Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

By Debkumar Bhadra The decision to establish the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Institute of Higher Learning (NSCBIHL) as a deemed-to-be university marks a defining moment for higher education in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. For decades, the islands have aspired to build a locally administered university ecosystem. In principle, the creation of a university within the islands is a welcome and long-awaited step toward academic autonomy and regional development. However, the manner and timing of its implementation have pushed the island's students into academic uncertainty that merits thoughtful consideration rather than outright dismissal. The transformation from affiliation under Pondicherry University (a Central University) to a newly constituted Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Institute of Higher Learning (NSCBIHL), a deemed-to-be university represents a fundamental shift in the island's academic landscape. Establishing a university from scratch is not merely a matter of no...

Creates World Record, Youngest to expeditiously recite backward counting from 100 to 1, in 51 Sec By Debkumar Bhadra Shiva Yogetha from Shore Point village in the district of South Andaman is the World Record holder for being the youngest to expeditiously recite backwards counting from 100 to 1. She entered into the International Book of Records at an age of 4 Years and 4 months. Born on March 20, 2017 to Shiva Kumar and M Rathika, Yogetha, the youngest daughter of the proud couple turned the pandemic into a blessing. While others were fretting and cursing their fate after being forced indoors due to lockdown restrictions, this KG-I student dedicated herself to hone her skills in painting, reciting alphabets, words, numbers, number names, body parts, fruits and what not.   Recalling the day when Mrs Rathika, mother of Yogetha took her daughter to Carmel Pre-Primary School, Port Blair for getting her an admission there, she said, she randomly picked up some books that the schoo...

All in the name of road safety!   By Debkumar Bhadra   I was driving my way back home, when a policeman, at about half past five in the evening, walked across the poorly lit stretch of road near the entry gate of Primary Health Centre (PHC) Wimberly Gunj and stood before my vehicle. I cautiously pulled over avoiding both the policeman at the front and the 4 wheeler driven on my rear. Aapka license dikhaiye/ आपका लाइसेंस दिखाइये (show your license) he said. I complied. It was no surprise he could not read a single word from the diving license (DL). Even I couldn’t read the name plate on his uniform in the absence of proper street lighting. Upon asking his name, he simply said he is a police constable. In a while two more constables, dodging a couple of vehicles, crossed the road making it three of them. I asked if anyone among them could educate me under which section of Motor Vehicle (MV) Act, police constables have been authorized to stop vehicles on the road or ask pro...