Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

Being born and brought up in rural South Andaman, passing alongside the fields of   Stewart   Gunj had been a regular feature during my first eight years of schooling at Govt Middle School Kanyapuram. The fields, apart from being the rice bowl of the area, the stunning greenery on both sides of the stretch of road ( kheti raasta ) passing amid the fields of   Stewart   Gunj used to be a visual treat. The   2004 Great   Sumatra-Andaman   Earthquake and the resultant tsunami however changed the landscape of the entire area forever. Sea water breached the British time sluice gate at   Kadakachang and flooded the fields rendering it unfit for cultivation. The present article traces this transformation of the erstwhile fields of   Stewart   Gunj into its present water logged avatar. Andaman and Nicobar Islands is considered an ecological paradise, endowed with lush green Tropical Evergreen Rainforest Ecosystem, Mangrove   Ecosy...

The grand uprising following protest by a Tunisian fruit vendor and setting himself ablaze in a public square generated a dissenting wave shaking empires the world over. The non-violent mode of public protest gained acceptance in such proportion that the entire (year) 2011 is being seen as the year of protests. Fittingly “ T he P rotester” is the TIME P erson of the year and A nna H azare features in the list of “ P eople W ho M attered” in the magazine. T he anticorruption movement launched by team A nna grabbed nationwide attention with flocks of people supporting the movement which led the union cabinet to reciprocate with passage of the L okpal bill. There are protests everywhere in the country. Farmers are on the streets demanding raise in minimum support price for farm produce. There are groups protesting against N uclear P ower P roject, dam and a range of issues across the country. Incidentally such protests are against decisions taken without consulting those who are going t...

More than six years back, on December 26th 2004 the Andaman and  Nicobar Islands , along with the rest of the world were hit by a massive undersea earthquake shifting the islands towards south-west by about 1.25m. The tsunami that followed the mega-quake devastated the islands washing away almost anything to everything coming its way. Remote sensing and visual inspection of islands shoreline confirm uplift of Andaman group and subsistence of Nicobar group of islands causing submergence of land, destruction of property and loss of numerous lives. The Govt of India and few NGO’s responded to the crisis, helping survivors overcome trauma inflicted by the epic disaster. But after 6 long years of generous spending on tsunami relief, rehabilitation and rebuilding, the survivors, specifically from rural South Andaman find themselves subjected to official apathy and pushed under the development shadow. The ...