No. 1 Bonoriya Sapori (Majuli): Pitambar Tahu, 26, a member of the Mising community, serves his villages diligently. Villagers look up to his decisions in settling disputes and other issues since he is the youngest gaon bura (village headman) No. 1 Bonoriya Sapori, a cluster of three villages, ever had.

Dominated by the Mising tribe, No. 1 Bonoriya Sapori, a non-revenue area, is located in one of the remotest corners of the river island. Vulnerable to floods, without direct access to communication and often attacked by rampaging elephants, this cluster of villages, comprising 36 households, is so far from the main Majuli that only a back-breaking ride on paths can lead to them.

The woes of these villages are never-ending. There are no schools and for centuries the villagers have been moving from one location to another to escape the threats of the Brahmaputra. "Life is difficult here. I have no account how many times I have shifted my home. We are pinning hopes on our young village headmen," said Ramesh Mili, 46, a villager.

The villagers here have begun electing young men as headmen as they are well informed about the outside world and can handling simple technology.

Tahu said, "I am the youngest village headman in No. 1 Bonoriya Sapori. For the past two years, villagers have been electing young men in a departure from the age-old tradition of electing elders as village heads. The villagers now feel that young men can take good decisions as they are well versed with technology and can also address issues affecting villages during panchayat meetings."

Ananta Mahanta, a junior engineer at Majuli panchayat and rural development department, said, "The young men are not well educated but the villagers feel they are dynamic."

There are around 20 young village headmen in and around the area. They settle domestic disputes, participate in flood relief, inform villagers about government schemes and benefits, raise awareness about programmes and inform forest officials about elephant crossings. In the past few months, the villages got electricity and close to 13 families got their houses under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana.