Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

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...

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...