Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

What began as a demand for a Central University has transformed into a democratic awakening among students By Debkumar Bhadra The recent developments concerning higher education in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands may ultimately be remembered not merely as an institutional transition but as a defining moment in the democratic evolution of the islands themselves. The islands being a UT without legislation, have over the years functioned under a governance structure driven by bureaucratic decision-making headed by the Lt Governor. In such a framework, policy decisions emerge from administrative corridors with limited-to-no consultation with islanders, their elected representatives, including their lone Member of Parliament. This has created a perception that decisions affecting the lives and future of islanders are taken without adequate stakeholder engagement. The latest and most consequential of such decisions has been the establishment of the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose I...

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...

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...

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...

Mount Harriet National Park (Manipur Parvat): The Most Sought-After Wilderness in Andaman By Debkumar Bhadra Cover Page of Go Explore Andaman Travel Magazine, December 2021 Stand at the summit of Mount Harriet (now Manipur Parvat) on a clear morning and the world opens up around you — the deep blue of the Andaman Sea stretching to the horizon, the lighthouse at North Bay glinting in the distance, islands scattered like emeralds across the water. It is the kind of view that stays with you long after you have descended back into the city. And yet, remarkably, this wilderness sits less than an hour and a half from Port Blair (now Sri Vijaya Puram), offering rate accessibility to an incredible natural landscape. This article explores Mount Harriet National Park, its landscape, rainforest, biodiversity, trekking routes and the famous viewpoint that connects it to one of India's  ₹20  currency note. [This post was carried in the December 2021 Edition of Go Explore Andaman, a trave...