Ink black seas. A scattering of islands far from the home country. Beautiful beaches, lush forests, strange tribes, a penal colony. And a few years ago, a devastating tsunami. That is usually the sum of knowledge that most people have about the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Yet there is so much more that is wondrous and fascinating about these tiny bits of sea-encircled land. Green Islands . . . tells us the many stories of this unique archipelago - its history, its many mysteries, its folklore, and island life in the 1960s – in a captivating travelogue that grabs your attention right from the first page.

This first full-length book addresses disasters in the context of vulnerability of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that comprise 572 islands in the Bay of Bengal. It looks at the disasters that the islands have experienced in the last 200 years and analyzes major disasters since colonization by the British. Raising some critical questions, this book attempts to understand the overall profile of disasters – the facts, causes, damage, response and recovery – in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It discusses earthquakes, cyclones, tsunami and epidemics, as well as impacts of World War II, the penal colony and the post-Independence resettlement on the tribal population. The work will serve as a rich resource with its detailed tables, figures, maps and diagrams; appendices; and database ranging from travelogues, Census of India reports and fieldwork to Right to Information (RTI) petitions that collect hitherto unknown facts. The book will be useful to students of geography, disasters and disasters management, climate and environmental studies, history, sociology, island and ocean studies, and South Asian studies.

In the late-nineteenth century, British travelers to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands compiled wide-ranging collections of material culture for scientific instruction and personal satisfaction. Colonial Collecting and Display follows the compelling history of a particular set of such objects, tracing their physical and conceptual transformation from objects of indigenous use to accessioned objects in a museum collection in the south of England. This first study dedicated to the historical collecting and display of the Islands' material cultures develops a new analysis of colonial discourse, using a material culture-led approach to reconceptualize imperial relationships between Andamanese, Nicobarese, and British communities, both in the Bay of Bengal and on British soil. It critiques established conceptions of the act of collecting, arguing for recognition of how indigenous makers and consumers impacted upon "British" collection practices, and querying the notion of a homogenous British approach to material culture from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Analyses strategic challenges facing India in the 21st century. The issues of the "Malacca Dilemma" for China and India, the South China Sea, Naval Diplomacy and India's Look East Policy are discussed. India's settled maritime borders with its neighbours in the region are also covered.

This book critically examines the relevance of the geographical location of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands near to Malacca strait gives ample scope for free port, transshipment port, ship repair base and offshore bunkering facility for International Sea Lanes (ISLs). To create potentially a very strong maritime power and felicitator in the region and to eliminate the sea piracy, drug trafficking and gunrunners in the region, the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) formed recently, playing decisive role and promoting cooperation among littoral countries of Bay of Bengal. The Geo-politics and strategic studies remain relevant in the changing world scenario, irrespective of the fact whether there is war or peace. The Geo-politics will remain relevant as long as there is multi-state system, which includes weak as well as powerful states. There is increasing fragmentation and marginalisation of the countries of the south Asia in the Asian power structure. There is an imperative need to safeguard the energy interests and voicing the concerns of the India in the era of globalization particularly the presence of Sea Tigers, pirates, smugglers, gunrunners and Muslim fundamentalist in the region and posing threat to India’s sovereignty. India has embarked on a period of radical changes in its economic policies. In this context this volume will be useful for the strategic analysts and foreign policy planners for securing better tomorrow in the context of ``Look East'' policy. Indeed the islands have possessed enormous geo-political and strategic importance due to close proximity with ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries. This volume is a significant contribution to the existing literature on geo-politics and strategic studies.

"This gazetteer - the first of its kind - provides a comprehensive history of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the twentieth century, illustrating the economic and cultural integration of the islands into the Union of India after Independence." "The volume begins with a detailed account of the Islands' history till 1900. The Andamans are believed to have been visited by the celebrated Venetian explorer Marco Polo in the fourteenth century. However, it was not until the late 1800s that Lt Archibald Blair of the British East India Company mapped them and established an outpost bringing them firmly under the Company's control. After the 1857 uprising, India's colonial rulers built the cellular jail - Kala Pani - for political prisoners."--BOOK JACKET.