CHENNAI: From the bustling capital city of Port Blair to the beautiful beach of Havelock Islands, there is so much to see in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. But how much do we know about this Union Territory? Author and academician Pankaj Sekhsaria who has been visiting this piece of heaven for the last the 20 years has a special relationship with it.
He recently launched his second book Island in Flux — The Andaman and Nicobar Story at the Madras Literary Society, and shared some excerpts from the book
Pankaj chose some of his own authored articles and research papers and wove it together in this book. “The only challenge while putting these pieces together was to segregate it from the larger body of work. I had to pick up stories that would weave themselves together,” he said.
In the book, Pankaj talks about the various issues that have been cropping up over the years. While sharing notes at the launch, he stressed on the need to create more awareness and measures to conserve the indigenous tribes and forest. The islands are home to various species of animals like the Andaman coconut crab, Nicobar parakeet, serpent-eagle, Andaman Islands day gecko, and about 2,200 varieties of plants are housed here. “Over the years I have realised and included three aspects — social, ecological and geological — into the book. There is a constant flux in any system, and in a place like the islands, it has become more,” he added.
Having worked with various organisations and communities to ensure environmental conservation and education in these islands, this Hyderabad-based author has been going back and forth. The book serves as a guide to any environment and conservation enthusiast, with a map of the islands and also a framework about the issues surfacing the region.