A presentation on the A&N Islands, TISS Hyd, Jan 13th

Dear Friends (particularly those in Hyderabad, or visiting)

Making a presentation on the A&N Islands at TISS Hyderabad, Rajendranagar on Jan. 13, 4 pm. Please do come.

Details are as follows:

Tata Institute of Social Sciences Hyderabad Campus
Public Lecture:
'The Andaman & Nicobar - An island journey'
Speaker : Mr. Pankaj Sekhsaria

Abstract: Pankaj Sekhsaria will present an account of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands - the rich biodiversity, the mindsets and the development challenges - through 20 years of his engagement with and work in the islands. He will also present the trajectory, challenges and inspirations of how his island novel, 'The Last Wave', a story deeply embedded in the history, geography and ecology, came to be.
Dr. Nilanjana Ray will be in conservation with him.

Date and Time: Tuesday 13th January, 2015, 4 to 5pm
Venue: BA II Year Classroom, Sanakaran Block, Hyderabad

All are welcome.
--
Pankaj Sekhsaria is a researcher, writer, photographer, campaigner and academic. He has worked extensively in the field of environment and wildlife conservation with a particular focus on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He has been writing regularly on related issues for the English media since 1998, and is the author of two non-fiction books based on the islands: Troubled Islands (2003), a collection of his journalist writings, and The Jarawa Tribal Reserve Dossier: Cultural and biological diversity in the Andaman islands ( Jt. Editor, 2010).

Dec 28, 2004; a post on andamanicobar@yahoogroups.co.in; revisiting the tsunami of Dec 2004

Dec 28, 2004

Dear Friends,
A very interesting and relevant mail.
Pankaj

From: Arunachalam Kumar
Subject: Whale suicides & earthquakes To: nathistory-india@Princeton.EDU

It is my observation, confirmed over the years, that mass suicides of whales and dolphins that occur sporadically all over the world, are in someway related to change and disturbances in the electromagnetic field coordinates and possible re-alignments of geotectonic plates thereof. Tracking the dates and plotting the locales of tremors and earthquakes, I am resonably certain, that major earthquakes usually follow within a week or two of mass breaching of cetacians. I have noted with alarm, the last week report of such mass deaths of marine mammals in an Australian beachside. I will not be surprised if withinn a few days a massive hits hits some part of the globe. The inter-relationship between the unusual 'death-wish' of pods of whales and its inevitable aftermath,the earthquake, may need a further impassioned and unbiased looking into.

Dr Arunachalam Kumar

In the light of recent events, perhaps geologists and biologists on this list could comment, on the possibility of the connection proposed in the email above? Also, Dr. Kumar could point us to previous instances of whale beaching and earthquakes.
Yogesh

Yogesh Wadadekar

The Last Wave - in Literature Review, The Hindu

Serpents in Eden

SHEILA KUMAR

A meticulous and woefully long listing of the many issues that assail the Andaman Islands.
http://www.thehindu.com/books/literary-review/article6748635.ece


Harish Kumar comes to the Andaman Islands to … well, it’s not clear what his purpose is. What he sees, who he meets and interacts with, what he notices… makes up the story and it is not the happiest of tales. This is a paradise — with its coral, exotic fish, turtles, dolphin, forests full of game, honey, timber and bamboo — on a slow inexorable slide into urban hell.

Much of what Sekhsaria lays out is not new but is dismaying for all that. Given that the 2011 census pegged the population of the A&N Islands at 3,80,581, of which the Jarawas are a measly 300, it is clear who will win this battle. The indigenous people, once feared, now exploited, are up against a community who clear the forest, prepare the fields, construct houses and settle down. Add political machinations and business considerations to this mix and what you get is not a pretty picture.

With civilisation, of course, comes the impending ruin of the indigenous peoples, with ‘Jarawa tourism’ taking hold, people giving the tribals packaged food, tobacco and pan masala and of course, taking photographs of the naked men and women with salacious intent. There are blatant violations of international waters by Burma’s Karen tribals, fishing for sea cucumbers and more serious plunder. There are unauthorised visits facilitated by the greasing of many official palms, of outsiders who come to gawp or document the Jarawa. Or worse, to sleep with Jarawa women. Outbreaks of measles among the Jarawas are hushed up by the authorities. Unscrupulous timber logging is depleting the natural forest cover. Mangroves are converted to paddy fields and plantations. A flourishing trade in croc skins ensues. Religious fairs are held inside Jarawa areas. And, of course, the Andaman Trunk Road that cuts into Jarawa territory; lifeline or yet another incursion?

As the story draws to a conclusion of sorts, the 2004 tsunami hits and cripples the Andamans. Sekhsaria’s account of the wall of water that sweeps everything before it, snapping giant evergreen trees like so many matchsticks, is gripping. The book, going by pure content, deserves a place in the pantheon of literature about the Andaman Islands. However, some skilful editing would have made it a much better read; as it is, the slipshod editing grates. Awkward sentences abound. Hands are cut off at the shoulder. She doesn’t ‘register’ him. It demanded ‘to be itched’. People ‘pour’ over papers. Someone’s ‘eyes perk up’. ‘What might she have told him? Him her?’

At times, the anthropologist in Sekhsaria overwhelms the novelist. The story is woven around environmental and anthropological concerns, so the many characters don’t hold the reader’s interest in more than a cursory fashion. The author wants us to know and absorb much information, so people sermonise or lecture for pages on end.

Ultimately, Sekhsaria cares about the islands, the vanished Ongles and Great Andamanese, the spirits of the forest, the Jarawas, the fast-changing character of the dense rainforest canopy, and that is what this book is about. I can’t help feeling, though, that it would have been a better piece of non-fiction. The passages that give us a potted history of the islands, tell us about the wave of humans encroaching on prime crocodile habitat, the Giant Leatherback turtles coming in to lay their eggs, the history of the Local Borns, how Aniket got its name, how the Jarawas collect honey without getting stung are so interesting, you really don’t want Harish and Seema — the two main characters — intruding.

The Last Wave: An Island Novel; Pankaj Sekhsaria, HarperCollins, Rs.350

Dec 28, 2004; a post on andamanicobar@yahoogroups.co.in; revisiting December 2004

Dec 28, 2014

Dear Friends,
There have been regular postings on this group on what different people have been able to put together about what is happening on the islands. As is evident there is also a lot many queries about what needs to be done and what can be done.
I have been in touch with Samir through the day and now power and communications at least in Port Blair is much better. The situation in the Nicobars is rather bad and we still do not have any information either from the Central Nicobars and Great Nicobar.
The islands are continuosly experiencing tremors and this is compounding the problem. Samir mentioned that last night following one of these aftershocks, for example, the passenger jetty in Little Andaman too is reported to have collapsed.
I have also asked Samir what is it that is needed and what is it that we can do. His first reactions were that probably money and such resources are not needed, but that volunteers would certainly be of help. But this is still very initial suggestions.
In the meanwhile, ActionAid and Oxfam have been in touch, and in fact, an initial small joint team of the two organisations will be going to Port Blair in a couple of days, most likely day after tomorrow. They will be in touch with Samir, and hopefully will also be able to meet senior government officials. Following this, I assume they will work out their plan of action, and also figure out what is most urgently needed, what can be done and what is the kind of inputs and help that is needed. I would believe that these organisations with their expertise would be best placed to decide what it is that needs to be done. We will be constantly in touch with them, and based on what they say is required, we can try and garner our resources and energies towards that. In the present situation that does seem to be the best way forward. It will be a couple of days more before we get an idea of what is needed, but it might be worth the wait.
In the meanwhile, if we do hear from the islands or directly from Samir that particular kinds of inputs are needed, we can certainly try and take that up as well.

thanks
Pankaj Sekhsaria

2014 hrs, Dec 28, 2004; a post on andamanicobar@yahoogroups.co.in; revisiting the tsunami of Dec. 2004

Dec 28, 2004
2014 hrs
Dear Pankaj, Sharbendu, Anwar and others:

Today a meeting was held in Delhi at GPF (Gandhi Peace Foundation) basically to find out what Delhi groups can do in terms of relief and rehabilitation. It was organised at the initiative of Centre for Education and Communication, The Other Media, Jagori and Delhi Forum. ISI, Anhad, Sruti, Academy for Mountain Environics, Christian Aid, HMS, CITU, NFF and others' representatives were present.
Regarding the southern Indian States, it was felt from the feed back that came that help is needed in terms of mainly rehabilitation a nd rebuilding of livelihood of the fishing community. Materials should not be sent from Delhi. Rather fund could be sent for local buying and other use. As the meeting of Chennai groups was still going on, the Delhi meeting could not decide the exact quantum of help and felt perhaps an assessment was needed. It was also decided to open a separate bank account in the name of Tsunami Relief Fund to be administered by the Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation Committee Delhi.
The meeting specially discussed the state of Andaman and Nicobar islands, the lack of information, the possibility and magnitude of devastation and the security blanket of the Defence Ministry. It has been decided that a team of 5-6 people will be sent from Delhi very soon consisting of some experts on housing, disaster management, tribal and indigenous people, social medicine. Mohini Giri has volunteered. Shabnam Hashmi of Anhad will be co-ordinating the travel arrangement and permission from the Defence Ministry - literally a political yes from the Centre. It would help the team to tour the islands extensively wherever possible and make assessments and then prepare a report.
It will be good to get a feedback from you all and perhaps help the team on the island itself, with essential knowledge, name of persons you may suggest for the team etc. The minutes of the meeting will be circulated tomorrow and I will definitely post a copy to the group.
In the meantime, any posting from the group could be sent also to jjohn@vsnl.com; anhad_delhi@yahoo.co.in; ravi@theothermedia.org; jimmy@unv.ernet.in; jagori@spectranet.com;
We are extremely sorry that being decided at the last moment (was sending invitations till 9.30 in the night), we perhaps missed some of you who are in Delhi at present and could have contributed a lot. Will ensure that date and venues of the next meetings will be communicated.

In solidarity
Souparna Lahiri
Co-ordinator
Delhi Forum

The Last Wave - A review

“The world he belongs to did not want to annihilate the Jarawas, but it did not seem to know better”

A review of The Last Wave
See: http://maleccha.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/the-world-he-belongs-to-did-not-want-to-annihilate-the-jarawas-but-it-did-not-seem-to-know-better/

1905hrs, Dec 28, 2004, post on andamanicobar@yahoogroups.co.in; revisiting the tsunami of Dec 2004

Dec 28, 2004
1905 hrs
I hope we'll meet all of you soon

As news of the Tsunami victims keep pouring in...images of these people and places keep filling up my mind and I stay with these fond memories. I hope all of you are safe somewhere. Our prayers are with you all and we are hoping that this time will pass soon.

Samir, Gita and Koyal- for me and many others, especially those who work to make the Islands a better managed place, they are the 'First Family'.Sukumari chechi, Samir's strong right hand. Dennis and Reshmi and others at SANE.

Uncle Pao, Uncle Pambe and the ANET family at what's called the 'base'. Just three days before the quake, we were envying the centre table's role in the lives of the ANET family! I hope its still there.

At Mayabandar:
Alex, the tattoed boatman and his generous family. Mainlanders such as us know him as Ravi's (Sankaran) boatman!!Ravi's team protecting the Edible nest swiftlets at Chalees ek (41) caves.

The Nicobars- the land of the captains and their folks who celebrate Kinruak (the festival to honour and remember their ancestors) The pretty Mus jetty at Car Nic- with a spectacular coral tree against the blue sky and a large pandamus. Someone told me that the jetty's gone...

An RFO from Car Nic, whose name I didn't write down, unfortunately...was most helpful with suggestions on accomodation and food.

Nancowry Islands
Robert Pee, Range officer at Kamorta, who's daughter is at Bangalore and who I am supposed to meet when I go there next.
Bandana and Vijay; doing their wildlife research and with them were Johny and Joseph, assisting and ofcourse teaching.
The Queen mother, Rashid and his beautiful wife and kids, Ayesha didi
Uncle Lemian and daughter Doris who told us about the days when the Japs landed in the islands
Tong Kumar, the first captain of Trinket and who still remains the leader of his folks .

At Great Nic
Capt VRN Shetty and wife- we had many cups of chai from their huge flask over a session of their endless fight against the Island Admin for building walls to stop the seas.
The Govt machinery that gave us no trouble at all! AC saab Jagjit Singh, chhote AC saab, ACF- Chaterjee Shabnam- the sprightly Tribal Welfare officer who had earned the trust of the Shompens. Her little daughter Pallavi, her father and brother.
'Southern Most General Store' - it brought home the truth that we call the Islands ours but its never in our active consideration...for us mainlanders, Kanyakumari is the last stop down south.

Savari' s boss; the young Shankar (Savari is the name of his Mahindra gaadi, he's very popular with tourists!)

Agou, Glen and Victor- the dynamic threesome that manned the ANET forest camp at Galathea. All between 18-21years, they did their job of surveying the turtles that came to the beach each night to start another generation of them, with great responsibility and pride. So much so that they were a constant motivation to the forest staff based there too. Agou, thanks for all the fish, supari and juicy paan leaves that you saved up for me. Just hang in there and I promise we'll make a trip to Kaziranga so that you can see the rhino.

Korma Rao, Charles, Ilias and Chandra of the Forest Department stationed at Galathea stayed on at the beach even though they preferred a better posting in town. They made space for us in their camp without grumbling about our long stay.

The setting sun at the point where the Galathea meets the ocean....the turtles and their babies, the megapodes and the N. pigeons and many other creatures

To you all and the scores of others who are out there, my prayers, good wishes and affection.

Manju Menon
Kalpavriksh