india unknown

 

Nitya Kaushik in
Urban Misadventures
The Indian Express May 14 2007.

 

 

 

 

 

For most of us, a three year job posting in Andaman would seem like a confinement.

But not for former Naval Ophthalmologist Dr Tilak Bera, who used his tenure from 1999 to 2002 to his advantage. Bitten by wanderlust and getting the opportunity to sail away from home, Bera soon began to explore his innate love for nature and wildlife in the strange islands of Andaman and Nicobar. The outcome: a realisation that there are no books in the market that cover the archipelago comprehensibly.

And so, he set out to do the impossible.

Armed with an ordinary Nikon digital x-series camera, and with some help from his naval seniors, the Anthropological Survey of India, national Institute of oceanography and the likes, he began researching the islands and documenting his findings.

In the span of eight years, Bera has published several books in Bengali and English. His latest book “Andaman & Nicobar , The Mysterious islands of India, pre and post tsunami” by UBS Publishers and Distributers was recently released.

Andaman & Nicobar
The Mysterious Bay islands of India:
Pre and Post Tsunami.
ISBN 81 – 7525 – 675 -3

Bera’s book – put together painstakingly – could well be a historic documentation of this Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal.

Diminutive in appearance, Bera comes across as a shy and reserved man. Seemingly unaware of his contribution to anthropology, he says with a humble smile, “it isn’t such a big feat, I was always a nature lover.

In Andaman, I used to travel and camp extensively to handle cases of surgery. In the process, I saw a lot of people and places, and experienced the beauty of the island. My inquisitiveness had me reading and researching.”

Bera says he made the most of his three years in the archipelagos. “I travelled a lot. All my weekends I spent travelling to all the tiny islands around. I even managed to pay visits to Nicobar which is barred for tourists. And I always cameback more impressed than ever by the flora, fauna…and, of course, the tribes there.”

Everyday of his tenure in Andaman was a learning experience, says Bera. “It maybe sound strange, but the people in Andaman can be an example for the rest of the country.” he says, pointing out that there are no communal issues bothering the clans. “Imagine a region with no caste, culture or class clashes. You will find that utopia in Andamans. It is habitual here that people of different backgrounds marry each other. There is a pleasant blending or religions and caste, something that is fast becoming a rarity in the entire world. We should take a lesson or two from the inhabitants of Andaman,” he explains.

Bera says he often noticed someting touching and profound in the innocence of the tribe and that always kept him interested in them. There is one incident, he relates, “I was giving a free checkup for people when a little boy with high power came to me. I treated him and gave him a pair of glasses. That was the first time ever that the child saw the world as it is. And a smile lit up his face.” Bera says that he was overwhelmed by the situation; knowing that the boy till date didn’t realise what perfect sight really is. It was this love he developed for the people that wanted him to bring the island to the fore, he says.

And it was this love for the islands, that made him feel shattered when the Tsunami struck in december 2004.

So Bera returned to see the extent of the damage. “I went to the same spots I had visited pre-tsunami and took photographs. This way i could compare the pre and post tsunami changes and display them with unique photographic evidence in the book,” he says.

Bera’s book – put together painstakingly – could well be a historic documentation of this Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. However, unaffected by his contribution. the genius is now busy penning a book on Goa.