By Shobha Rao Smilemaker
Apr 18: India is a country of great natural beauty that is yet to be discovered by many Indians themselves. Did you know that in Manipur we have one of the world's largest freshwater lake called 'Loktak' which has a number of floating islands in it called 'phumdis'? These floating land masses are made of soil, vegetation and organic matter that has solidified after being in various states of decay.
Loktak literally means 'end of stream' in their local language and this lake is situated near the Moirang town.
We were thrilled to wear their local pointed hats as protection against the sun. We just had to take a boat boat ride on the lake and in between all the photos and videos I felt connected to all the elements nature around us - Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space!
In the distance we saw some huts on the bigger islands and were told that many fishermen stay which is an important activity around this lake. Our boatmen also told us that there are hotels or homestays on some of these islands. He actually made us walk on the wooden planks on one of the smaller phumdis. I wondered how strong or flimsy was the surface below my feet and it was really a unique experience to walk on this naturally made land mass floating on top of water.
On the next day we got a chance to see how big and strong these floating islands could be during our visit to the Kheibul Lamjao National Park. As i watched the huge expanse of greenery on the waters from the observation deck, i understood why this place was called as the world's only floating national park.
With a help of a telescope, i was able to zoom in on a particular spot to see the famous brow antlered Sangai deer of Manipur also called as the dancing deer.
We had to do hold hands as we did a small exciting trek down the hill to reach a place where we saw two small boats. We usually take a boat ride in the midst of water, yet this time it seemed surreal to take a boatride in the midst of green vegetation around us.
The plants on the floating islands were around nine feet high, so from the boat it was difficult to spot any one of the 250+ rare dancing deers which were around 7 feet in height. At least i saw the deer through the telescope.
This time the walk on the stronger floating land mass was more exciting. We sang songs, and tried to dance on its uneven surface. At one time I felt the muddy ground sinking because of my body weight and I saw my friend being covered upto almost her knees in the water. It was really a unique experience to feel the combination of earth and water under my feet, with the hot sun, the breeze and the open skies above my head!
I was reminded of my visit to the floating islands of Uros in Peru, around 10 years ago and i was thrilled to discover with a smile that India too has such fantastic natural beauty. I really love these unique experiences in the far off corners in North East India. Difficult travel through the hilly terrain on bumpy curvy roads is not for the faint hearted, but the unsual experiences like this make it absolutely worthwhile to visit the North Eastern part of our country!
Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.