Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

K P Mammu: South Andaman Fireman Who Became a National Record Holder in Masters Athletics By Debkumar Bhadra At an age when most athletes would have stepped away from competitive sport, K. P. Mammu was breaking national records. Representing the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, he clocked timings that placed him among India’s best in masters athletics. Age, in his case, never stood in the way. Recently, I caught up with the master athlete, who reflected on his journey, future plans, and a long-cherished dream of winning a medal for the country at the international level. This article captures the story of the late resurgence of the Police Constable (Fireman) from a small island village who, through sheer grit, rose to the top, rewriting national records and continues to push his limits. Early Life, The Turning Point: 2015 State Championship Born on December 12, 1973, in Mannar Ghat village in rural South Andaman, K. P. Mammu showed early promise in athletics. From the age of 12, he w...

Kadakachang Bridge cum Sluice Gate The bridge cum sluice gate at Kadakachang which got severely damaged by the 2004 Great Sumatra - Andaman earthquake triggered tsunami, finally has been rebuilt. As of now the finishing work is in progress. Once formally opened, the decade and a half long wait for the residents of rural South Andaman would come to an end. Earlier posts on the issue : The day stands still for K adakachang B ridge cum S luice gate https://debkumarbhadra.blogspot.com /2016/01/ the-day-stands-still-for-kadakachang.html Featured in the S pecial E dition of T he A ndaman E xpress dated 26/01/2016 6 Y ears is too long a wait https://debkumarbhadra.blogspot.com /2011/11/6 -years-and-counting.html Featured in the L ight of A ndamans dated 09/09/2011 The I nconvenient T ruth https://debkumarbhadra.blogspot.com/2011/08/inconvenient-truth.html Featured in the P ort B lair edition of E cho of I ndia dated 11/08/2011

Cable TV Conundrum : Monopoly sends customer to face blacked-out tv screens in contravention of TRAI regulation. By Debkumar Bhadra As far as delivery of services in these islands are concerned, it is no secret that customers had been getting a raw deal since choice in almost cent per cent cases is limited to single operator/service provider. Be it T elecom, I nternet, LPG , POL or C able TV N etworks “take it or leave it” is the regime that is in vogue in this monopolistic region. In a bid to dismantle the status quo in the broadcasting and cable service sector, the regulatory body T elecom R egulatory A uthority of I ndia (TRAI) way back in M arch 2017 , mandated compulsory switchover from analog to digitally addressable systems (DAS) for cable networks. However, finding that the stated objectives viz transparency and real choice to consumers, weren’t met, TRAI initiated a comprehensive review of the entire framework and came up with a completely new tariff regi...