The devastating floods that have caused widespread destruction across Upper Assam have left lakhs of people facing an uncertain future. Many are still hesitant to return to their homes, while those whose houses have been washed away are struggling to figure out where they will live.
For those who have returned, the ordeal is far from over. Several houses remain submerged in thick layers of mud, with cleaning a single room reportedly costing thousands of rupees. Beds, wardrobes, mattresses, furniture and other household belongings have either been swept away by the floodwaters or buried under sludge outside homes.
Amid the despair and destruction, however, the floods have also brought to the fore a powerful message of communal harmony.
In several flood-affected areas of Sivasagar, people have set aside religious and social divisions to help one another. Attempts over the years to create mistrust and divide communities along Hindu-Muslim lines appear to have been overshadowed by acts of solidarity during the crisis.
One striking example has emerged from Kenduguri Mosque in Sivasagar, where Hindu and Muslim families took shelter together during the floods. The mosque was opened to everyone, including women, despite the customary restrictions on women’s entry into mosques in many parts of the country.
At the Jaisagar Tiniali Mosque, the entrance was opened to allow nearby Hindu residents to park their vehicles. For nearly a week, local resident Anchauddin Bora reportedly served homemade tea to Hindu and Muslim families taking shelter along the roadside.
Members of the Rangghar Chariali Mosque youth group also provided dinner to more than a thousand people from different communities who were stranded along the roadside. Young volunteers from Dhuliyapar and Disiyal villages distributed relief materials among flood victims irrespective of their religious identity.
Hussain Mansuri brought around 10 truckloads of food supplies from Mumbai and distributed them among Hindu and Muslim families. He also travelled by small boats to deliver cooking utensils, including large vessels and pans, to affected communities.
The relief effort has also drawn participation from people outside the region. Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda, who was staying in Sivasagar, personally served food to flood victims taking shelter at the Sivasagar railway station along with a group of Sikh youths. He also waded through waist-deep mud to reach affected households and distribute relief.
Assamese artists have also joined the relief operations. Popular singer and artist Manas Robin, along with Anupam Saikia and several other artistes, visited flood-hit areas including Nimaijan and Betbari, walking through muddy and waterlogged stretches to distribute relief supplies.
AIUDF president and MLA Badruddin Ajmal arranged a large team of doctors to provide medical services to more than a thousand flood victims in Rudrasagar, where there were reportedly no Muslim beneficiaries. Ajmal personally supervised the medical relief operation.
He also visited the home of Jagat Hazarika in Rudrasagar, where he had lunch and offered Maghrib prayers. Ajmal reportedly spent around Rs 5 crore on relief activities, including cash assistance and essential supplies.
Students of a dini madrasa near the Dikhouw Bridge in Sivasagar have also been working around the clock, unloading and carrying sacks of rice, pulses and other relief materials arriving in trucks from Guwahati. Their participation in the relief operation has emerged as another symbol of community solidarity.
The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) also sent doctors and healthcare workers in 10 buses to provide free medical treatment and medicines to flood-affected people across Sivasagar, Charaideo and other areas.
Meanwhile, Auniati Satra Satradhikar Dr Pitambar Deva Goswami visited several flood-hit villages, including Rajabari, Polasani, Akhaiphutia, Dihili Gohain Gaon, Lepaigaon, Mathadang and Chargua, offering encouragement and Nirmali to affected residents.
He also visited Ririya village, inhabited by Muslims, and distributed Nirmali among residents there.
The Satradhikar said the flood disaster had once again demonstrated the humanitarian spirit of the people of Assam. Thousands of Hindus and Muslims, he said, had come together to help those in distress.
At the same time, Dr Goswami expressed concern over the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah from the flood-hit region so far. He stressed that the current disaster was not an ordinary flood and called for a special package from the Centre to prevent Upper Assam’s economy from suffering long-term damage.
According to him, visiting the region only after the floodwaters recede would not provide an accurate picture of the devastation on the ground.
The floods have undoubtedly caused enormous economic destruction across three districts of Upper Assam and claimed the lives of people and animals. Yet, amid the loss and devastation, the disaster has also produced a powerful and contrasting image—one in which religious divisions have been pushed aside and the bonds of human solidarity have emerged stronger.
