in manipur, all rivers and rivulets, except for handful converge and meet at loktak lake. like faithful, on pilgrimage; they run the length of the coarse mountain beds, collecting along the way- sediments and fertile soil before laying it at the altar of the largest freshwater lake in northeast. it is on this bed that a diverse range of aquatic plants and animals thrive without reservation. from a guest house on a small island, the lake looked tranquil and serene but there were too many small island dispersed across the vast expanse of water. these many small islands protruding out of water like many hummocks are not hummock but floating masses of vegetation; created by an accrual of organic garbage and biomass with soil particles that have been thickened into a solid form called phumdis. it is on these phumdis that huts floated comfortably on the lake and are tossed around with the wind. on the other extreme, it is on these, that the world's only floating national park exists.
