Life on India’s Floating Village | Northeast India | Loktak Lake | Manipur

In the Northeast of India, you get to see a very unique thing. A ring made of grass floating on a lake. But it's not just one. There are many such rings here. Which are spread out in every corner of this beautiful lake. But the amazing thing is that these floating rings are settled on grass islands. There are houses too. In which these people have been living their lives on water for years. Anyway, it is certain that you have not seen anything like this. Because there is no such lake anywhere else in the world. And as soon as you see it, the question arises that how did this grass come to this lake? And why doesn't it drown? Is all this natural? And to find the answers to all these questions. And to understand the life that floats on these islands. I have come to this unique and beautiful place. This is the Loktak Lake of Manipur, India. Loktak Lake spread over 250 square kilometers. It is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India. Which spreads over more than 500 square kilometers in the area as soon as the monsoon arrives. But what makes it the most special is the floating grass islands on it. Which are called Fumdi. But to understand them, you have to come above them and see them. So now the Fumdi that was visible from above are going in between them. And now looking from below, it is not at all known whether it is a ring or what. It just looks like normal grass. But from above it is known that it is a ring. That's why it will look like a drone. So I am standing on this Fumdi. And look at this, it moves like this. It is floating, that is, the entire landmass of grass is floating like this. If you walk on it, it feels like a drop like this. And there are houses built here on the land of this Fumdi. And this is completely natural. All the Fumdis, all the vegetation, all the landmasses of grass floating in Loktak Lake are all natural. And here you get to see such a unique natural phenomenon. It is very beautiful. Whatever Fumdi you are seeing here is only 20% of it. Because actually more than 80% of Fumdi is hidden inside the water. Fumdi is made naturally and it does not have any fixed shape. But the round rings of Fumdi that you can see, are made by the local people here. These people cut the Fumdi and give it the shape of a ring or circle. So that it is easy for them to fish. And such specially made Fumdi is called Attapam. But if Fumdi is natural, then the question is how is it made? Actually, Fumdi is a kind of floating mat or mat. Which is made by mixing organic things like grass, soil and dry plants. Because when Fumdi is made from the layers of these organic things, then some air pockets are also formed inside them, which help it to float. But the most surprising thing is that an entire village is settled on this floating Fumdi. And I am going to that floating village right now. But to go there, it takes an hour from the nearest road or mainland. Because the village is in the middle of the lake. And there is only one way to go, a boat. In fact, the way to go is not easy. Because these floating Fumdi keep changing their place. And also block the way. So sometimes to get out of their way, they are pushed with the help of a boat or bamboo. And many times after clearing the way, this beautiful floating village comes. See what kind of land they are living on. And this is the whole land of the floating village on which the whole village is settled. So many houses are built. And by going inside these houses, I am finding out how these people live and how their life is going on here. There are only a few houses in this floating village. Which is disconnected from the whole world. Neither any direct electricity reaches here, nor any pipeline. So now you are seeing the whole house. The whole house is made of bamboo. And the whole base below is also made of bamboo. Then they have put wood on top of the bamboo. So the reason for laying bamboo below is that bamboo can float. That's why they have used bamboo in the foundation of the whole house. So it's all tied up like this. There is no hole, just a knot is tied. This is such a temporary structure of the whole house. Just by tying a knot like this, such a big house has been built. In which there is a kitchen. This whole bedroom is ready. And there is a hall in the middle where people sit. The people who live in these houses are from the Meitei community. And they understand the local language here. So it was a little difficult for me to talk to them. A little Hindi, a little Hindi. No, not Hindi at all. English, English. No English. And what is that in front? This, this. What, what? Fish? To cook fish? That's why I had to ask the guide for some things. What is this? I was asking. This is the fish. The fish will sit on it and then it will light the fire. What is it called in Hindi? Is it for cooking fish? Not for cooking fish. The fish will put the fish on it, light the fire and dry it like this. Is it to dry the fish? So that it doesn't spoil for a long time. You can store the fish. Yes, yes, store it. Now this place may be cut off from the world. But everything is available here for the need. And here, this is the kitchen behind me. Where they have kept a good stove. Otherwise they also use a wood stove. This is the stove. These cylinders also come through the boat. The gas also reaches them like this. And there are some batteries kept there, which are charged from the solar panel. It delivers electricity to this village. Now they can't keep heavy furniture on this foundation. That's why they have a solution for the bed too. So this is their bed. They have put bamboo on it. And they have made a wooden frame on it. The bed is also made of bamboo. So they sleep on bamboo. And there is a mattress on it. I understood everything about living here. But where does the drinking water come from here? So here people use lake water for drinking water. In which they use a kind of chemical, some medicine. They put it in water and stir it. They take it out and leave the water like this. And then that water becomes drinkable. That is, the drinking water is cleaned and drunk in this way. Actually, this is alum or Phitkari. By putting it in water, all the dirt of the water sits down. And the water becomes clean to an extent. So in a way, it is the same lake water that is being used for drinking. Whether it is being used for bathing or for cooking. And the water for cooking is a kind of lake water. They only clean the drinking water with this. So this is how the water here runs. And there is also a toilet next to the house. Which is a kind of bio-digester toilet. Which has been installed by an NGO in these houses. So that the lake can be saved from getting dirty. Life is going on here with many such arrangements. And one solution is also to walk on this muddy land. You can see that a whole bamboo stick has been put here. And a street has been made by placing many such bamboo sticks. So that you can walk on it with your feet. Because it is moving completely. It is floating completely. And it is also difficult for me to stand. This is the kind of land. And people are living here. I don't know how. How difficult it is to walk on this. You will know when I fall. It is one thing to live on Fumdi. But what will happen if there is a flood here? Will this Fumdi always float? There is also an answer to these questions. But before that, I have to tell you something important. I have to tell you something. I have to manage a lot of things alone while traveling alone. From shoot to travel, all the small and big tasks. And sometimes it becomes very difficult to do everything alone. Just like when you have to start a startup or a business. In the beginning, it becomes very difficult to manage everything alone. But now UDU can make that management easy. Which is a business management platform. Where you can easily get a smart app to do all the business work. Whether you have to make your e-commerce website. Or to sell products from that website, you have to do their marketing. And after the sale, you have to generate invoices. They can manage everything from the same place from UDU's app. And even being alone, they can manage the business like a team. And the best thing is that UDU grows with our growth. That's why you can use any one of their business apps for free for a lifetime. And later if the business grows, you can take all-app subscription. Then to grow the business, you have to try UDU. The water of Loktak Lake never remains the same. In fact, all these fountains do not always float. Because Loktak Lake is a shallow or less deep lake. So in the dry season, the depth of the water becomes very low. Then the base of the fountain sits on the lake bed. In fact, it is also necessary to sit on the ground. Because in the same way, it keeps getting fresh by absorbing nutrients from the soil. Then when the rainy season comes, the water of the lake increases. And the fountain starts floating again. And this cycle keeps running again and again. In the same way, the fountain of Loktak Lake takes care of its unique ecosystem. And makes the world's only floating lake. But if you are surprised to see the houses built on these fountains. Then there is one more miracle left for them. Because there is also such a big fountain in Loktak Lake. On which there is a national park. This is Kaibul Lamjao National Park. On a 40 square kilometer fountain. The world's only floating national park. You can't go inside it, but you can see it from a distance. Although many animals live in this park. But there is also a species of deer here. Which is not found anywhere else in the world. Sangai Deer This beautiful deer is also a state animal of Manipur. This was about the fountain. But there are also many species of fish in Loktak Lake. And fishing here is an important part of the lives of the people living on these floating islands. And the way of catching fish in this unique lake is also unique. The fountain from which these people make the ring. A net is also installed all around it. And this fish net is taken all the way down to the depth of the lake. And after a few hours, all the fish in this ring get stuck in this net. And then many people pull the net together and take it out. From which thousands of fish come out. Which are of different sizes and types. Then all these fish are sold in the city's fish market. And in the same way, the people living on the floating village have a livelihood. This is the only source of income for some people. Therefore, to maintain the population of fish in the lake, Fishers Union reduces fishing during breeding season. Until I saw Loktak Lake with my own eyes, I was not only unaware of this place. But I was also unaware that there is such a place in the world. There are such floating islands on a lake. On whose land it is difficult to walk, there are houses on it. Undoubtedly, it is impossible to happen without the co-operation of nature and man. Imagine if this house was made of concrete instead of bamboo. Or to make this land hard, it would have been replaced with cement and stone. So maybe Loktak Lake would have lost its real beauty. But the people here have changed themselves instead of changing the lake. Because of this, life goes on here even in such difficult conditions. Because maybe these people understand that nature is not ours. Rather, we are of nature.