Pankaj Sekhsaria's Blog, page 4
May 9, 2017
Kolkata release of 'Islands in Flux'
Book Launch of Pankaj Sekhsaria’s Islands in Flux; Compilation of Writings on Key Issues in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Happened at the Oxford Book Store, April 25, 2017 BySholoana Bangaliana
- Apr 27, 2017Oxford Bookstore and Harper Collins played the host to the book launch of Islands in Flux written by Pankaj Sekhsaria. The book was unveiled in the presence of the author along with Anuradha Lohia, Vice Chancellor, Presidency University.The book Islands in Flux is a compilation of writings of the author on key issues in the islands over a long period. The writing showcases environment, wildlife conservation, development and indigenous communities who have provided insights and perspective on the life of the islands for over two decades. The book is like a map of the region and will make for an interesting read for anyone interested in the future of our world.
The event was followed by a panel discussion with Madhusree Mukherjee, Guggenheim Fellow, journalist and author. The illustrated talk on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands also had a presentation on images and the author’s real life experiences in the area for the last two decades.Priyanka DuttaConnect with us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/sholoanabangaliana?ref=hlOur You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2nKhJo7Qd_riZIKxRO_RoAOur Twitter Handle: @Sholoana1Google+ ID: +Sholoana
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The book is available now In stores across the country and also on amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
Saving a wonderland - Review of 'Islands in Flux' in The Hindu
Review by Jacob Koshy, in The Hindu, April 30, 2017http://www.thehindu.com/books/saving-... Saving a wonderland
Exploitation of the Andaman and Nicobar islands must end
Andaman and Nicobar, which consists of 500-odd islands that stretch from the south of Myanmar to the north of Indonesia, is synaptically removed from mainland India. However, when the monsoon approaches, India's meteorological department is particularly interested in the A&N archipelago.
One part of the monsoon winds branch out from here to make landfall in Kerala and usually, any delay is blamed on local cloud systems around the broader Andaman area. Once the monsoon soldiers on, interest in the Andamans abates until the next year.
Journalist and environmental scholar, Pankaj Sekhsaria, has for long chronicled this transactional relationship between the Andaman and Nicobar islands and the Centre. Islands in Flux is a collection of reportage and opinion pieces by Sekhsaria and published over two decades in several magazines and newspapers, including this one. The articles here primarily deal with how, beginning with the British and down to the present dispensation, the region's rich forestry has been exploited for timber and the ecological and social changes in its wake.
Logging has dramatically changed the balance of species, both plant and animals. Numbers of the four main tribes of the region, the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese, have dwindled from about 5,000 in 1850 to 500 today. This is largely due to a massive influx of 'mainlanders', who have over the years, sought to harness the benefits of its strategic location, forestry and now, increasingly, its tourism potential.
Sekhsaria touches upon themes such as the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on the islands, the challenges faced by various tribes in preserving their way of life and having a say in the islands' future.
A significant drawback in this collection is that there is little first person-perspective on how contemporary inhabitants of the islands view development. How has tribal contact with the outside world influenced internal tribal relations? Has the advent of increased communications technology meant a greater desire for adopting new modes of living?
While a good primer for those interested in the islands' history, it lacks anecdote and the scintilla of sharp observations to let the light in.
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The book is available now In stores across the country and also on amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
Exploitation of the Andaman and Nicobar islands must end
Andaman and Nicobar, which consists of 500-odd islands that stretch from the south of Myanmar to the north of Indonesia, is synaptically removed from mainland India. However, when the monsoon approaches, India's meteorological department is particularly interested in the A&N archipelago.
One part of the monsoon winds branch out from here to make landfall in Kerala and usually, any delay is blamed on local cloud systems around the broader Andaman area. Once the monsoon soldiers on, interest in the Andamans abates until the next year.
Journalist and environmental scholar, Pankaj Sekhsaria, has for long chronicled this transactional relationship between the Andaman and Nicobar islands and the Centre. Islands in Flux is a collection of reportage and opinion pieces by Sekhsaria and published over two decades in several magazines and newspapers, including this one. The articles here primarily deal with how, beginning with the British and down to the present dispensation, the region's rich forestry has been exploited for timber and the ecological and social changes in its wake.
Logging has dramatically changed the balance of species, both plant and animals. Numbers of the four main tribes of the region, the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese, have dwindled from about 5,000 in 1850 to 500 today. This is largely due to a massive influx of 'mainlanders', who have over the years, sought to harness the benefits of its strategic location, forestry and now, increasingly, its tourism potential.
Sekhsaria touches upon themes such as the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on the islands, the challenges faced by various tribes in preserving their way of life and having a say in the islands' future.
A significant drawback in this collection is that there is little first person-perspective on how contemporary inhabitants of the islands view development. How has tribal contact with the outside world influenced internal tribal relations? Has the advent of increased communications technology meant a greater desire for adopting new modes of living?
While a good primer for those interested in the islands' history, it lacks anecdote and the scintilla of sharp observations to let the light in.
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The book is available now In stores across the country and also on amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
April 28, 2017
Islands in Flux - launch in Delhi
And here are some pictures from the Delhi launch of the book that took place at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library on the 20th of April. Pics by Peeyush Sekhsaria
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Copies of the book are available now in stores across the country and on amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
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Copies of the book are available now in stores across the country and on amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
April 22, 2017
Kolkata release - Islands in Flux
Kolkata release...
At the Oxford Book Store, Park Street, 25th April, 6 pm.
Copies available on amazon at http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
At the Oxford Book Store, Park Street, 25th April, 6 pm.
Copies available on amazon at http://bit.ly/IslandsInFluxApril 16, 2017
Islands in Flux - now available in Pondicherry
Islands in Flux and The Last Wave, now available in Pondicherry at
Kasha ki Aasha,23 Surcouf Street,605001 Pondicherry
0413 222 2963
Also available on amazon (kindle and print): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
Kasha ki Aasha,23 Surcouf Street,605001 Pondicherry
0413 222 2963
Also available on amazon (kindle and print): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
April 8, 2017
Islands in Flux - Delhi release on 20th April
Delhi release of Islands in Flux - the Andaman and Nicobar Story Date: 20th April, 3 pmVenue: Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Teen Murti Bhavan
And we have a very interesting panel that'll be discussing the book and the islands!
Islands in Flux is now available in bookstores across the country. Also on amazon (print and kindle): https://tinyurl.com/mvc7aja
#islandsinflux #thelastwave #andaman #nicobar
For more details including of my other A&N books, please write to me psekhsaria@gmail.com
And we have a very interesting panel that'll be discussing the book and the islands!
Islands in Flux is now available in bookstores across the country. Also on amazon (print and kindle): https://tinyurl.com/mvc7aja
#islandsinflux #thelastwave #andaman #nicobar
For more details including of my other A&N books, please write to me psekhsaria@gmail.com
April 6, 2017
Islands in Flux - now available in the islands
'Islands in Flux - the Andaman and Nicobar Story', is now available in the islands - in Havelock and in Port Blair. In Port Blair at Sagarekha Emporium, Middle Point and soon at Tarang Trades, Middle Point.
In Havelock they are available at Turtlefins.a, Govind Nagar, Havelock No. 5 with Rohit Waghela and at Seven Heaven, Govind Nagar, Havelock No. 3 with Amit Mangu.
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Copies are also available on amazon (both print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux
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And for a set of signed copies of all my A&N books please write for details to thelastwave1@gmail.com
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If there are suggestions for other places, particularly in the islands, that are willing to stock copies of 'Islands in Flux' and also 'The Last Wave', please do write to me psekhsaria@gmail.com
April 4, 2017
Scroll carries an excerpt from 'Islands in Flux'
Scroll carries an excerpt from 'Islands in Flux' -
This is the piece that sets the stage for what the book has to offer. The original was titled 'A history of alienation' and appeared first in the Hindu Folio way back in the year 2000:
https://scroll.in/article/833293/how-a-statist-vision-of-development-has-brought-andamans-tribals-close-to-extinction
(The book is now available in stores across the country and also via amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux)
This is the piece that sets the stage for what the book has to offer. The original was titled 'A history of alienation' and appeared first in the Hindu Folio way back in the year 2000:
https://scroll.in/article/833293/how-a-statist-vision-of-development-has-brought-andamans-tribals-close-to-extinction
(The book is now available in stores across the country and also via amazon (print and kindle): http://bit.ly/IslandsInFlux)
March 29, 2017
Islands in Flux - an excerpt in Caravan
An excerpt in Caravan...a story published first in Frontline in 1998
See: http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/jarawa-excursions-an-excerpt-from-pankaj-sekhsarias-islands-in-flux
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The books available now in stores, and via mark my book: Buy at http://bit.ly/2nOprZQ and on
A kindle version is also available now: https://tinyurl.com/mvc7aja
Jarawa Excursions: An Excerpt from Pankaj Sekhsaria’s “Islands in Flux”Sekhsaria discusses an unusual occurrence: an excursion by members of the Jarawa community, seemingly to establish contact with the mainland.caravanmagazine.in
See: http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/jarawa-excursions-an-excerpt-from-pankaj-sekhsarias-islands-in-flux
--
The books available now in stores, and via mark my book: Buy at http://bit.ly/2nOprZQ and on
A kindle version is also available now: https://tinyurl.com/mvc7aja
Jarawa Excursions: An Excerpt from Pankaj Sekhsaria’s “Islands in Flux”Sekhsaria discusses an unusual occurrence: an excursion by members of the Jarawa community, seemingly to establish contact with the mainland.caravanmagazine.in
March 23, 2017
Should the names of the A&N islands be changed
Should the name of A&N islands be changed? This is a question that keeps coming up again and again like a bad dream, as if there is nothing more important in or for the islands. (A BJP MP has just made a call for this: See: https://www.academia.edu/31998259/Forgotten_Islands
