The Nicobarese Tribe Wakes up to Sustainable DRR - A Case Study

Dawn of responsive attitude amongst the frivolous Nicobarese tribe is the harbinger of indispensable sustainability in DRR initiatives in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands… 

James Reuben, a 12 years old boy, who stayed beside the Senior Secondary School near the seashore at the village of Malacca, Car Nicobar when the ferocious Tsunami struck the island of peace on 26th December, 2004, scampered away with his father and the rest of his family towards the jungle in the interior of the island, immediately after the islanders heard the bloodcurdling sound of the tsunami waves approaching the island that reminded some of them of the earsplitting hoot of a gargantuan anaconda.

 

Now, four odd years after one of the most devastating catastrophes that humankind has ever been witness to, James Reuben, a 16 years old maturing teenager has been selected by WBVHA’s Child Led Disaster Risk Reduction (CLDRR) team as a promising member of the Search & Rescue wing of the Task Force Group (TFG) of the village of Malacca.  

 

While attending the comprehensive training for “Strengthening of the TFGs” at New Malacca, where he, now, stays with his family in the permanent shelter provided to them by the A & N Administration, James says ruefully in his Nicobarese tongue, “If, at all, we had the requisite fundamental knowledge and expertise and the Rescue & First Aid kits and the other essential equipments that WBVHA & Save the Children - BRB have now provided to us, at the time tsunami had struck, quite a lot of lives would have been saved”. 

 

James, now, makes sure that he doesn’t miss a single training session, awareness program and other participatory learning and action (PLA) exercises organized by WBVHA under the purview of the visionary CLDRR project.

 

 

He is a regular learner and a partaker who motivates the other members of the community to practice the techniques and methods taught by WBVHA’s proficient trainers and instructors. 

 

 

The Nicobarese community was busy head over heels during the month of March, 2009, observing the holy fasting of 40 days which lasts up to Easter. Hence, all the Village Headmen had denied WBVHA the permission to conduct any activities during the months of March & April. 

Nevertheless, with the Program Coordinator meeting the Bishop of Diocese, A & N Islands, Rt. Rev. Christopher Paul and convincing him of the inevitable need of carrying out the necessary training and awareness programs without a hitch with the imperative participation of the community for the far-reaching welfare of the entire Nicobarese community, all the village Headmen were directed by the Bishop to permit the WBVHA project team to conduct the same, who saw reason and the significance of the CLDRR initiatives of WBVHA. 

 Bishop of Diocese, A & N Islands in the pink shirt with the Deputy Commissioner, Nicobars, Mr. Srikanth being garlanded by WBVHA staff.

Shrinath Vashishtha, Program Coordinator of WBVHA handing over the Health & Rescue Kits to Mr. Lionel Nicomede, the First Headman of the village of Chukchucha, Car Nicobar Island,  accompanied by Mr. Peterson Job, the mercurial Second Headman.

In a nutshell, this proved to be the very dawn of a much-needed responsive attitude amongst the frivolous Nicobarese tribe and can be fittingly comprehended as the harbinger of the indispensable sustainability in the CLDRR initiatives amongst the community.

 

Case Study prepared by -

SHRINATH VASHISHTHA

Car Nicobar.

LATEST SITUATION IN ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS AT CAR NICOBAR

Hi! I’m back with you all, my dear friends, after a long month of Sundays, from Car Nicobar. In fact, it’s been a mighty wide-ranging state of affairs at the Child Led Disaster Risk Reduction (CLDRR) project that I’ve been coordinating for over past 8 months, now at one of the toughest territories to work in the entire Indian sub-continent. Anyways, the rigorously comprehensive project continues towards materializing the sustainability ambitions in the Disaster Risk Reduction endeavors for the far-reaching welfare of the Nicobarese tribal community.

For now, my dear friends, here’s presenting you all with some fascinating pictures that satiate the nature-lovers’ cravings and also the curiosity of the aware citizens of the world…

Enjoy these latest pictures of Car Nicobar…

The lighthouse near Mus Jetty, Car Nicobar behind the breakwater amongst the aesthetically lined up coconut trees

The dense coconut plantations on both sides of the main road that has been rebuilt after Tsunami, stretching from the Mus Jetty to the Headquarter area, the administrative hub of Car Nicobar at Perka village

The cute cove alongside the Mus Jetty sculpted by the Tsunami, whose brunt is still evidently noticeable on the landmass

A cargo vessel & M V Sentinel, one of the oldest passenger ships run on the inter-island routes by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration, berthed at the Mus Jetty, Car Nicobar

Disaster Risk Reduction at Nicobar- A Case Study

Metamorphosed Nicobarese: From skeptic restraint to candid participation……

Sabrina Jack, a ten years old school student from Small Lapathy village was attending a participatory learning and action (PLA) program on Disaster Risk Reduction for the first time in her life. She stays in the permanent shelter provided to her tsunami-affected family of 7 members by the A & N Administration in her village at Car Nicobar, one of the worst affected islands during the catastrophe of 26^th December, 2004 in the archipelago of A & N Islands.

Sabrina Jack, Small Lapathy, Car Nicobar

When asked by Miss Anita Rebecca, the Village Level Animator (VLA) of WBVHA, who was anchoring the presentation program for Vulnerability Risk mapping and Resource Planning at Small Lapathy village during the month of December, 2008, “Which are the risky and safe zones in your village?”, Sabrina was one of the first amongst the participants to raise her hand. She answered, “The desolate area among the woods in the interiors where I’m not allowed to go to play is the risky area because a couple of people had committed suicide there.”

Miss Anita Rebecca, VLA, WBVHA, Car Nicobar

Sabrina was only six years old when the tsunami had struck her panam (world) and since then she has heard of umpteen number of similar DRR programs being organized by multifarious organizations in her village, but was never before allowed by her parents to partake in them. They told her it was all for the grown ups and not for the young kids like her.

Children participating in CLDRR activities at Small Lapathy

In fact, despite a surfeit of relief, rehabilitation and disaster preparedness initiatives taken up by various government and non government organizations during the past four years post tsunami, due to lack of sustenance for the DRR initiatives, the Nicobarese community was ignorant of the fact that children can and have to play a protagonist role in disaster risk reduction and preparedness initiatives for the sake of factual sustainability. WBVHA’s Child Led Disaster Risk Reduction (CLDRR) project, supported by Save the Children-BRB, has succeeded in bringing the children out of the closet and has provided a unique platform for them to participate, learn and lead the community in the DRR initiatives for the far-reaching good of the entire archipelago. And their vivacious response has been overwhelmingly constructive.

Nicobarese playing Volleyball at Perka, Car Nicobar

The people of the buoyant Nicobarese tribe from the Nicobar group of islands are renowned for their uncomplicated civilization, unequalled hospitality, their swarming passion for sports and cultural activities. Christmas is the major festival celebrated with impeccable groundwork throughout the Nicobarese tribal area and Car Nicobar happens to be the hub of it all. The preparations begin as early as one and a half months before 25^th December every year, with the mighty Tribal Council overseeing all the activities to a T. Consequently, no externally initiated activity is entertained by anyone in the whole island during the period. Nevertheless, with the escalating awareness and the mounting gusto among the community, owing to the WBVHA’s CLDRR field team’s comprehensively participatory methodology, the community paid due heed to the urgency and the significance of DRR for themselves and their generations to come and, hence, cooperated with the team in carrying out the activities despite the stringent schedule of the Christmas Day preparations and also the alarmingly high rate of mortality in the island.

As the First Captain of Small Lapathy, Ms. Irena Mark said, “We can celebrate the holy festival of Christmas befittingly and rightfully, only when we secure ourselves and our future generations against the probable disasters and hence going hand in hand with the activities of WBVHA’s CLDRR team has to be an integral part of our Christmas Day preparations, as well. We will celebrate the holy Christmas with thanks to them.”

Dear friends, I’m leaving for Car Nicobar, again, this morning at 10 am for a fortnight to coordinate the program further. See you all when I’m back by 25^th January, 2009 or so. Until then, your Islander’s signing off, here. But, the Blog is very much there with you to devour it. Take care! All the best… Cheers!!!