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[Traffic noises and car horns]

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This is the town of Jorhat in the [br]remote North East of India.

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I suppose Jorhat is not really that [br]different from any other city in India.

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People here work very hard.

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They keep their heads down and [br]push ahead. They don't look back.

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Life here is difficult for some and [br]even more difficult for others.

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My name is Jitu Kalita and Jorhat is [br]where I was born and where I live.

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My house is located [br]just outside of Jorhat.

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This is my nephew.

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He is suspicious of cameras.

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In Jorhat I do many different things [br]but mostly I am a photographer.

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I love photographing nature.

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I take shots of the beautiful birds and [br]wildlife that live in our part of India.

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In my house I keep some of my photography [br]awards but I don't like to show them off.

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A few kilometres North of Jorhat lies one [br]of the largest rivers in India, the Brahmaputra.

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Millions of people live along its shores.

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Every year during the monsoon the [br]river floods everything in sight.

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Destroying homes and farms and eroding away [br]hundreds of square kilometres of land.

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One of the worst affected [br]areas is Majuli island.

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Majuli is the worlds largest river island.

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And it is home to over 150,000 people.

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Since 1917, Majuli has lost over [br]half its land mass to erosion.

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And the rate of erosion [br]has recently accelerated.

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Well the erosion of Majuli. There [br]are several causes. The first is that:

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This islander lost his home and his [br]temple. He points to where it once stood.

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This temple may be next. It's located [br]only 2km from the river bank erosion.

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The temple is nearly 250 years old.

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Unless something is done in as little as [br]5 years this temple could be washed away.

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[he sings a prayer]

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The Brahmaputra is where I [br]take most of my photos.

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One day in 2009, I was exploring a barren [br]part by boat when I something strange.

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It looked like a forest [br]far in the distance.

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I began walking towards it and when I [br]reached it I couldn't believe my eyes.

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I had found a dense forest in [br]the middle of a barren wasteland.

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When I left the forest I saw a man far [br]in the distance so I began following him.

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I found him by the riverside. At first he thought [br]I was a poacher and tried to attack me.

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But he stopped when I told [br]him I was just a photographer.

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I asked him what he was [br]doing in the forest.

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He explained he was planting trees [br]and he had been since the 1970's.

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He told me his name was Jadav Payeng.

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When I discovered Jadav Payeng and his forest [br]I wrote an article about it in the local newspaper.

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Soon after he became known throughout [br]India. We are now very good friends.

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This is Majuli island.

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Since I was a child Majuli has [br]been a place of wonder for me.

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Once, I ran away from home and came here.

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I spent days exploring and drawing [br]pictures of the plants and animals.

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To me Majuli is heaven.

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Scientists recently announced that in 15-20 [br]years Majuli island could be completely gone.

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This is the forest mans [br]home on Majuli island.

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Every morning the forest mans family helps [br]him prepare for his journey to the forest.

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[motor boat engine starts]

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[mobile phone ringtone plays]

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Hello?

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The forest man is being [br]honoured in a nearby city.

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Payeng has won dozens of awards [br]for his incredible achievements.

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But I think he feels frustrated [br]by getting awards.

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Local government has tried to get Majuli [br]listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site

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but their application has [br]been rejected each time.

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Payeng has many brilliant [br]ideas about how to save Majuli.

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He tells everyone his ideas but so [br]far no one has adopted them.

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Sometimes I wonder what 10, 100 [br]or a thousand Payengs could do.

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He once told me I worry about the [br]fate of the world just like everyone.

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I see bad things happening on my [br]island and I do what I can to help.

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I'm just a simple man. [br]There are many just like me.

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When I asked him if he thought [br]Majuli could be saved he replied - Yes.