31,169,272. The total population of the state has increased from 26,638,407 to 31,169,272 (see Table 2.2, Figure 2.6) in the last ten years with a growth rate of 16.93%. The sex-ratio was 958 females for 1000 males (see Table 2.3, and Figure 2.7), and the literacy rate was 72.19% (see Table 2.4, Figure 2.8). The population density was recorded at 398 persons/km 2 (see Table 2.5, Figure 2.9). Red River and Blue Hills 29

9 In terms of religion, Hindus are the dominant group in Assam, comprising about 64.89% of the state s population (2001 Census). The Muslims with 30.92% population are the second largest group in Assam (2001 Census). In terms of language, the indigenous linguistic group is Assamese. However, in the Barak valley, and in parts of Western Assam close to West Bengal, Bengali is more predominant. Other major language groups include Hindi, Bodo, Santhali, Manipuri, and Marwari. Table 2.2: District-wise population by Sex in Assam, 2011 Population District Geographical Area (in Km 2 ) Persons Male Female Baksa Barpeta Bongaigaon Cachar Chirang Darrang Dhemaji Dhubri Dibrugarh Dima Hasao Goalpara Golaghat Hailakandi Jorhat Kamrup Red River and Blue Hills 30

10 District Geographical Area (in Km 2 ) Population Persons Male Female Kamrup Metropolitan Karbi Anglong Karimganj Kokrajhar Lakhimpur Marigaon Nagaon Nalbari Sibsagar Sonitpur Tinsukia Udalguri Assam Source: Census of India, 2011 Red River and Blue Hills 31

11 Map 2.5: District-wise Population of Assam, 2011 Red River and Blue Hills 32

12 Table 2.3: District-wise Sex-ratio in Assam, 2011 Sex Ratio Districts Total Rural Urban Kokrajhar Dhubri Goalpara Barpeta Marigaon Nagaon Sonitpur Lakhimpur Dhemaji Tinsukia Dibrugarh Sibsagar Jorhat Golaghat Karbi Anglong Dima Hasao Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Bongaigaon Chirang Kamrup Kamrup M Nalbari Baksa Darrang Udalguri Assam Source: Census of India, 2011 Red River and Blue Hills 33

13 Map 2.6: Sex Ratio of Assam, 2011 Red River and Blue Hills 34

14 Table 2.4: District-wise Literacy Rate in Assam, 2011 Literacy Rate Districts Persons Male Female Kokrajhar Dhubri Goalpara Barpeta Marigaon Nagaon Sonitpur Lakhimpur Dhemaji Tinsukia Dibrugarh Sibsagar Jorhat Golaghat Karbi Anglong Dima Hasao Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Bongaigaon Chirang Kamrup Kamrup M Nalbari Baksa Darrang Udalguri Assam Source: Census of India, 2011 Red River and Blue Hills 35

15 Map 2.7: Literacy Rate in Assam, 2011 Red River and Blue Hills 36

16 Table 2.5: District-wise Population Density in Assam, 2011 (Persons per Sq. Km) Districts Total Rural Urban Kokrajhar Dhubri Goalpara Barpeta Marigaon Nagaon Sonitpur Lakhimpur Dhemaji Tinsukia Dibrugarh Sibsagar Jorhat Golaghat Karbi Anglong Dima Hasao Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Bongaigaon Chirang * (Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta) Kamrup Kamrup Metropolitan * (Kamrup) Nalbari Baksa (Barpeta, Kamrup and Nalbari) * Darrang Udalguri * (Darrang and Sonitpur) Assam Source: Census of India, 2011 Red River and Blue Hills 37

17 Map 2.8: Population Density in Assam, 2011 Red River and Blue Hills 38

18 2.5 Economy The economy of Assam is largely dependent on Agriculture. According to the estimates released by Assam Economic Survey, , almost 70% of the state s population are dependent on agriculture, but agriculture contributes about 21.3% of the state Gross Domestic Product. The industrial sector contributes about 21.27% and the Service Sector contributes almost 57.5% of the State GDP. The state of Assam showed a growth rate of 5.87% in the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Rice is the major agricultural crop of the region and is grown through intensive subsistence agriculture. On the other end of the spectrum, tea is grown in Plantation basis on the foothills of Assam s mountains. Assam is the largest tea growing region in the world and according to an estimate, the yield of tea here is approximately 1.5 million pounds (about 680,400 Kg). Assam is also rich in fossil fuels and contains about a quarter of India s oil and produces about 12% of domestic production. Digboi in Upper Assam was the first oil field of India. 2.6 Study Area: Majuli Situated on the River Brahmaputra in the Indian state of Assam, and inscribed as a Cultural Heritage Site, Majuli is a large and one of the most populated river islands in the world covering an area approximately 584 Km 2 and home to 167,304 persons (Census of India, 2011). Majuli lies between latitudes N and N; and longitudes E and E. It is formed when an anabranch of Brahmaputra, locally called Kherkutti Xuti or River Luhit separates from the main river, moves north, travels almost 100 Km as a separate river and finally merges back with the main river near Golaghat district. Red River and Blue Hills 39

19 2.6.1 Physiography Lying between the main channel of Brahmaputra and its anabranch, Luhit; Majuli is an immensely flat land with little or no slope in most parts of the island. The flat nature of Majulian topography is evident from a Digital Elevation Model of Majuli shown in Map 2.9. Source: Data Derived from Remote Sensing Images of USGS Map 2.9: Digital Elevation Model; Majuli Red River and Blue Hills 40

20 2.6.2 Drainage Being a river island, the topography of Majuli is overwhelmingly dominated by water. A large part of the island is criss-crossed by numerous streams of Brahmaputra that originate from the main river and then meets Brahmaputra again. The land formed between such small streams of Brahmaputra and the main channel of Brahmaputra is called char or chapoori (Goswami, 1985). A drainage map of Majuli is given in Map Source: Data Derived from Remote Sensing Images of Map 2.10: Drainage Basin; Majuli Red River and Blue Hills 41

21 2.6.3 Climatic Characteristics Like the rest of Assam, Majuli falls within tropical climatic zone, but being surrounded by water bodies on all sides, it has a moderate climate. Majuli has a cool spring season fron March-April, a warm summer season from May-August, a pleasant autumn season from September-October, and a cold winter season from November-February. Most of the rainfall in Majuli is of monsoon origin and falls between April-September. The total rainfall is upto 230 cm (IMD, 2006) annually : Demography According to the 2011 Census of India, Majuli has a population of 167,304 persons distributed among 243 villages. There is no urban area in Majuli. The basic population data of Majuli is given Table 2.6 and 2.7. Table 2.6: Majuli: Basic Population Data Geographical Area (in Km 2 ) Total Population Male Population Female Population Rural Population Urban Population Majuli ,304 85,566 81, Source: Census of India, 2011 Table 2.7: Literacy in Majuli Literate Population Literacy Rate Persons Male Female Persons Male Female Source: Census of India, : Society and Culture Majuli is multi-ethnic, yet an immensely mono-cultural society. Shankerdeb, the famous 15 th century religious reformer of Assam started the Vaishnavite cult, also called neo- Red River and Blue Hills 42

22 Vaishnavism on the island, which later spread to the whole of Assam. Vaishnav cult in Hinduism in India is the worship of Lord Vishnu and his reincarnation in the form of Lord Krishna. A similar cult of Shiva worship is called Shaivism and the two cults have existed in every Hindu society. Shankardeb in 15 th century introduced monastic elements and monotheism in Assamese society and called this new philosophy Ek Sarna Hari Naam Dharma, literally meaning Complete Surrender to One God (Choudhury, 2011). This one God according to Shankardeb is Lord Vishnu, and hence the new religious philosophy associated with Shankardeb came to be called neo-vaishnavism. Neo- Vaishnavism is different to other forms of Vaishnavism in three respects : Economy The economy of Majuli is primarily dependent on agriculture. Being a totally rural area, there are no industries, and only a few big shops in the villages of Garamur and Kamlabari. The occupational structure of the island is given in Table 2.8 Table 2.8: Occupational Structure Categories Population Population in Percentage Total Population Total workers Main workers Cultivators Agricultural labourers Household industry workers Other workers Marginal workers Cultivators Agricultural labourers Household industry workers Other workers Non-workers Source: Census of India, 2011 Red River and Blue Hills 43

23 2.7 Conclusion Assam thus happens to be the most accessible of India s Northeast States. The archetypal Assamese landscape is a picturesque golden-green vista of seemingly endless rice fields and manicured tea estates, framed in the distance by the hazy blue mountains of Arunachal in the north and the highlands of Meghalaya in the south. The state is fed by the rivers Brahmaputra, Barak and their tributaries which bring agriculturally rich alluvial soil to the plains of Assam. The mosaic of culture involves people of diverse religion, various ethnicities, and different languages forming an Assamese identity. Economically, Assam is dependent on agriculture, but recently, the focus is shifting away from agricultural sector and towards service sector. Red River and Blue Hills 44

24 References Census of India, 2001 Census of India, 2011 Choudhury, R.N. (2011). Shankardeva s Philosophy of Religion in Srimanta Shankardeva and his Philosophy, Barua G (Eds.). Nagaon: Srimanat Shankardeva Sangha Directorate of Economic Survey, Government of Assam, 2014 Goswami, D. (2008). Managing the Wealth and Woes of the River Brahmaputra. Ishani, Vol. 2, No. 4 Indian Meteorological Department (2006). Guwahati Weather Station Report Red River and Blue Hills 45