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Islands in Flux - the Andaman and Nicobar Story
'Islands in Flux' is a compilation of writings on key issues and developments in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands over the last two decades. Written by Pankaj Sekhsaria, one of the islands' best known and most consistent chroniclers of contemporary issues, it features information, insight and perspective related to the environment, wildlife conservation, development and the indigenous communities of these islands. The book provides an important account that is relevant both for the present and the future of these beautiful and fragile but also very volatile island chain. It is both a map of the region as well as a framework for the way forward, and essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of our world.
'In this update of his earlier book on the Andamans, Sekhsaria demonstrates his unwavering commitment to chronicling the life and times of these beautiful but endangered islands. Few environmental journalists in the country have tracked one area so perceptively. This book is a testimony to his dedication.'
- Darryl D’monte
'In this update of his earlier book on the Andamans, Sekhsaria demonstrates his unwavering commitment to chronicling the life and times of these beautiful but endangered islands. Few environmental journalists in the country have tracked one area so perceptively. This book is a testimony to his dedication.'
- Darryl D’monte
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
27 people are currently reading
384 people want to read
About the author
Pankaj Sekhsaria
19 books86 followersPankaj Sekhsaria is Associate Professor, Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), IIT Bombay. His most recent book is 'Instrumental Lives - an intimate biography of an Indian laboratory (Routledge 2019). The India edition is being released in November 2019.
He has a long-standing association with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) as a member of the environmental action group, Kalpavriksh. He is the author also of 'Islands in Flux - the Andaman and Nicobar Story' (Harper Collins India 2017), a collection of his journalism based on the islands over the last two decades. His debut novel 'The Last Wave' (HarperCollins India, 2014) was also set in the Andaman islands and he is also co-editor of The Jarawas Reserve Dossier for UNESCO (2010).
He is also author of 'The State of Wildlife in Northeast India 1996-2011: News and Information from the Protected Area Update, published by Foundation for Ecological Security.
He has a long-standing association with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) as a member of the environmental action group, Kalpavriksh. He is the author also of 'Islands in Flux - the Andaman and Nicobar Story' (Harper Collins India 2017), a collection of his journalism based on the islands over the last two decades. His debut novel 'The Last Wave' (HarperCollins India, 2014) was also set in the Andaman islands and he is also co-editor of The Jarawas Reserve Dossier for UNESCO (2010).
He is also author of 'The State of Wildlife in Northeast India 1996-2011: News and Information from the Protected Area Update, published by Foundation for Ecological Security.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 4, 2017
We admire beauty but do we appreciate it? We go as a tourist to some of the exotic places in the World but do we know how much of damage we are inflicting on that particular place?
You may argue that you did nothing. I am not trying to fault over here because I was also one till I read this book. I haven't been to Andaman and Nicobar Islands but always wanted to go there but after I finished reading this book, I may think twice before setting my foot over there.
When the pleasure comes at the cause of extinction of native species and inhabitants, do we really need it? Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the largest archipelago system in the Bay of Bengal which has a group of 06 islands and 206 rocks and rocky outcrops covering the total area of 8,200 sq.km. Only 38 of these islands are inhabited with 11 in Andaman and 13 in the Nicobar. This is some 1,200 km away from India and is closer to Sumatra(145 km) and Myanmar(280 km).
Do we know how much of hardship the native tribes are going through in this island?
Do you know that the island has a history dating back some 40,000 years and if history has to be written, British would fit into a page and India in a paragraph but still what has happened here? Lot of places were rechristened to glorify the leaders from Britain and India. Is this a positive sign? Definitely NOT!!
Author has mentioned lot of things in great detail which can make this book a perfect one as an anthropology and also as a history book. The information present over this 200 page book is a treasure trove which has been made possible through a 2 decade of research into this mesmerising island combining environment, wildlife conservation, development and indigenous communities.
The Administration in this island has not implemented most of the orders passed by the Supreme Court till date including the closure of ATR(Andaman Trunk Road), Deforestation, Sand Mining to name a few and I really wonder as to who else can put a check to these activities?
After reading the book, I came to know about the native tribes like Great Andamanese, Jarawas, Sentinelese and Onges - their habits and lifestyle to some extent. I was also surprised to know that this place is a home to some 400 varieties of Coral Reefs and some 3 out of 8 endangered turtle species comes here to nest but face untold hardmanship and troubles.
The book shows the other side of Andaman and Nicobar Islands which bleeds and has been weeping throughout expecting for some Sunshine at the end of the tunnel. Will it ever get it? Only time will tell....
I received this book for free under Goodreads Free Book Program.
July 17, 2020
Andaman and Nicobar islands have always captured a special place inside my heart, not just because it is an island so far, far away from mainland India that feels ridiculous that it can be a part of our country, but also because I read Sunil Gangopadhyay's 'Sobuj Deeper Raja' (translation: The King of the Green Island) and also watched the movie as a kid. I was struck with wonder at its existence. Bengalis always feel a connection to this place. As I grew up I learnt about its history and its connection to India's freedom from the British Raj. Earlier this year in March I went on a trip to the Andamans. Sadly, some of our bookings were cancelled due to this pandemic and we only saw a part of this island. So when I saw this book, I knew I had to order it. And it was such a good decision, I tell you!
Pankaj Sekhsaria avid has extensively researched these group of islands and his work starts way back in the 1990s. This book is a collection of his writings on the important issues in the islands, meticulous and detailed information about the environment, industry, the indigenous people and also the disastrous effect andaftermath of the 2004 tsunami on life and livelihoods of the inhabitants. But even without the natural disasters, this archipelago has always been under-reported when it came to the way it has been misused and mishandled over the years, even after the British handed it to the independent India. The settlers arrived because the government gave them incentives and huge swaths of land to farm and live in. The logging and the construction industry destroyed the forests and the beaches (and hence the nesting grounds of the major turtle species) respectively. The administration continued to ignore the needs of the tribal communities. The Forest Ministry failed to protect the endemic species of flora and fauna of the islands. The Navy used some of the islands for missile tests and as firing ranges. The tourism industry continues to be prioritized. The apathy continues even today.This book also gives an insight into the life in the islands and richness of its biodiversity.
Since it is a compilation of writings, it can get repetitive at times. There are tables of data, separate facts about the tribal communities and the flora and fauna. Bonus: the appendix section which also contains the brief history of the islands on the form of a timeline.
So my verdict is this: if you have even a little bit of environmentalist in you, this book is a must. If you are concerned how cultures are lost to the colonists (even we are the villains, which you will read in this book), this book is a must. If you are concerned how climate change and bad policies destroy islands, this book is for you. Read this because it is important to know about the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands which almost never make the news. Above all, read this because you must!
Pankaj Sekhsaria avid has extensively researched these group of islands and his work starts way back in the 1990s. This book is a collection of his writings on the important issues in the islands, meticulous and detailed information about the environment, industry, the indigenous people and also the disastrous effect andaftermath of the 2004 tsunami on life and livelihoods of the inhabitants. But even without the natural disasters, this archipelago has always been under-reported when it came to the way it has been misused and mishandled over the years, even after the British handed it to the independent India. The settlers arrived because the government gave them incentives and huge swaths of land to farm and live in. The logging and the construction industry destroyed the forests and the beaches (and hence the nesting grounds of the major turtle species) respectively. The administration continued to ignore the needs of the tribal communities. The Forest Ministry failed to protect the endemic species of flora and fauna of the islands. The Navy used some of the islands for missile tests and as firing ranges. The tourism industry continues to be prioritized. The apathy continues even today.This book also gives an insight into the life in the islands and richness of its biodiversity.
Since it is a compilation of writings, it can get repetitive at times. There are tables of data, separate facts about the tribal communities and the flora and fauna. Bonus: the appendix section which also contains the brief history of the islands on the form of a timeline.
So my verdict is this: if you have even a little bit of environmentalist in you, this book is a must. If you are concerned how cultures are lost to the colonists (even we are the villains, which you will read in this book), this book is a must. If you are concerned how climate change and bad policies destroy islands, this book is for you. Read this because it is important to know about the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands which almost never make the news. Above all, read this because you must!
September 8, 2017
"Islands in Flux: the Andaman and Nicobar Story is an insightful non-fictional account of the fragile Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands portrayed through a collection of essays. These essays were earlier appeared as media articles in magazines and newspapers such as Economic and Political Weekly, Frontline, The Hindu, and Times of India.
The A&N islands had been devastated by the Tsunami in December 2004 and subsequently by the global warming and climate change. Pankaj Sekhsaria has been visiting different parts of the islands for more than 20 years, and this book enumerates his countless travels back and forth for a collection of ethnographic stories for the popular media and research. He also has made an ecological assessment of the natural habitats in the islands threatened by the killer Tsunami.
The book is divided into six parts, namely, (i) Setting the Context, (ii) In the Supreme Court, (iii) Indigenous Peoples – the Onge, the Jarawas, (iv) Environment, Ecology and Development, (v) December 2004 and Its Aftermath, and (vi) Academic Papers. In section three, the author highlights the challenges faced by the Andamanese aboriginals (Jarawa and Onge tribes in particular) while discussing rehabilitation and resettlement strategies for the vulnerable tribal communities to reverse their extinction.
Although media articles highlight the contemporary issues, this book is particularly helpful to the scholars to know the lesser-known historical facts about the islands. The book also depicts how the British Raj exploited the bigger islands to make their settlement for the dissenters, while Pankaj offers an apt assessment of the ecological degradation carried out during the post-independence period by the public authorities and others. The author then reproduces two of his well-liked academic articles on the islands. The book makes an invaluable contribution to the scholarships on the praxis of environment, ecology, and development driving the fate of A&N Islands.
The A&N islands had been devastated by the Tsunami in December 2004 and subsequently by the global warming and climate change. Pankaj Sekhsaria has been visiting different parts of the islands for more than 20 years, and this book enumerates his countless travels back and forth for a collection of ethnographic stories for the popular media and research. He also has made an ecological assessment of the natural habitats in the islands threatened by the killer Tsunami.
The book is divided into six parts, namely, (i) Setting the Context, (ii) In the Supreme Court, (iii) Indigenous Peoples – the Onge, the Jarawas, (iv) Environment, Ecology and Development, (v) December 2004 and Its Aftermath, and (vi) Academic Papers. In section three, the author highlights the challenges faced by the Andamanese aboriginals (Jarawa and Onge tribes in particular) while discussing rehabilitation and resettlement strategies for the vulnerable tribal communities to reverse their extinction.
Although media articles highlight the contemporary issues, this book is particularly helpful to the scholars to know the lesser-known historical facts about the islands. The book also depicts how the British Raj exploited the bigger islands to make their settlement for the dissenters, while Pankaj offers an apt assessment of the ecological degradation carried out during the post-independence period by the public authorities and others. The author then reproduces two of his well-liked academic articles on the islands. The book makes an invaluable contribution to the scholarships on the praxis of environment, ecology, and development driving the fate of A&N Islands.
February 6, 2018
A very insightful read into the part of India that everyone takes for granted. The author quite successfully puts together material to give the reader a comprehensive understanding of the background and the demographics of the A&N islands, and how the 'mainlanders' are the cause for much consternation.
Some of the parts gets repetitive and some a little too academic, thus might not interest the casual reader. Nevertheless, I came out better informed.
Some of the parts gets repetitive and some a little too academic, thus might not interest the casual reader. Nevertheless, I came out better informed.
April 15, 2022
A detailed account (series of articles by th author) about the problems faced by the flora, fauna and local communities of Andaman and Nicobar islands, especially due to governmental negligence and general apathy of the general public.
March 19, 2022
This book is a compilation of 20 years of research and environmental journalism. It paints a very different picture of the A&N Islands than the "idyllic paradise so tied to India's freedom movement" that we are sold.
If the real and complete history of the islands is ever written, the British would not be more than a page and India could only be a paragraph
June 3, 2017
This book is based on biodiversity preservation, the laws encircling the matter specific to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Pankaj has beautifully compiled numerous articles, papers and material on the islands written by him through a couple of decades which comprehensively explain the status of island.
From deforestation, introduction of new species of animals to military interests, Pankaj has covered everything and the impacts of such activities to the tribes and flora-fauna have been discussed through credible sources.
Author is a solution finder and not someone who just writes negative stuff. He has studied the situation and got data of some parameters.
Lastly thank you Pankaj Sekhsaria for the giveaway, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book.
PS. if you're reading this Pankaj, I think that unless law enforcement is very strictly implemented, one cannot expect a very low dense populated island to remain as it is when India is the most densely populated. People will diffuse, tribes will die. it's solution lies in sending this issue of not following the Supreme court orders to the topmost guys(PM).
Also, medical development can only be done through biodiverse element trial and errors and thus flora fauna are immensely important. Nature has evolved through millions of years and taken care of trace elements proportion and stuff like that which is artificially impossible to make which explains why medical industry lacks in innovation.
From deforestation, introduction of new species of animals to military interests, Pankaj has covered everything and the impacts of such activities to the tribes and flora-fauna have been discussed through credible sources.
Author is a solution finder and not someone who just writes negative stuff. He has studied the situation and got data of some parameters.
Lastly thank you Pankaj Sekhsaria for the giveaway, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book.
PS. if you're reading this Pankaj, I think that unless law enforcement is very strictly implemented, one cannot expect a very low dense populated island to remain as it is when India is the most densely populated. People will diffuse, tribes will die. it's solution lies in sending this issue of not following the Supreme court orders to the topmost guys(PM).
Also, medical development can only be done through biodiverse element trial and errors and thus flora fauna are immensely important. Nature has evolved through millions of years and taken care of trace elements proportion and stuff like that which is artificially impossible to make which explains why medical industry lacks in innovation.
July 7, 2021
Pankaj talked in this book about Andaman and Nicobar islands in detail, enlisting the problems the indigenous people of these islands are besieged with ..the various committee and commissions that were set up and various Supreme Court orders.. whether everything he talked about is right or wrong , it remains contentious , but as a reader , this book is a Feast to devour on , as its flooded with information about this archipelago, the aboriginal tribes , endangered species and so much more .. I loved his photography, few pics he shared in this book, of these beautiful and charismatic islands.
April 4, 2017
‘Islands in flux’ is written by Pankaj Sekhsaria who is researcher, photographer, campaigner an academic. He has worked extensively in the field of environment and wildlife conservation with a particular focus on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Where are these Andaman & Nicobar Islands?
Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located in Bay of Bengal in India. These island are cluster of over 500 small islands close to south-east Asian peninsula, which became part of India in 1947 when British left.
These islands spreads across the total distance of 8249 sq.km (Andaman 6408 sq.km & Nicobar 1841 sq.km). The 35% of this land is tribal reserve and only 24 islands are inhabited.
The capital city of this place is Port Blair which is about 1200Kms from Chennai and Kolkata (India).
What is this Book About?
Two decades of research, dedication & knowledge compiled in this 250-page book. I found out that I really didn’t know anything about these islands which are part of my own country.
Several untouched tribes called Great Andamanese, Jarawas, Sentinelese and Onges are living in these islands, having history dating back to 40,000 years in the past.
Unknowingly just for the sake of our pleasure we endangered these untouched tribes. For example, Government built a road (ATR) through Jarawa tribal reserve which after lead to series business of tourism and jarawa tribe is no longer isolated civilisation.
Government came up with various laws like Deforestation, Sand Mining & closure of ATR(Andaman Trunk Road) in 2002 it remains open & tourists use it for ‘Human Safaris’ to the jarawa.
These Islands are full of natural treasures, like rare species of tortoise, crabs, rare type of fishes etc.
Tsunami occurred in 2004 affected all over the world, These Island were also under a huge impact. Pankaj did a detailed research how Tsunami affected on People living on these islands even plants, animals and geographical changes also.
Overall this book very well compiled,pictures and photos are beautiful, Informative and tells us the ugly side of truth that we are totally unaware of.
Andamanese are still seeking for that ray of hope our government promised. In the other words this book tells the horrifying side of these Islands which left me shivering.
Where are these Andaman & Nicobar Islands?
Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located in Bay of Bengal in India. These island are cluster of over 500 small islands close to south-east Asian peninsula, which became part of India in 1947 when British left.
These islands spreads across the total distance of 8249 sq.km (Andaman 6408 sq.km & Nicobar 1841 sq.km). The 35% of this land is tribal reserve and only 24 islands are inhabited.
The capital city of this place is Port Blair which is about 1200Kms from Chennai and Kolkata (India).
What is this Book About?
Two decades of research, dedication & knowledge compiled in this 250-page book. I found out that I really didn’t know anything about these islands which are part of my own country.
Several untouched tribes called Great Andamanese, Jarawas, Sentinelese and Onges are living in these islands, having history dating back to 40,000 years in the past.
Unknowingly just for the sake of our pleasure we endangered these untouched tribes. For example, Government built a road (ATR) through Jarawa tribal reserve which after lead to series business of tourism and jarawa tribe is no longer isolated civilisation.
Government came up with various laws like Deforestation, Sand Mining & closure of ATR(Andaman Trunk Road) in 2002 it remains open & tourists use it for ‘Human Safaris’ to the jarawa.
These Islands are full of natural treasures, like rare species of tortoise, crabs, rare type of fishes etc.
Tsunami occurred in 2004 affected all over the world, These Island were also under a huge impact. Pankaj did a detailed research how Tsunami affected on People living on these islands even plants, animals and geographical changes also.
Overall this book very well compiled,pictures and photos are beautiful, Informative and tells us the ugly side of truth that we are totally unaware of.
Andamanese are still seeking for that ray of hope our government promised. In the other words this book tells the horrifying side of these Islands which left me shivering.
August 15, 2023
This book is a collection of news articles that have been written over a time spanning close to 2 decades and more. It offers a sneak peek into how the Indian state is hell bent on ensuring that the indigenous population are almost completely wiped out, one way or another. The local population has lived in this area for over 40,000 years but the modern Indian state lacks the humility and ability to let people be. A scathing account of how laws have been twisted, not implemented and vested interests will ensure the obliteration of an epoch. Hoping that nature fights it off somehow
April 14, 2018
Short hidden facts about the island which has an untold history of 50000 years.The book covers the possible facts in short form and how modern civilisation has expanded in the island and brought destruction to the pristine place.While recent effort by the legal institution has been trying to restore its original form, heavy inrush of tourists is still a matter of concern for the island.Overall a balanced approach needs to be in place if we want to make sure the native civilisation continues to survive and remains alive so that we can tell the stories to generations to come.
May 25, 2020
It's a collection of journalistic style essays through the last two and a half decades addressing the breadth of challenges the islands are facing. Although it doesn't go deep into any of the issues and often reiterates points as essays were picked up from various publications through the years, the breadth is a great starting point for anyone interested in the socio-ecological point of view of the islands.
May 5, 2017
----Give away----
Rating: 10 out of 5
If anybody interested to know and understand, how indigenous people disappear,Endemic spices extinct and the natural resources destroyed by the so called civilized people, this book is must read.
Indeed wonderful read and thank you very much to author for the Give away.
I recommend everyone who reads this comment.
Rating: 10 out of 5
If anybody interested to know and understand, how indigenous people disappear,Endemic spices extinct and the natural resources destroyed by the so called civilized people, this book is must read.
Indeed wonderful read and thank you very much to author for the Give away.
I recommend everyone who reads this comment.
November 23, 2018
I happened to pick this book because a friend of mine recently visited the islands. What an eye-opener to what people in power can do to people in minority - the concerned people here being the tribals of Andamans and Nicobars. The author writes about the widespread destruction of precious land resources mostly done by people who don't know better, blatant disregard for protecting tribal territory and much more. How sad!
I think the author has done so well in putting across his concerns on how the 'settlers' are treating this land rich in biodiversity. I would like to see another book highlighting what he would recommend to the Government of India to protect the future and the interests of these endangered people and their land.
I think the author has done so well in putting across his concerns on how the 'settlers' are treating this land rich in biodiversity. I would like to see another book highlighting what he would recommend to the Government of India to protect the future and the interests of these endangered people and their land.
January 30, 2019
Repository excellent articles on Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago. But at times factually repetitive.
February 14, 2018
Understanding is first step and this book helps you to understand what is going wrong in this little island group.
Must read
Must read
October 15, 2017
The Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands are the largest archipelago system in the Bay of Bengal, consisting of about 500 islands with a total area of approximately 8200 sq.km. Only 38 of these islands are inhabited and the archipelago is separated from mainland India by 1200 km of open sea. The nearest landmass from the island chain is Sumatra, located at a distance of 145 km. All these factors make them unique and extremely important in the case of social and strategic implications. This book is a selection of articles published by the author between 1998 and 2016, which are related to conservation of the fragile ecology, rights and changing nature of the tribal communities, tourism development and questions on development planning and policy in the islands. This book builds upon what the author’s ‘Troubled Islands’ offered in 2003. Pankaj Sekhsaria is a researcher, writer, photographer, campaigner and academic. He has worked extensively in the fields of environment and wildlife conservation with a particular focus on the A&N Islands. His debut novel was also based in the Andamans.
A&N Islands retain most of the original names given by the British. Many of them commemorate administrators and military leaders. Hugh Rose cornered Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi and his name is given to Rose Island. Demands are afoot to rename the island as Lakshmi Bai Dweep. Similarly, Havelock Island is named after the general who retook Lucknow from the mutineers, which could be renamed as Nana Sahib Dweep. In addition to these, the local names used by the indigenous tribes can also be used. The book contains an interesting list of local names. We must not lose sight of an important fact in this renaming spree. These islands were never a part of the political and social milieu of the mainland, and the annexation of the island chain to India was a gift of the British. Without their colonizing it first, it is highly likely that those islands would now have become the naval base of some of the prominent maritime powers like what came about in Diego Garcia.
Sekhsaria paints the picture of a very successful intervention by environmental groups on the economic life of the islanders. They were instrumental in bringing out a verdict from India’s Supreme Court in 2002 which ordered a stop to felling of trees from the island’s evergreen forests, closure of the wood-processing industry, banning traffic on the Andaman Trunk Road and a host of other far reaching observations. Timber extraction had peaked in 1980-81, which then tapered down and went totally blank in 2002-03 after the judgment. The book targets tourism as the single activity that can wreak havoc with the ecology of the islands. He attacks former President A P J Abdul Kalam for proposing the idea of using tourism as a plank in development. He even asks how a person with such good education can become so little informed on environmental concerns! Sekhsaria criticizes the government order to allow airfare as part of LTC (Leave Travel Concession) scheme of government employees. This was designed to increase arrival of tourists in the aftermath of the killer tsunami of 2004. It is estimated that one per cent of the total population of the islands perished in the tsunami. However, the subsidized tourism – also disparagingly called LTC tourism on account of the meager spending of such tourists – has been a bone of contention of the local tourism industry as well. As the number of tourists goes up, the carrying capacity of the islands get filled up. Port Blair is now witnessing rationing of water in summer.
A number of indigenous tribal communities still inhabit the islands, outside the reach of civilization and modern amenities. The earliest aborigines are thought to have colonized the islands 40,000 years ago. On such a vast time scale, the British period is hardly a page and India could only be a paragraph in the book of the human habitation of Andaman. Some of the tribes are said to be cannibals but the author doesn’t make a mention of this. The Jarawas are a prominent tribe that is now showing symptoms of becoming adapted to modern civilization. The Sentinelese are still hostile, but the author argues that on this hostility ‘stands the tribe’s best chance of surviving as an independent human community for some more time’ (p.24). The author elevates the ethno-medical knowledge of the tribes even greater than contemporary scientific practice and is apprehensive of the bio-prospectors and pharmaceutical multinationals ‘stealing’ that information. Most of the islands are out of reach of foreigners.
Sekhsaria and other environmentalists of the lot treat the local tribals as little more than an endangered animal species which needs to be protected from poachers rather than as fellow human beings. Mind you, these aborigines are roaming the steamy, disease-ridden tropical jungles stark naked – men, women, children and all. They don’t have recourse to education, medical facilities or any other convenience which technology has gifted to us and which we take for granted. Interaction and intermixing with the external society is strongly protested by these environmental fundamentalists. In fact, this is the only option to save them from sexual and physical exploitation as evidenced in a 2012 video shot by a tourist which pictured Jarawa women dancing around a tourist vehicle, begging for ‘exotic’ food. The head count of the tribes has come down drastically over the decades. The population of the Onge tribe is only about 100 and the Jarawas number around 500. It is a well known genetic fact that as the number of people in an endogamous society declines, inbreeding takes place and this leads to serious congenital disorders for future generations that are also usually lethal. Commonsense dictates that it is high time for the tribals to mix with the outside world – including marital relationships – and live a happier and more prosperous life. This will definitely cause them lose their ethnic purity, no doubt, but the days of racial purity and eugenics are long gone. Education is the primary requirement and right of such a society, to prepare its children to the vagaries and pitfalls of modernity. But the author and his fellow hard-line environmentalists want to hold them down to their jungle fastnesses and are content with tossing coconuts, bananas and packets of biscuits over to the tribals when they venture out of the forest in search of greener pastures.
The book is a collection of items that appeared in newspapers and journals over a span of nearly two decades. Naturally, repetitions abound in the 25 chapters arranged over six broadly defined fields ranging from the environment, tribal communities, military significance and the dreaded tsunami which devastated the Nicobar group of islands in 2004. The earthquake which caused the tsunami had made some startling tectonic shifts on the islands. The northern part of the island had experienced an up-shift of 1.5 m, while the southern part had subsided by as much as 4.5 m. Such scope for change in the geological foundations of the islands justifies the title of the book. A very nice collection of colour photographs add much value to the book. As no credits are expressed for the photographs, we may suspect that the author has taken these pictures himself. The book includes a good index and a very informative historical timeline.
The book is recommended.
A&N Islands retain most of the original names given by the British. Many of them commemorate administrators and military leaders. Hugh Rose cornered Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi and his name is given to Rose Island. Demands are afoot to rename the island as Lakshmi Bai Dweep. Similarly, Havelock Island is named after the general who retook Lucknow from the mutineers, which could be renamed as Nana Sahib Dweep. In addition to these, the local names used by the indigenous tribes can also be used. The book contains an interesting list of local names. We must not lose sight of an important fact in this renaming spree. These islands were never a part of the political and social milieu of the mainland, and the annexation of the island chain to India was a gift of the British. Without their colonizing it first, it is highly likely that those islands would now have become the naval base of some of the prominent maritime powers like what came about in Diego Garcia.
Sekhsaria paints the picture of a very successful intervention by environmental groups on the economic life of the islanders. They were instrumental in bringing out a verdict from India’s Supreme Court in 2002 which ordered a stop to felling of trees from the island’s evergreen forests, closure of the wood-processing industry, banning traffic on the Andaman Trunk Road and a host of other far reaching observations. Timber extraction had peaked in 1980-81, which then tapered down and went totally blank in 2002-03 after the judgment. The book targets tourism as the single activity that can wreak havoc with the ecology of the islands. He attacks former President A P J Abdul Kalam for proposing the idea of using tourism as a plank in development. He even asks how a person with such good education can become so little informed on environmental concerns! Sekhsaria criticizes the government order to allow airfare as part of LTC (Leave Travel Concession) scheme of government employees. This was designed to increase arrival of tourists in the aftermath of the killer tsunami of 2004. It is estimated that one per cent of the total population of the islands perished in the tsunami. However, the subsidized tourism – also disparagingly called LTC tourism on account of the meager spending of such tourists – has been a bone of contention of the local tourism industry as well. As the number of tourists goes up, the carrying capacity of the islands get filled up. Port Blair is now witnessing rationing of water in summer.
A number of indigenous tribal communities still inhabit the islands, outside the reach of civilization and modern amenities. The earliest aborigines are thought to have colonized the islands 40,000 years ago. On such a vast time scale, the British period is hardly a page and India could only be a paragraph in the book of the human habitation of Andaman. Some of the tribes are said to be cannibals but the author doesn’t make a mention of this. The Jarawas are a prominent tribe that is now showing symptoms of becoming adapted to modern civilization. The Sentinelese are still hostile, but the author argues that on this hostility ‘stands the tribe’s best chance of surviving as an independent human community for some more time’ (p.24). The author elevates the ethno-medical knowledge of the tribes even greater than contemporary scientific practice and is apprehensive of the bio-prospectors and pharmaceutical multinationals ‘stealing’ that information. Most of the islands are out of reach of foreigners.
Sekhsaria and other environmentalists of the lot treat the local tribals as little more than an endangered animal species which needs to be protected from poachers rather than as fellow human beings. Mind you, these aborigines are roaming the steamy, disease-ridden tropical jungles stark naked – men, women, children and all. They don’t have recourse to education, medical facilities or any other convenience which technology has gifted to us and which we take for granted. Interaction and intermixing with the external society is strongly protested by these environmental fundamentalists. In fact, this is the only option to save them from sexual and physical exploitation as evidenced in a 2012 video shot by a tourist which pictured Jarawa women dancing around a tourist vehicle, begging for ‘exotic’ food. The head count of the tribes has come down drastically over the decades. The population of the Onge tribe is only about 100 and the Jarawas number around 500. It is a well known genetic fact that as the number of people in an endogamous society declines, inbreeding takes place and this leads to serious congenital disorders for future generations that are also usually lethal. Commonsense dictates that it is high time for the tribals to mix with the outside world – including marital relationships – and live a happier and more prosperous life. This will definitely cause them lose their ethnic purity, no doubt, but the days of racial purity and eugenics are long gone. Education is the primary requirement and right of such a society, to prepare its children to the vagaries and pitfalls of modernity. But the author and his fellow hard-line environmentalists want to hold them down to their jungle fastnesses and are content with tossing coconuts, bananas and packets of biscuits over to the tribals when they venture out of the forest in search of greener pastures.
The book is a collection of items that appeared in newspapers and journals over a span of nearly two decades. Naturally, repetitions abound in the 25 chapters arranged over six broadly defined fields ranging from the environment, tribal communities, military significance and the dreaded tsunami which devastated the Nicobar group of islands in 2004. The earthquake which caused the tsunami had made some startling tectonic shifts on the islands. The northern part of the island had experienced an up-shift of 1.5 m, while the southern part had subsided by as much as 4.5 m. Such scope for change in the geological foundations of the islands justifies the title of the book. A very nice collection of colour photographs add much value to the book. As no credits are expressed for the photographs, we may suspect that the author has taken these pictures himself. The book includes a good index and a very informative historical timeline.
The book is recommended.
February 15, 2023
‘Importantly, the road has become, in recent years, the vector and the catalyst for a perverse kind of tourism, with tourists taking a ride here in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Jarawas who traditionally don’t wear clothes.” - Pankaj Sekhsaria, Islands in Flux.
The writer #PankajSekhsaria has chronicled 2 decades long of the insights, events, environment and wildlife conservation and indigenous communities in Andaman and Nicobar in written records. #islandsinflux is one of his books which is an urgent need of the hour calling for immediate attention and awareness to protect the most fragile and vulnerable islands and its indigenous living in them.
I’ve superficially listed the atrocities the islands are facing over here. My ultimate aim is to insist readers in this space to read this important book. The writing is factual straightforward and easy for anyone to understand with annexed photographs, notes and statistical evidences to support the written hard work. People need to be aware, conscious and be informed, and voice against the various harm committed by the government policies. Pankaj’s books and works should even become part of mainstream school curriculum. His teachings are crucial in protecting an important ecosystem of the world.
Being informed is key as we delve into the dangers of erasure looming over the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The huge archipelago is situated in the Bay of Bengal, specifically on the equatorial belt, spanning over 8200 sq.km. Both the Andaman and Nicobar groups are tropical islands in which Nicobar is entirely a tribal reserve while 90% of the Andaman groups of islands are legally protected forest reserves. And 36% of these protected areas are tribal reserves.
Destruction of these islands will have a large impact on our ecosystems eventually. Geographically, the submerged Arakan Yoma mountain ranges of Myanmar continued on to become the Andamans and the Mentawei island of Sumatra have continued to become the Nicobars. Shows how close we are to these islands too. All the more these islands deserve same level of care and attention that we show in our current trend of being eco-friendly.
Within the Andamans, The tribals who are continued to be decimated to about 500 in numbers over 150 years are the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese and sadly, the Great Andamanese have been wiped out. It began with the British colonialists spreading communicable diseases- measles and then malaria (similar to the smallpox they gave the aboriginals of Australia). Next, imposing the dietary practices on them which are harmful to them, and then the alcohol, narcotics, tobacco, cash system, prostitution and sexual assaults.
As it is the intruders, exploiters, murderers, inhumane madmen prancing around the islands have irreversibly damaged the islands. The Tsunami of December 2004 served as a horrific calamity resulting in major seismic shift in the regions. The worst hit Nicobar islands that were met with the catastrophic ecological change in the marine ecosystem, coral reefs, wildlife were researched on and the unequivocal conclusion that nature always adapt in its own ways to return to a state of equilibrium without our alien interventions.
Apart from feigned ignorance and plain stupidity, i think it is the vulgar and stark greed those in power to exploit and plunder the islands.
Why would a government bulldoze their way into ecologically fragile islands which are legally protected tribal reserves? Post-colonialism has enabled former colonies to become colonizers. India colonizes the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. So the government materialised the visions of its leaders for massive industrialisation, millitary expansion, religious propaganda, port and tourism development along with “civilizing” the tribals and manipulating the native flora and fauna. Destroying forest habitats and the tribals seem to be an inexplicably international hobby practiced by governments; colonial hangover.
Folks from the mainland were given attractive incentives to settle in the Andamans, displacing the tribal habitats. The tribals were forced into wooden structures with asbestos roofing. Worser is the testing of missiles.
So many officers in the administration have pocketed from the massive and perverse scale of logging, illegal timber extraction. The laws and regulations instated by the government have been defied explicitly and the perpetrators have gotten away scot-free and finding more ways to exploit further and deeper.
Saltwater crocodile, monitor lizards, the dugong, Andaman wild pig, the giant leatherback, the green sea turtle, the hawksbill turtle and the olive Ridley sea turtles, are endangered exponentially,. The edible next swiftlet is headed for extinction, the coral reefs are bleached, fallen mangroves, due to the excessive sand-mining, logging and introduction of invasive and alien species.
Wild Elephants, dogs, spotted deers, cats, squirrels, crows, mynahs, peafowl and giant African snail were brought into these islands by stupids.
Cheap tourism funded by the Indian government enabled a huge influx of government employees to throng upon the Andamans as their cheap tourist holidays. As it is the islands lack the infrastructure to support settlers, so the cheap tourism resulted in scarcity of water, ruin exisiting, infrastructure, accumulated waste that had no disposal plans or management and the huge impact on the biodiversity. I do not wish to imagined the extent of damage and pollution these tourists have caused or them coming in contact with the females tribals. Sickening and gross. I will keep my opinions reserved in case i hurt their nationalistic pride.
I’d also say the American missionary, an idiot, who clearly did not use the organs between his brains was killed by the North Sentinelese tribes completely deserved it. Visitors regardless of their agenda and forewarned to not encroach the territorial waters of the North Sentinelese. Who are you to violate their space or even think of imposing your stupid religious conversions on them? Who are you? Who gave you the right to do whatever you wanted to do with them?
This glaring arrogance that you feel superior to them is abominable. I will continue rooting for the Sentinelese in brutally taking down trespassers and that also means anyone is a trespasser to them. it is their right to protect themselves from us by killing. They have been living there since the first migration out of Africa and they never sought our interactions or our versions of ‘peace’. They are part of the humankind and it is also basic humanity to leave them alone.
#bookstagram #igreads #book #read #readers #booklovers #bibliophile #thegreatandamanese #andaman #nicobar #sentinelese #northsentinel #tribal #bookstagrammer #jarawas #onge #andamanandnicobar #A&N
The writer #PankajSekhsaria has chronicled 2 decades long of the insights, events, environment and wildlife conservation and indigenous communities in Andaman and Nicobar in written records. #islandsinflux is one of his books which is an urgent need of the hour calling for immediate attention and awareness to protect the most fragile and vulnerable islands and its indigenous living in them.
I’ve superficially listed the atrocities the islands are facing over here. My ultimate aim is to insist readers in this space to read this important book. The writing is factual straightforward and easy for anyone to understand with annexed photographs, notes and statistical evidences to support the written hard work. People need to be aware, conscious and be informed, and voice against the various harm committed by the government policies. Pankaj’s books and works should even become part of mainstream school curriculum. His teachings are crucial in protecting an important ecosystem of the world.
Being informed is key as we delve into the dangers of erasure looming over the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The huge archipelago is situated in the Bay of Bengal, specifically on the equatorial belt, spanning over 8200 sq.km. Both the Andaman and Nicobar groups are tropical islands in which Nicobar is entirely a tribal reserve while 90% of the Andaman groups of islands are legally protected forest reserves. And 36% of these protected areas are tribal reserves.
Destruction of these islands will have a large impact on our ecosystems eventually. Geographically, the submerged Arakan Yoma mountain ranges of Myanmar continued on to become the Andamans and the Mentawei island of Sumatra have continued to become the Nicobars. Shows how close we are to these islands too. All the more these islands deserve same level of care and attention that we show in our current trend of being eco-friendly.
Within the Andamans, The tribals who are continued to be decimated to about 500 in numbers over 150 years are the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese and sadly, the Great Andamanese have been wiped out. It began with the British colonialists spreading communicable diseases- measles and then malaria (similar to the smallpox they gave the aboriginals of Australia). Next, imposing the dietary practices on them which are harmful to them, and then the alcohol, narcotics, tobacco, cash system, prostitution and sexual assaults.
As it is the intruders, exploiters, murderers, inhumane madmen prancing around the islands have irreversibly damaged the islands. The Tsunami of December 2004 served as a horrific calamity resulting in major seismic shift in the regions. The worst hit Nicobar islands that were met with the catastrophic ecological change in the marine ecosystem, coral reefs, wildlife were researched on and the unequivocal conclusion that nature always adapt in its own ways to return to a state of equilibrium without our alien interventions.
Apart from feigned ignorance and plain stupidity, i think it is the vulgar and stark greed those in power to exploit and plunder the islands.
Why would a government bulldoze their way into ecologically fragile islands which are legally protected tribal reserves? Post-colonialism has enabled former colonies to become colonizers. India colonizes the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. So the government materialised the visions of its leaders for massive industrialisation, millitary expansion, religious propaganda, port and tourism development along with “civilizing” the tribals and manipulating the native flora and fauna. Destroying forest habitats and the tribals seem to be an inexplicably international hobby practiced by governments; colonial hangover.
Folks from the mainland were given attractive incentives to settle in the Andamans, displacing the tribal habitats. The tribals were forced into wooden structures with asbestos roofing. Worser is the testing of missiles.
So many officers in the administration have pocketed from the massive and perverse scale of logging, illegal timber extraction. The laws and regulations instated by the government have been defied explicitly and the perpetrators have gotten away scot-free and finding more ways to exploit further and deeper.
Saltwater crocodile, monitor lizards, the dugong, Andaman wild pig, the giant leatherback, the green sea turtle, the hawksbill turtle and the olive Ridley sea turtles, are endangered exponentially,. The edible next swiftlet is headed for extinction, the coral reefs are bleached, fallen mangroves, due to the excessive sand-mining, logging and introduction of invasive and alien species.
Wild Elephants, dogs, spotted deers, cats, squirrels, crows, mynahs, peafowl and giant African snail were brought into these islands by stupids.
Cheap tourism funded by the Indian government enabled a huge influx of government employees to throng upon the Andamans as their cheap tourist holidays. As it is the islands lack the infrastructure to support settlers, so the cheap tourism resulted in scarcity of water, ruin exisiting, infrastructure, accumulated waste that had no disposal plans or management and the huge impact on the biodiversity. I do not wish to imagined the extent of damage and pollution these tourists have caused or them coming in contact with the females tribals. Sickening and gross. I will keep my opinions reserved in case i hurt their nationalistic pride.
I’d also say the American missionary, an idiot, who clearly did not use the organs between his brains was killed by the North Sentinelese tribes completely deserved it. Visitors regardless of their agenda and forewarned to not encroach the territorial waters of the North Sentinelese. Who are you to violate their space or even think of imposing your stupid religious conversions on them? Who are you? Who gave you the right to do whatever you wanted to do with them?
This glaring arrogance that you feel superior to them is abominable. I will continue rooting for the Sentinelese in brutally taking down trespassers and that also means anyone is a trespasser to them. it is their right to protect themselves from us by killing. They have been living there since the first migration out of Africa and they never sought our interactions or our versions of ‘peace’. They are part of the humankind and it is also basic humanity to leave them alone.
#bookstagram #igreads #book #read #readers #booklovers #bibliophile #thegreatandamanese #andaman #nicobar #sentinelese #northsentinel #tribal #bookstagrammer #jarawas #onge #andamanandnicobar #A&N
July 29, 2018
Holistic documentation on various dynamics in andaman and nicobar islands
I could recognise the diversity involved in highlighting the various environmental and human settlement in the current andaman and nicobar. The book is simple in its content but written by an author who has pondered upon each and every segment of this book. Pankaj was able to connect the various dots and present an unbiased view of the state of affairs in this novel !
I could recognise the diversity involved in highlighting the various environmental and human settlement in the current andaman and nicobar. The book is simple in its content but written by an author who has pondered upon each and every segment of this book. Pankaj was able to connect the various dots and present an unbiased view of the state of affairs in this novel !
July 1, 2017
A collection of essays On Andaman and Nicobar Islands whose fate hangs in balance ever since its tourist potential was discovered,attempts to introduce welfare measures for the indigenous tribes were made, and the 26 December 2004 tsunami causing extensive damage to the group of islands and islanders happened.
The zealot author's relentless focus on the various tribes like Onge and Jarawa and their unique habits and on the harms introduction of asbestos roofs, foods of mainland India including tobacco and alcohol, the Andaman Trunk Road, settlement of mainland Indians in overwhelming numbers and establishment of saw mills and plywood mills caused to them, urge a reader to ponder what a civilization could do to a tribe of aborigines.
The nail on the coffin of the hitherto fore untouched islands is the discovery of its potency as a platform for military purposes,laments the author.
The phrases those underline the height of insensitivity to the uniqueness of the Islands and various communities in the Islands are 'Jarawa-infected' p. 86 and the President's three day 'avalanche. p.153.
Though the author, in is anxious glare on the preservation of the precious Islands and its aborigines, is blind to all other needs of mainland India, he has a just cause to hammer in and has overwhelming documentation to do it with.
The nature of the book and its structure inevitably brings in repetitions of a certain kind.
I award this book a well deserved four stars.
The book was a giveaway gift to me.
The zealot author's relentless focus on the various tribes like Onge and Jarawa and their unique habits and on the harms introduction of asbestos roofs, foods of mainland India including tobacco and alcohol, the Andaman Trunk Road, settlement of mainland Indians in overwhelming numbers and establishment of saw mills and plywood mills caused to them, urge a reader to ponder what a civilization could do to a tribe of aborigines.
The nail on the coffin of the hitherto fore untouched islands is the discovery of its potency as a platform for military purposes,laments the author.
The phrases those underline the height of insensitivity to the uniqueness of the Islands and various communities in the Islands are 'Jarawa-infected' p. 86 and the President's three day 'avalanche. p.153.
Though the author, in is anxious glare on the preservation of the precious Islands and its aborigines, is blind to all other needs of mainland India, he has a just cause to hammer in and has overwhelming documentation to do it with.
The nature of the book and its structure inevitably brings in repetitions of a certain kind.
I award this book a well deserved four stars.
The book was a giveaway gift to me.
July 9, 2025
This book serves as a timeline of the Indian government’s colonisation of the Andaman Islands (1980s-2024). Definitely an important and timely read as NITI Aayog moves forward on some devastatingly irreversible plans for the island group: to turn rainforests, coral reefs and homes of an almost wiped out indigenous people into a Singapore-like port city. Even as the islands struggle with frequent earthquakes and water scarcity.
However I wish there was a map of the archipelago (a vague one if the intention was to protect information) along with a chapter on info and history of the indigenous groups (the stories only went into the political climate), especially of their affinity with biodiversity.
However I wish there was a map of the archipelago (a vague one if the intention was to protect information) along with a chapter on info and history of the indigenous groups (the stories only went into the political climate), especially of their affinity with biodiversity.
June 11, 2017
This book gives an overall view of the range of the issues faced by the Andaman and Nicobar islands and its inhabitants. It is basically a collection of articles, written and published at different times on various issues on the island, grouped for coherence.
I picked up this book because I wanted to understand more about these islands and its people. Each article showed a certain side of the islands. As someone with little previous knowledge of the place, it created a sense of wanting to know and understand it better.
I picked up this book because I wanted to understand more about these islands and its people. Each article showed a certain side of the islands. As someone with little previous knowledge of the place, it created a sense of wanting to know and understand it better.
June 17, 2017
Pankaj Sekhsaria is indeed knowledgeable about Andaman and Nicobar Islands. But this book, as a collection of his articles from the print media is disjointed, sometimes repetitive and doesn't provide an overall compelling narrative about the islands. "The land of naked people" is for those who want a more conventional travel book.
May 13, 2024
I wish I'd read Islands in Flux before my first visit to the Andamans. There are so many questions to ask ourselves about this new kind of colonialism that Sekhsaria writes of. Questions also about what it means to be a traveller in places where the ecology and people are so threatened that their very existence is uncertain, precarious.
May 20, 2023
A fascinating survey of all that should not be happening in these wonderful Islands. As with all the civilisations that have come into contact with colonising powers throughout history the story is the same. We surely do not learn from history
November 30, 2017
Interesting read.
May 7, 2023
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews