Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

Emergency Helpline 100 and 112 Temporarily Down: Alternative Police Helpline Numbers Released   By Debkumar Bhadra   Most of us, have grown up with one number to call in crisis. Whether it was 100 or recently, 112, the reflex was the same — dial that number, help will come. It did not matter whether you were in a crowded Mumbai street or in a quiet lane in Sri Vijaya Puram, the emergency helpline number was the same. That assumption was quietly shaken here in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on June 14, 2026, when the A&N Police through a social media post in X (formerly twitter) issued a public advisory informing residents that both emergency helpline numbers 100 and 112 are presently not functioning due to what they described as "unforeseen technical snags."  Many of you have probably already seen it. Many may have seen it, scrolled past it. By evening, other forwards push it down. By next week, it is gone. And when one actually need that number, you are scrolling ...

From ATI to Great Nicobar : Development Must Not Leave People Behind By Debkumar Bhadra The NITI Aayog’s proposed Great Nicobar Island Project has once again brought the Andaman and Nicobar Islands into the national spotlight. As more voices join the debate, strong opinions are emerging from different quarters. Many, including the island’s settler population view the mega project as once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well as for India’s strategic future. At the same time, there are opposing voices that fear irreversible ecological damage is in the offing in one of the most fragile island ecosystems. This article attempts to capture the predicament faced by islanders whose voices seem to be overshadowed by organised and well-connected narratives dominating the discourse. For a region that has historically struggled with isolation, limited connectivity and fewer avenues of development, the project comprising an international trans-shipment termina...

Mangroves of Wright Myo Creek, South Andaman: Seeing is believing By Debkumar Bhadra Forty-eight kilometres from Port Blair (now Sri Vijaya Puram), where the road to Shoal Bay begins to narrow and the forest closes in on either side, lies Wright Myo, a village seldom visited, and its creek even less so. Its mangroves are dense, its forests largely intact, and its coastline unmarked by footfall that undoes wild places. Yet for all its stillness, Wright Myo holds more than what meets the eye. Scientists have found here a botanical trace so rare that it points not merely to an undiscovered species, but to a time when these islands were part of a single landmass that has since broken apart and drifted away. Wright Myo sits on the western flank of South Andaman Island. When the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004 sent a wall of tsunami waves across the Bay of Bengal, the eastern shores of South Andaman bore the brunt of it along with the rest of the country. Mangrove along the ea...

How a Little Oversight Cost Bittu Both His Arms - but Brought an Entire Community Together By Debkumar Bhadra There are accidents, and then there are accidents that rewrite a life entirely. For Gaurab Kumar Paul — fondly known in our neighbourhood as Bittu — a single unwary moment on the morning of June 21, 2018, did exactly that. What began as a gesture of goodwill to help a friend ended with severe high-tension electrocution injuries that ultimately result in the amputation of both his arms. I have watched Bittu play as a toddler and grow to adulthood in my small neighbourhood in South Andaman. Writing this is not easy. But his story deserves to be told — not just as a personal account of tragedy and resilience, but as a larger reflection on how our healthcare system, administrative machinery, and community respond when one of our own falls. The Accident That Changed Everything It was a Thursday morning when Bittu went to lend a helping hand to a village mate wrapping up the pr...