India's North East is one of the few regions in the world where communities live close to nature, nurtured by ancient tribal knowledge systems. More than 70 per cent of Assam's population depends on agriculture and forest resources for its livelihood. But the region's environment and an entire way of life are endangered by a long history of acute underdevelopment and violent conflict.
Most of Assam's population lives in the Brahmaputra River valley – a river so wide that its far bank cannot be seen in places. It flows down from the Himalayan mountains in western Tibet, running across the length of Assam before heading south to Bangladesh and joining the Ganges, forming the world's largest delta where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. Tracts of forest can be found on both banks of the river throughout Assam. The region is known as the "land of red rivers and blue hills."
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A limpid monsoon evening on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra River (above) in Assam just outside the town of Dibrugarh. The river's tributaries feed production of the local crops, especially rice – the staple of the region. This is one of the rainiest places on earth. Each monsoon season, rains of up to 118 inches create floods on the Brahmaputra, washing away stretches of highway and causing wildlife to flee low-lying forest areas for higher ground.
The Brahmaputra River (red) begins in Tibet and doubles back across parts of India (blue) including the state of Assam (dark blue) before heading south through Bangladesh
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