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POSTAL REGN NO. PBLRNP/08/2008-2010www.lightofandamans.blogspot.com

THE FAÇADE OF

JARAWA DANCE VIDEOARMY PERSONNELINVOLVED

EXCLUSIVE

MAINSTREAMINGJARAWASNorth and Middle Andaman DistrictSHIFT THE GOAL POSTYES MINISTER

2 |loa|FEATURES THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 13 JANUARY 2012

BY STAFF REPORTER

Its all fingers and thumbs inthe investigation into theJarawa dance video contro-

versy as proper coordination isnot visible among the agenciesworking for the welfare andprotection of Jarawas.Andaman Adim Janjathi VikasSamiti (AAJVS) is anautonomous body which looksafter the Jarawa tribe. Policeand Forest Department are theother two agencies who helpthem in the protection of thetribe as well as their Reserve.

The Administration hadannounced a probe into theincident with a DeputySuperintendent of Police as itshead. When there is a chance ofbreach on the part of police,AAJVS and Forest, these agen-cies cannot be part of the inves-tigation. The probe should havebeen done by an independent

agency or commission.As the police have already

initiated the investigation,without any official coordina-tion of other two agencies,there are chances of pointingfingers and blame-game.

Moreover, in a statementissued by the DGP, he haspointed towards a man wear-ing camouflaged dress, but hedid not mention about the roleof any army personnel. He maybe waiting for concrete evi-dence.

In the meanwhile, another

expose has come to the fore. Acomplaint was filed with theDirectorate of Tribal Welfare byArvind Rai Sharma on 29September 2011 regarding cir-culation of a CD by a tour oper-ator who had used the Jarawasin various poses. It is learntfrom the complaint that prop-erly choreographed dances andramp walk of Jarawas wereorganised by the videographer.The Directorate had forwardedthe complaint to the police forimmediate action, which neverhappened.

BYSTAFFREPORTER

The visits of Central Ministersto the Islands give theIslanders as well as the PRI

representatives an opportunity tointeract with them and presenttheir grievances. However, it islearnt that in most cases, the min-isters are kept in dark or therequired forums are not providedby the Administration. They arequickly packed to some tourismdestinations with one or twophoto-ops with the LieutenantGovernor. The programmes arescheduled in such a manner thatthey spend very less time givingthe Islanders an opportunity tomeet them.

In a recent incident, whenPradeep Kumar Jain Aditya,MoS, Ministry of RuralDevelopment visited the Islands,the PRIs or the nodal institutionsworking in the rural develop-ment sector were not allowed anymeeting. He was quickly sent toHavelock Island on the sameafternoon, he arrived here.Balakrishnan Nair, Adhyaksh,Zilla Parishad, had to interveneand interrupt the minister atCellular Jail to submit a list ofissues relatd with the implemen-tation and execution of centrallysponsored poverty alleviationprogrammes.

In a representation submittedto the Minister, he raised manyrelevant issues. On MGNREGAwage rate for unskilledAgriculture labourers, theAdhyaksh highlighted that sinceIst January 2011, the MGNREGAbeneficiaries wages for unskilledlabourers were reduced toRs.170/-, whereas the wage asper the State Minimum wage forunskilled labour is Rs.205/- perday. In view of the high cost of liv-ing in these remote and geo-graphically difficult islands, headvised to increase the MGNRE-GA wage rate for unskilled work-ers at par with that of the StateMinimum wage.

He also highlighted that MGN-REGA scheme should be used forcreation of Durable Assets byincorporating materials in thecivil works. The MoRD has stipu-lated 60:40 wage:material ratiofor all works. As the cost index isvery high in these geographicallydifficult and scattered Islands, itis difficult to maintain this ratio.He requested for relaxation to theIslands as regards to this ratio orthe materials required to be pro-vided at a subsidized rate by the

developmental departments. He sought the intervention of

the minister for strengthening ofMIS by providing better infra-structure to PRI's for computer-ized reporting of MGNREGA tothe Ministry as online proposalsare mandatory for future fundsrelease. Arrangements for leasedinternet line may kindly beobtained from BSNL and allGram Panchayats to be providedpersonnel and computers linkedthrough LAN with Blocks. TheBlocks are to be networked withservers at district level. This willenable in better transparency andfaster generation of reportsenabling effective implementa-tion of MGNREGA and other RDschemes too. Funding may beprovided for this by the ministry.This can be incorporated with theIT hub coming up after of layingof undersea optic fibre cablesconnecting major inhabitatedIslands with State level servers.

Due to lack of funds underIndira Awas Yojana scheme withthe DRDA, South Andaman dis-trict, application for sanction offinancial assistance, for 1stInstallment, and final paymentsof many poor Below Poverty Linebeneficiaries are pending. Herequested for immediate releaseof funds for the above purposefrom the MoRD, GoI.

Majority of land holding inoccupation of Islanders is underjoint name. This acts as a con-

straint in availing facilities ofschemes like IAY. Further, majori-ty of BPL beneficiaries are land-less or old encroachers of pre-61and pre-78 awaiting regulariza-

tion of their land. These peopleare eligible for electric and waterconnection but cannot avail IAY.He also requested relaxation inthe norms to such BPL families.

During the year 2010, for theimplementation of centrallysponsored scheme of TotalSanitation campaign, house tohouse survey was conducted forproviding individual sanitarylatrines for BPL and APL families,latrines for institutional buildingand for creation of communityassets, including solid and liquidwaste management wereassessed and a two year annualaction plan with necessary fundrequisition duly approved by theZila Parishad and the administra-tion was forwarded to the MoRD.Funds for the same needs to bereleased for implementation ofTSC, Balakrishnan demanded.

On the revision of pay structureof MGNREGA functionaries, heinformed the Minister that thesalaries of MGNREGA contractu-al staff at the Gram Panchayats,Block level and others is less thanhalf compared to salaries of thesame rank of staff under NRHMand other centrally assistedschemes. The cost of living, main-taining of timelines in planningand execution, and maintaininggreater transparency measureswithout sufficient remunerationto the staff is a major impedimentin effective implementation of thescheme as well as morale of thecontractual staff. He requestedthe Minister to revise the paystructure for these remote andgeographically difficult islands.

Speaking to LOA, BalakrishnanNair said that the Minister hasshown keen interest in the matterand has assured action on thepoints raised.

Adhyaksh ZP Raises Issues AboutCentralSchemes with Minister

Clumsy Investigation

3 |city|NEWS THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 13 JANUARY 2012

Lt Governor, BhopinderSingh has expressed hisdeep anguish by the shock-

ing video showing members ofour Jarawa tribes in the mostsad and unfortunate circum-stances, a most deplorable anddisgraceful act against humani-ty. He has directed the DirectorGeneral of Police to completethe investigations on a fast trackto nab the culprits so that they

can be meted out exemplarypunishment.

The Lt Governor pointed outthat in recent years, theAdministration has taken vari-ous measures for the protectionand welfare of our Jarawa tribesand other indigenous tribes. Forthe first time in 150 years of set-tlement, the actual number ofJarawa population has gone upby 40% in the last ten years. The

Administration has carefullyaddressed over 1500 medicalrequirements of the Jarawas asand when sought by theJarawas themselves with exclu-sive wards dedicated to them toensure sensitivity of handlingtheir cases in the clinics and hos-pitals. Over the past many years,the Jarawas and the non-tribalpopulation have been living in avery peaceful and harmonious

manner in their respectiveareas. However, an incident ofthis nature by some mischievouselements will not only create amisunderstanding and riftamongst the tribals and the non-tribal population but will alsoshame our islanders in particu-lar and our country in general.Therefore there is a need toweed out these bad elementsfrom our Islands which enjoy

the reputation of being a verypeaceful, secular and a uniquemodel of unity in diversity to theentire world.

The Lt Governor has directedthe Director General of Police tolaunch a crack down on all suchdubious tour operators and theiraccomplices to ensure theutmost protection, dignity andwelfare of our indigenous andprimitive tribes.

BYZUBAIRAHMED

There is a story of a disap-pointed man. He was blind.Everyone helped him.

Whenever he had to cross theroad, someone assisted him.People gave him free food andclothing. He was a satisfied manand thought how good peoplearound him were. He wished hehad eyes to see the beautiful andgood people around him. Oneday while crossing the road, a carhit him. The car was driven by anophthalmic surgeon. He felt badand took the blind man to his clin-ic. He found out that it was a verysmall ailment, which had madethe man blind and could be easilytreated. He was operated free ofcost. And he got his sight back.But, people no more helped himor gave him free food or clothing.He became a disappointed man.He now knew that the world wasnot as good as he thought.

Without any outside interven-tion, the Jarawas today lead a sat-isfied and content life. Whenever,there is PAT violation or breachon Andaman Trunk Road, thefocus shifts to the debate on main-streaming of Jarawas.

The gradual inclusion or inte-gration of the Jarawas into themainstream society has alwaysbeen the focal point of the debateabout Jarawas. Last week, TribalAffairs Minister Krishna ChandraDeo said that he is in favour ofgradual inclusion. He also saidthat Jarawas lead a beastly life inthe forests.

This is the crisis Jarawas are

facing today. Their life is beingdebated at various forums with-out an iota of truth about theground reality. How come theyreached the conclusion thatJarawas lead a beastly life? If aminister who is their guardiansays such frivolous things, howcan one expect fair assesment intheir decisions?

The debate that we are privi-leged and Jarawas are under-privileged is another notionwhich cannot be substantiated.

Jarawas are a content tribe lead-ing a peaceful life in their forestswith ample food resource base.However, unrelented plunderingof their resources by the poach-ers, local and foreign, if continuesunabated, it will only help indepleting their resource base.Many incidents go unnoticedsuch as hunting and fishing intheir territory, and when suchcases are detected, politicians ofall hues come to the rescue of theculprits. In the same vein, theywill harp about mainstreaming ofJarawas.

An intelligent tribe which haslived for centuries in their forestsis now at crossroads. Nomadic in

nature, they shuttle in theirforests from Lewis Inlet toConstance Bay. From Kadamtalato Tirur, travelling through theforest is not a taxing one for them.They don't need to stretch like usafter a tiring journey of two-hourson Andaman Trunk Road. Theyare also not bedazzled by ourspeeding cars and boats.

It's a good sign that their popu-lation is increasing. TheAdministration is quite happy andvocal about it. Numbering about

400, there has been increase intheir population in the lastdecade. The population hasincreased not because they start-ed mingling, but they are still pro-tected from the invasion of out-side world, and not the other wayaround.

The total reserve of 1208 sqkms for 400 Jarawas is quite suffi-cient for hunting and gathering.The fear that their resources aredepleting and they are hungry istotally unfounded.

As they don’t have permanentshelters and are not settled in aplace, it would be preposterous tothink about the kind of develop-ment that we have for ourselves.

The case of Nicobarese is quotedfrequently suggesting main-streaming of the Jarawas. In fact,it took more than two centuriesfor the Nicobarese to reach theposition they enjoy today. Still,there is an inner-line permit sys-tem existing. Why cannot weallow the same time-span for theJarawas too? It is surprising thatwe cannot find a tailor, a barberor a blacksmith among theNicobarese, though they need allthese services to cope up with thelifestyle they have adopted fromus. They are also very bad agricul-turists as far as the kind of foodculture they have adopted fromus. They have become dependenton the outer-world for all suchneeds, that too after two cen-turies of their interaction with theouter world.

Why we are in a haste suggest-ing forced mainstreaming of tribewho came into contact with theouter world just a decade ago?How can we forget the case ofGreat Andamanese, who werethe victims of forced integration?

Jarawas need to shed their

nomadic nature to even thinkabout agriculture, education andother vocations that we preferthem to adopt. Once their popu-lation increases and they feel theneed to settle down and thinkabout individual ownership, theymight take up other livelihoodoptions other than hunting, fish-ing and gathering.

If we look at the technologythat Jarawas use for their day today requirement, we will feelashamed of our development andprogress. We need refrigerationto keep our food fresh, whereasJarawas keep smoking the meatunder fire which is kept burningby the fat of the meat of boar to

keep the flies away. They pre-serve the meat for more than 15days without decay. The civilisedworld goes wary as soon as elec-tricity goes off. We become cut offfrom our so-called mainstream.Jarawas travel by foot hundredsof miles through the dense forestwithout clothe on them. Rain andshine does not make themdependent on anything outside.We need winter and summerclothing to protect ourselves fromthe miseries of climate. We are somuch dependent on differentthings and we call ourselves priv-ileged and civilised.

On the contrary, Jarawas areindependent without any kind ofclass struggle and injustice whichwe can just dream of. There is nohypertension, diabetes or the dis-eases bestowed by our lifestyle.

Assimilation of Jarawas is just afaçade to continue our suprema-cy on a tribe which is not used toour ways of life. We forget that it'sa very thin line between assimila-tion and annihilation. Gradualinclusion is inevitable, but can wedefine the timeframe? It mighttake 100 years or more like theNicobarese, whom we have madedependent on us for most of theirneeds.

In the first instance, the focusshould be on the protection of theJarawas and their territory fromboth poachers and bad influenceof the outside population. Oncetheir population increase, whichmight take a century or more,they might be in a position todecide for themselves.

Jarawas too are aware of thecultural loss they are enduring. Itis heartening to learn that theJarawas in Kadamtala havedecided themselves not to speakin Hindi language in front of theirchildren. The road and the mar-kets that Jarawas frequent havespoiled their language.

The unjustified haste that weshow today is not in favour ofJarawas but to conceal our failurein containing our greed and thefear of losing our comfortable life.Instead of imposing our main-stream on them, let Jarawas con-stitute their own mainstream.

The Façade ofMainstreamingJarawas

Give Exemplary Punishment to Culprits: LG

Assimilation of Jarawas is just a façade to continue our supremacy ona tribe which is not used to our ways of life. We forget that it's a verythin line between assimilation and annihilation. Gradual inclusion isinevitable, but can we define the timeframe? It might take 100 yearsor more like the Nicobarese, whom we have made dependent on usfor most of their needs.

4 |cover|STORY THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 13 JANUARY 2012

BYZUBAIR AHMED

The Jarawa dance video,which created hue andcry in the internationaland national media andforced the Governmentof India and Andaman

and Nicobar Administration toorder a probe, was actually shotby a group of army personnel.

In an independent investigationby LOA, it has come to the forethat police and ground staff ofAndaman Aadim Janjathi VikasSamithi (AAJVS) were not awareas the video was shot after the lastconvoy left Middle Strait.

Contrary to the statementsreleased to the media by theAdministration, the video wasshot three years back on 6thNovember 2008, in which twovehicles - a truck and a gypsybelonging to army were involved.In a release, S B Deol, DGP hadsaid that the video was 10 yearsold and there were no cop in thevideo. He had also pointed outthat a man with camouflaged uni-form was visible in the media.However, he did not mention any-role of defence personnel.

LOA has identified the Jarawawomen and girls featuring in thevideo, which was shot at a placeabout 8 kms from Jirkatang,known as Chowdhary Gumai.There were six Jarawa womenincluding a pregnant lady, whowas shown fully naked. Thadul(16 years) daughter of Thadang,Ecnchobecha (14) d/o Thadang,Cheddatokula (35) wife ofWhaydom and Aninja (13) d/oWhaydom featured in the video.Enepowaiele (21) w/o Mahe was7-8 months pregnant when thevideo was shot. She gave birth to ababy girl Wane on 6 February2009.

The army personnel traveling ina military truck had waited for thelast convoy to pass from MiddleStrait and with special permissiontraveled on the road. It has also

come to light that Jarawas mostlybelonging to Tirur sector has aChadda (Jarawa Hut) very closeto the place.

Jarawas, still a nomadic com-munity travel from Tirur toKadamtala and back frequently.They use the temporary chaddason the way.

The Jarawas in Kadamtala andMiddle Strait were able to identifythe Jarawa women featuring inthe video and the place where ittook place.

Enepowaiele, the pregnantwoman in the video, who is 24years now has confirmed to a reli-able source about the incidentand involvement of army person-nel.

However, this does not vindi-cate the police force present atMiddle Strait who allowed themilitary truck to pass after the lastconvoy had departed fromMiddle Strait. The thumb rule isnot to allow anybody exceptAAJVS, Police and Forest person-nel dealing with the protectionand welfare of Jarawas of specificterritorial jurisdiction. This raisesa serious question how army per-sonnel, who were on a tour toBaratang could stop inside theReserve and shoot the videoexploiting the vulnerability of a

JARAWA DANCE VIDEOARMY PERSONNEL

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Why MoRD Team VisitedJarawa Tribes at Tirur?

tribe who are at crossroads,unaware of the dangers it poses totheir life and culture.

The story about the video pub-lished by TheGuardian/Observer, London waslater picked by the national mediaand highlighted the plight of theJarawas.

Soon after the expose by newschannels, Shakti Sinha, ChiefSecretary, ANI Admn hadrebutted the episode saying thatover the past decade, the popula-tion of the Jarawas has increasedfor the first time since they firstcame into contact with the out-side world 150 years ago. He alsosaid that a Tribal Reserve hasbeen increased from 847 sq kmsto 1028 sq kms.

Speaking to a news channel,Prof Shekhar Singh said that theLieutenant Governor and theAdministration should be put ondock on the issue of contempt ofcourt as the Administration haskept the Andaman Trunk Roadopen even after the SupremeCourt's Order of May 2002.

The issue has also created aruckus among the politicians andthe settler communities whoblamed foul play in the timing ofthe video saying that it was inten-tionally done to close AndamanTrunk Road, which they claim tobe a lifeline.

INVOLVED

Chowdhary Gumai, where the video was shot

5 |cover|STORY THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 13 JANUARY 2012

Yes MinisterPAUPER’S LOG |ABU ARSH

Visit of a minister from theUnion of India to its far flungand geographically

detached union territory is anoccasion most of us Islandershave grown up looking forwardto. Unfortunately, of late due tovarious reasons including securi-ty concern, tour itinerary andother commitments, it's onlythrough govt. media that wecome to know someone hascome and gone back to Delhi.These high profile visitors beingministers and senior bureaucratsare all part of the decision mak-ing bodies at the seat of power atNew Delhi for welfare of its sub-jects including these islandsalong with the rest of country. It'snot surprising that we get vaguepolicies and programmes whichhave no input from the localstakeholders or their representa-tives.

The modus operandi of ourbureaucrats and its protocol offi-cer who plan the tour itinerariesof our VIP ministers and officialsmake sure there is least possibleexposure of them with the localmedia, public representatives orgeneral public. Recent visit of twoyoung Turks of the UPA govt. tothe islands are testimony to thefact that all is not well with theAdministration. Milind Deoraand Pradeep Jain Aditya are bothMinisters of State, Govt. of India.Deora being the MoS forCommunications andInformation Technology and JainAditya for Rural Developmentare very important ministers forus islanders too. These two areknown to be future of Indian pol-itics and belong to an innercoterie of the crown prince of theGandhi legacy - Rahul Gandhi,who as we all know, is a big namein this country and we could'vehoped for redressal of our con-cerns if issues reach the higherechelons of power at New Delhi.

In drawing a tour itinerary ofthese VIP's where in greatamount of money is drainedfrom the public exchequer just forpleasure tours for their familiesand entourage without interac-tion with the local population isto cheat and dupe the public. JainAditya landed at Port Blairaround noon on 2nd January2012, he was immediatelywhisked away to Raj Niwas. Heand his family were offered timeonly to freshen up, not evenallowed to have lunch as it waspacked to be had at the waitingVIP boat of the Administratorbound for Havelock. A few seniorpublic representatives of theIsland's grass root democraticbodies sought an appointment

with the Rural Development,MoS but in came the ProtocolOfficer, with his unwritten codeof conduct wherein a Ministercan only be met with the permis-sion of the Administrator or theChief Secretary even if you hap-pen to be a person of the status ofZilla Parishad, Adhyaksh. AtHavelock where innumerableministers and senior bureaucratsvisit quite frequently away frompublic glare not much has hap-pened even for its developmentapart from a few of them acquir-ing a nami or benami property.Enjoying the administration'shospitality and doing nothingworthwhile at Havelock, theminister and his entourage head-ed back to Port Blair with amandatory and customary visitto the national memorial-Cellular jail moments before tak-ing off for his return journeyback. Meanwhile a determinedAdhyaksh with his representa-tion for effective and efficientimplementation of centrallysponsored flagship programmesfor Rural Development made alast ditch effort to meet theMinister at the corridors of thecellular jail where the Minister'sson was busy clicking away snapsof our great national heroes forhis mates back at Delhi.Adhyaksh too moves around in alal batti as per protocol here buthis meeting and discussions wereon foot strolling around the infa-mous jail of the erstwhileKalapani. The minister wasimpressed by the Adhyaksh andseriousness of the issues raised byhim. Moment's later minister wasDelhi bound and another VIPhad visited the Islands.

This is the way ourBureaucracy functions as wehave inherited the British systemof Bureaucracy aptly portrayed inYes Minister a satirical series firsttransmitted by BBC Televisionbetween 1980-1982 and 1984.As the series revolves around theinner workings of central govern-ment, most of the scenes takeplace in private locations, such asoffices and exclusive members'clubs because government doesnot take place in the House ofCommons (Lok Sabha for us).Some politics and much theatretake place there. Governmenthappens in private. As in all pub-lic performances, the real work isdone in rehearsal, behind closeddoors. Then the public and theHouse are shown what the gov-ernment wishes them to see. Letsall gear up to welcome M.A.Chidambaram, Home Minister ofthe Union of India from our livingrooms.

BYABUARSH

Major bone of contention forthe Andaman and NicobarAdministration is the clo-

sure of Andaman Trunk Roadpassing through the heart ofJarawa Tribal Reserve. This roadis believed to be the life line of theIslands for the people of Northand Middle Andaman District,which when closed would be adecision that would be anti-settlerand anti development as con-trived by the political class hereand nodded with approval by thebureaucrats, even at the cost ofcontempt of court of the highestjudicial body of our country forover a decade. It is commonknowledge that policy makerssince half a century have formu-lated Island development policiesunder total ignorance of the safe-guards to be pursued for thePrimitive Tribal Group's conserva-tion. Concrete efforts in sensitiz-ing the Panchayati Raj Institutionsand settlers on Jarawa Policy havenot ever been pursued. Feasibilityreports on assessment of alternateviable modes of transportationare never completed in the stipu-lated time as per the terms andconditions laid down by theAdministration. Consultants/agencies awarded such studiesare products of nepotism of thehigh and the mighty.

Administration for long hastried an ostrich with its head inthe sand approach led by migrato-ry bureaucrats all of which ishaunting it now. The Jarawashave an uncanny knack of hog-ging the limelight right when webelieve that its curtains for them.The young, educated, presentgeneration of the settlers especial-ly whose parents and grand par-ents were settled under variousrehabilitation schemes ofGovernment of India have startedthinking out of the box. PTG's con-servation as a unique WorldHuman Heritage is of paramountimportance to them.Development at the cost of totalannihilation of the Jarawas is notpalatable to them. They are awarethat a political solution to thisproblem is virtually impossiblewithout irreversible damage tothe PTG's survival and furtherdivision of the civilized society onlinguistic or regional lines. A judi-cial solution would always be justand humanitarian but its imple-mentation has been delayed byvested interests in settling person-al scores with rival politicians or

business houses leading to may-hem. Crucial time has been wast-ed by the administration in notworking simultaneously on creat-ing infrastructure and facilitieswhich would have caused lessresentment among the settlers inthe event of honouring the courtorders.

With great difficulty a separatedistrict of North and MiddleAndaman was created amidst its

fair share of political controversiesand bureaucratic red tapism. Itfinally has a separate ZillaParishad, a degree college, a judi-cial court, a hospital, a few portsand helipads, a small airstrip anda few other facilities but is totallydependent on Port Blair for all itsbasic needs. For every other even-tuality its residents are to rush toPort Blair, be it proceeding tomainland for higher education orsuper-specialist medical treat-ment at metros. Traveling to PortBlair and the time it takes to reachhere have at times has been anightmare causing loss of life andlost opportunities in emergencysituations due to lack of infra-structure. Traders sitting at PortBlair control their markets andcost of living are much higher forall basic commodities. There isalways resentment in the settlersat being a step behind the SouthAndamanians.

Administration cannot contin-ue with the ghost of closure ofATR and its infamous Buffer Zoneto torment the Islanders. It has tofind ways in building up theNorth-Middle Andamans as a selfsufficient and prosperous newhub for development with directconnectivity to the mainland bydeveloping basic infrastructure atthe newly created district of Northand Middle Andaman for facilitat-ing direct business links withmainland India both by Air and

Sea. Alternate, faster Air and Searoutes and mode of transport areto be developed from Port Blair toNorth and Middle AndamanDistrict. The District has to have itsown FCI godowns along with IOCbunks and developing ofInfrastructure for PDS, fuel andessential commodities storageand distribution. The administra-tion should upgrade Dr. R.P.Hospital at Mayabunder as areferral hospital to the level of GBPant Hospital. Valuable time hasalready been lost by the adminis-tration and its migratory bureau-cracy in entangling the wholeJarawa issue into major catastro-phe with the inevitable happen-ing. The Member of Parliamentand the administration speak dif-ferent language on the fate of theATR. The MP at the momentsounds realistic and also elatedwith the prospect of fodder for hissmear campaign virtually gifted tohim. On the other hand, theadministration is making commit-ments with assurances, over theoutcome of which they have nocontrol.

The political as well as civil soci-ety organizations based in Northand Middle Andamans has todemand for equitable develop-ment of their district at par withSouth Andaman District. TheAndaman Trunk Road remains amajor roadblock for the develop-ment of the district, which somepoliticians in N&M Andamanswant to be declared as a backwarddistrict. The focus should be todevelop the Degree College atMayabunder at par with JNRM, RP Hospital at par with GB PantHospital, develop the harbourand port infrastructure atMayabunder and the airstrip atDiglipur.

The focus from closure of ATRshould shift to development ofNorth and Middle Andamans.Mayabunder should be declared aMunicipality and collection ofOctroi can bring much-neededrevenue to the local self-govern-ment institution. Andaman TrunkRoad has remained open for lastdecade in violation to theSupreme Court Order. It mightremain open for a while but theeconomic situation of the districtis not going to improve. The over-all development of the District willmake it independent and self-suf-ficient, and reducing its depend-ency on Port Blair and SouthAndaman, connected by the mostcontroversial Andaman TrunkRoad.

North and Middle Andaman DistrictShift the Goal Post

The focus from ATRshould shift to devel-opment of North andMiddle Andamans.Mayabunder should

be declared aMunicipality and col-lection of Octroi canbring much-neededrevenue to the local

self-government insti-tution

6 |edit|PAGE THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 13 JANUARY 2012

13 January 2012 | Vol 35 Issue 23

Na kuch kehte hi banta hai, Na chup rehte hi banta haiHamara bhee to is mitti se aakhir wastha hai kuch - (Raz Andamani)

Jarawas in LimelightA

ndaman and Nicobar Islands attract media glare for two rea-sons - Tsunami and Jarawas. On 6th evening when thedebate on Jarawa video was broadcast on a news channel,

the breaking news was about a 7.5 M earthquake in Sumatra anda warning for a local tsunami. Fortunately, the tsunami warningwas soon withdrawn. But, the Jarawa dance video issue caughtthe attention of the whole nation.

Although this was not the first such video of the Jarawas, thisbecame the video, which is being investigated now.

As reported in our cover story, Jarawas have told that the per-petrators of this crime were army personnel, it would be prudentto record the statement of Jarawas and there is a precedent ofJarawas recording their statement as in the case of Tirur in 2008,in which the authorities conducted the court proceedings inJarawa Reserve so that the Jarawas version could also be broughtto the notice.

The controversy once again brought Andaman Trunk Road tothe centre-stage with experts associated with Andaman tribalsadvocating for closure of road, as the ANI Admn has been buyingtime not implementing the Supreme Court Order of May 2002.

The Administration had to immediately get into firefightingmode, but could not contain the flare up. The Central governmenttoo tried damage control. The irony is that the A&NAdministration and the Govt of India work in different layers.Only the lowest layer knows the ground reality but they do nothave any voice in the decision making. The middle level is anopportunistic one that works solely to butter its bread. The upperlayer is migratory one that concerns itself only during the briefperiod of stay in the islands. And nobody wants to shoulder theresponsibility of framing a policy for the Jarawas.

Widespread ignorance about the state of Jarawas gave every-one a chance to speak on the subject and the majority of themwere seen suggesting mainstreaming of Jarawas.

This controversy gave politicians like Bishnu Pada Ray anopportunity to start a new campaign creating panic among thesettlers trying to convince the Islanders that the Govt of India iskeen on closing Andaman Trunk Road and he also challenged thebureaucrats of ANI Admn for a televised debate.

Bharatiya Janta Party too jumped into the fray and condemnedthe incident and has come out openly in support of AndamanTrunk Road and also announced agitation if the road is closed.

Congress party is silent on the issue and has not made its standclear yet.

The whole focus of the issue has diverted with the discussion onthe video clip, whereas, Jarawas in Tirur needs immediate atten-tion as the level of interaction with the villagers have increased.There are complaints of rampant violation of PAT Regulations.Settlers venture into the Reserve for hunting and to extract forestresources.

Exploitation of Jarawas had made the Administration to sit andrevise the PAT regulations making the punishment very stringentand exemplary. The increase in Buffer Zone was another contro-versial step taken by the Administration to protect the Jarawas.Both issues are criticized by the PRIs as well as Politicians.

Exemplary punishment in one instance will send a clear mes-sage that the Administration is serious in protecting the huma her-itage known as Jarawas. But, do the administration have thewillpower to pursue the case, if the army personnel are identified,who perpetrated the heinous crime, as it would create hugeembarassment and also rift between the civil administration andthe defence, the holy cow?

BYBASUDEV DASS

With his 'Never Say Die' atti-tude H.N. Parial till in hisearly eighties had

engaged himself to the cause ofwelfare of common people inAndaman & Nicobar Islands. Hehad proved the saying 'every manshould leave some memoriesbehind' given by SwamyVivekananda and would utter iton many occasions. He translatedthe statement into practicethroughout his life barring lastcouple of months before sayingadieu to this materialistic worldon 5th January 2012. A cross-sec-tion of people, trade unions,workers' associations and politicalparties irrespective of their princi-ple and policies paid rich tributesto the departed soul whilemourning the death of ComradeH.N. Parial.

Survived by his wife and twosons, Comrade Parial is perhapsthe last Left stalwart of the Islandwho had always thought Right forthe common people. His deathwill definitely prove a setback tothe Left parties in the islands as hewas one of the right thinking Leftleader who acted above petty pol-itics, accepted a very senior partyleader from Congress.

Born in 1929 at Chittagong,present Port City of Bangladesh,he was of a spirited character ashe had seen and heard manygreat revolutionists who weregroomed in the city of the thenundivided Bengal and sacrificedtheir lives for the freedom ofIndia. The revolutionary ingredi-ents were distinctly evident in hislong 50 years of dedicated servicein the upliftment of the poor stra-ta and underprivileged section ofthe society.

Alighting in these islands in1955, Parial joined governmentservice under Andaman &Nicobar Administration. Fromthe very preface of his servicecareer in the then MarineDepartment, he raised voiceagainst injustice fighting for thepoor port labourers to providethem a better living condition.Further, during his posting atMayabunder, Middle & NorthAndaman District he felt theimmediate necessity to addressvarious issues of concern pertain-ing to working conditions ofForest workers and other employ-ees working in remote areasunder the Administration.

The indifferent and arbitraryattitude of the then senior admin-istrators further aggravated thedesolations of the employees thatstimulated HN Parial to make anuncompromising stand againstthe Administration by launchinga strong movement while unitingthe employees and workers work-ing under different departments.

Incidentally that was a crucialjuncture when legendary tradeunionist late PKS Prasad deliv-ered a strong leadership inlaunching a mass movement bycrafting Non-Gazetted Officers'(NGOs') Association in 1962.Obviously Parial jumped into themain stream of the movementunder PKS. And then he neverlooked back in his fight for theneedy and underprivileged work-ers and employees. He naturallyinvited the wrath of theAdministration which had thelone weapon in its cover in guiseof 'Transfer' ,and as a result, Parialwas transferred to Diglipur in1965. The action could not tamethe firebrand leader and Parialduring his 5-year stint in Diglipurgave a crucial leadership toConsumer Co-operativeMovement in North and MiddleAndaman and pioneered to estab-lish a Co-operative Society Storemaintained by the common peo-ple of Diglipur.

Gradually HN Parial moved

upwards in hierarchical ladder ofdifferent associations and madehis presence felt all over theislands. And came the gloriouschapter of CPI(M), AndamanState Committee, when itattained majority in the PradeshCouncil as well as in Port BlairMunicipal Board. Parial took overthe Chairmanship of PBMB dur-ing 1990-92. He will be immortalamidst the employees of thePBMB (now PBMC) for he wasalone responsible for introductionof pension system for its employ-ees and abolishing of "Manualclearing of Night Soil". Newroadmap and water supply sys-tem to provide potable water tothe citizens under PBMB in a bet-ter way are other achievements tobe remembered.

The other remarkable move-ments which either Parial lead orhappened to be the key factor canbe counted viz. Jhupri Andolan in1966 followed by pay fixation ofForest Workers (1969), free sea-passage with joining time andmain initiators of causes viz.Andaman Special Allowance,Roaster for Seamen Union forAndaman recruit and Declarationof Port Blair as 'B' Class City.

Indisputably, with his death,the islands have lost a visionaryperson full of zeal and vigor toserve the humanity by extendingand promising better civic life.

Comrade HN Parial: An Exemplary Leader

7 |home|PAGE THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 13 JANUARY 2012

SACRED | SPACE

There is a nine-year-oldkid sitting at his deskand all of a sudden,

there is a puddle between hisfeet and the front of his pantsare wet.

He thinks his heart is goingto stop because he cannotpossibly imagine how thishas happened. It’s never hap-pened before, and he knowsthat when the boys find outhe will never hear the end ofit..

When the girls find out,they’ll never speak to himagain as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart isgoing to stop; he puts hishead down and prays thisprayer, “Dear God, this is anemergency! I need help now!Five minutes from now I’mdead meat.”

He looks up from his prayerand here comes the teacherwith a look in her eyes thatsays he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walkingtoward him, a classmatenamed Susie is carrying agoldfish bowl that is filledwith water. Susie trips in

front of the teacher and inex-plicably dumps the bowl ofwater in the boy’s lap.

The boy pretends to beangry, but all the while is say-ing to himself,

“Thank you, Lord! Thankyou, Lord!”

Now all of a sudden,instead of being the object ofridicule, the boy is the objectof sympathy. The teacherrushes him downstairs andgives him gym shorts to puton while his pants dry out.

All the other children areon their hands and kneescleaning up around his desk.The sympathy is wonderful.But as life would have it, theridicule that should havebeen his has been transferredto someone else – Susie.

She tries to help, but theytell her to get out. “You’vedone enough, you klutz! ”

Finally, at the end of theday, as they are waiting forthe bus, the boy walks over toSusie and whispers, “You didthat on purpose, didn’t you?”

Susie whispers back, “I wetmy pants once too.”

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MyWet Pants

The political leaders in Middle Andaman whenever get a chance toaddress the poor settlers in a public meeting would take them on a

world tour and keep them informed about the major happenings through-out the world. They would talk about the Arab Uprising, American dare-devilry and the fall of Libyan leader, and also about GDP and inflation.

They will be also informed about the intentions of China and how toremain well-prepared. The audience will remain glued to the stage digest-ing all the facts and figures and rue about the chaos throughout the world.

One fine morning, sitting in a roadside hotel, sipping hot tea and takingdeep shots from a beedi, somebody raised the issue of Buffer Zone. Caughtunaware, one of the old man, who was a local leader shot back, “KeBupher Jone?” Who is this and where does he stay?

“We have never seen anyone by that name in our village,” and he start-ed enquiring about this guy by the name “Bupher Jone.”

How can someone know about Buffer Zone, when the leaders are busyteaching world affairs. The level of ignorance about Buffer Zone is veryamong the settlers and Bishnuda has made it an issue, which he fels willredeem him in the coming Loksabha polls.

Musafir

Ke Buphar Jone...?

PPrriinntteedd aanndd PPuubblliisshheedd bbyy BBaassuuddeevv DDaassss oonn bbeehhaallff ooff GGeezziirraa PPuubblliiccaattiioonnss PPvvtt.. LLttdd.. aatt WWiinnssttaarr,, 33,, PPoolliiccee MMoossqquuee SShhooppppiinngg CCoommpplleexx,, SSuuppppllyy LLaannee,, AAbbeerrddeeeenn BBaazzaarr,, PPoorrtt BBllaaiirr -- 774444110011.. MMbb:: 99993322008811777711,, EEmmaaiill:: lliigghhttooffaannddaammaannss@@ggmmaaiill..ccoomm.. PPrriinntteedd aatt GGeezziirraa PPrriinntteerrss,, PPoorrtt BBllaaiirr.. FFoouunnddeerr EEddiittoorr:: PPaarraass RRaamm EEddiittoorr:: ZZuubbaaiirr AAhhmmeedd

8 |back|PAGE THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 13 JANUARY 2012

chalte | CHALTE

Tribal curefor malaria

Indian scientists will approachsecluded food-gathering tribesof the Andaman and Nicobar

Islands for malaria remedies.Alarmed over the rising inci-

dence of drug-resistant, virulentstrains of malaria, researchershave decided to venture into theforests and request the indige-nous tribal islanders to share thesecrets of the herbal blends theyuse to treat malaria.

The project, funded by theIndian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR), also aims todocument and conserve the“community biodiversity” of theislands.

“We have consulted the tribalcouncil to help us with mediatorsand translators to meet the acces-sible Nicobarese tribes.

There are a few other primitivetribes with many native medicinesecrets. However, we will needpermission to venture into theirhabitat,” said Dr P. Vijayachari ,director of ICMR’s regional med-ical research center at Port Blair.

Vector-borne diseases such asmalaria, chikungunya and lep-tospirosis are public health con-cerns in the Andaman Islands.

Chennai corporation and a fewother southern pockets in TamilNadu are endemic to malarialinfection all through the year. Theparasite is developing a gradualresistance to the available allo-pathic drugs.

“We are keen on documentingthe different native concoctionsand the techniques of combiningthese herbs, roots and barks in adigital bio-diversity registry, sothat nobody else in the world canpatent these remedies and claimthem as their own.