Nicobar Narratives

There is a famous saying in India: “Health is wealth.” In Andaman & Nicobar Islands, however, the updated government version seems to be: “Tourism is wealth… health can wait.” Welcome to GB Pant Hospital, Port Blair - the grand old warrior of the islands. Established in 1963, this hospital has spent nearly 63 years carrying the healthcare burden of almost five lakh islanders. One building, one overburdened system, one exhausted backbone trying to keep an entire archipelago alive. And honestly, if walls could speak, the walls of GB Pant Hospital would probably say: “Bhai, mujhe bhi retirement do.” The hospital stands today not merely as a healthcare institution, but as a living archaeological monument. Some sections look less like a modern medical facility and more like a government structure preserved from the black-and-white Doordarshan era. Paint peeling, ageing infrastructure, leaking corners, rusted frames, yet inside these tired walls, doctors continue performing miracles ever...

  Between April 26 and 28, 2026, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands became the stage for a story that had everything politics, environment, bureaucracy, and a fair dose of desi irony. The visit of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was not just a routine political tour; it was the continuation of a promise made earlier when a delegation of Nicobarese tribal representatives met him in Delhi. Their concern was clear: the Great Nicobar Project might bring “development,” but at the cost of their zameen, jungle, and zindagi. Rahul Gandhi assured them he would visit the islands and understand the situation firsthand. True to that, he arrived. But as always, in our system, kahani itni seedhi nahi hoti. On the very first day in Port Blair, during a party convention, Rahul directly targeted the functioning of the administration. Referring to the Lieutenant Governor Devendra Kumar Joshi, he remarked that governance here seemed to be run by a “remote control,” and that remote, he said, was in t...