Kolkata release of 'Islands in Flux'

Book Launch of Pankaj Sekhsaria’s Islands in Flux; Compilation of Writings on Key Issues in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Happened at the Oxford Book Store, April 25, 2017

By

Sholoana Bangaliana

http://sholoanabangaliana.in/blog/2017/04/27/book-launch-of-pankaj-sekhsarias-islands-in-flux-compilation-of-writings-on-key-issues-in-andaman-and-nicobar-islands/

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Apr 27, 2017

Oxford Bookstore and Harper Collins played the host to the book launch of Islands in Flux written by Pankaj Sekhsaria. The book was unveiled in the presence of the author along with Anuradha Lohia, Vice Chancellor, Presidency University.

The book Islands in Flux is a compilation of writings of the author on key issues in the islands over a long period. The writing showcases environment, wildlife conservation, development and indigenous communities who have provided insights and perspective on the life of the islands for over two decades. The book is like a map of the region and will make for an interesting read for anyone interested in the future of our world.

The event was followed by a panel discussion with Madhusree Mukherjee, Guggenheim Fellow, journalist and author. The illustrated talk on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands also had a presentation on images and the author’s real life experiences in the area for the last two decades.

Priyanka Dutta

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The book is available now In stores across the country and also on amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux

Saving a wonderland - Review of 'Islands in Flux' in The Hindu

Review by Jacob Koshy, in The Hindu, April 30, 2017

http://www.thehindu.com/books/saving-a-wonderland/article18311374.ece

Saving a wonderland

Exploitation of the Andaman and Nicobar islands must end

Andaman and Nicobar, which consists of 500-odd islands that stretch from the south of Myanmar to the north of Indonesia, is synaptically removed from mainland India. However, when the monsoon approaches, India's meteorological department is particularly interested in the A&N archipelago.

One part of the monsoon winds branch out from here to make landfall in Kerala and usually, any delay is blamed on local cloud systems around the broader Andaman area. Once the monsoon soldiers on, interest in the Andamans abates until the next year.

Journalist and environmental scholar, Pankaj Sekhsaria, has for long chronicled this transactional relationship between the Andaman and Nicobar islands and the Centre. Islands in Flux is a collection of reportage and opinion pieces by Sekhsaria and published over two decades in several magazines and newspapers, including this one. The articles here primarily deal with how, beginning with the British and down to the present dispensation, the region's rich forestry has been exploited for timber and the ecological and social changes in its wake.

Logging has dramatically changed the balance of species, both plant and animals. Numbers of the four main tribes of the region, the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese, have dwindled from about 5,000 in 1850 to 500 today. This is largely due to a massive influx of 'mainlanders', who have over the years, sought to harness the benefits of its strategic location, forestry and now, increasingly, its tourism potential.

Sekhsaria touches upon themes such as the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on the islands, the challenges faced by various tribes in preserving their way of life and having a say in the islands' future.

A significant drawback in this collection is that there is little first person-perspective on how contemporary inhabitants of the islands view development. How has tribal contact with the outside world influenced internal tribal relations? Has the advent of increased communications technology meant a greater desire for adopting new modes of living?

While a good primer for those interested in the islands' history, it lacks anecdote and the scintilla of sharp observations to let the light in.

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The book is available now In stores across the country and also on amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux

Islands in Flux - launch in Delhi

And here are some pictures from the Delhi launch of the book that took place at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library on the 20th of April. Pics by Peeyush Sekhsaria

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Copies of the book are available now in stores across the country and on amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux

Kolkata release - Islands in Flux

Kolkata release...
At the Oxford Book Store, Park Street, 25th April, 6 pm.

Copies available on amazon at http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux

Islands in Flux - now available in Pondicherry

Islands in Flux and The Last Wave, now available in Pondicherry at
Kasha ki Aasha,23 Surcouf Street,605001 Pondicherry

0413 222 2963

 

 

Also available on amazon (kindle and print): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux

Islands in Flux - Delhi release on 20th April

Delhi release of Islands in Flux - the Andaman and Nicobar Story 

Date: 20th April, 3 pm

Venue: Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Teen Murti Bhavan

And we have a very interesting panel that'll be discussing the book and the islands!

Islands in Flux is now available in bookstores across the country. Also on amazon (print and kindle): https://tinyurl.com/mvc7aja 
#islandsinflux #thelastwave #andaman #nicobar
For more details including of my other A&N books, please write to me psekhsaria@gmail.com

Islands in Flux - now available in the islands

'Islands in Flux - the Andaman and Nicobar Story', is now available in the islands - in Havelock and in Port Blair. In Port Blair at Sagarekha Emporium, Middle Point and soon at Tarang Trades, Middle Point.
In Havelock they are available at Turtlefins.a, Govind Nagar, Havelock No. 5 with Rohit Waghela and at Seven Heaven, Govind Nagar, Havelock No. 3 with Amit Mangu.
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Copies are also available on amazon (both print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
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And for a set of signed copies of all my A&N books please write for details to thelastwave1@gmail.com
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If there are suggestions for other places, particularly in the islands, that are willing to stock copies of 'Islands in Flux' and also 'The Last Wave', please do write to me psekhsaria@gmail.com