The 300 odd-km long Andaman Trunk Road, marked on maps as National Highway 223, sums up the conflict that is at the core of the Islands themselves — a tension between moving forward and standing still; between catering to the needs of the majority and preserving the character of the minority; between growth and conservation. Read more

“Two tiny dots of islands and a crescent of golden sand, that’s my first glimpse of the Andamans from the planes. After that there’s only green, forest-covered island after island, separated by stretches of turquoise blue water – a colour that turns a little more solid and bubblegummy where there is reef underneath.” Read more

Right. I have two much awaited things for you guys. One is the article on Havelock, which I finally decided I was qualified to write after my second visit there. The first trip had been all adrenalin and scuba diving based. And the second one was its exact antithesis, comprising a whole lot of very restful nothing. Between those two accounts you’ll get a very fair picture of the wonders this little island in the Andamans has to offer. Read more

Some people pack clothes for a trip very carefully. Others carry all their favourite toiletries. I pick the books I take along with as much care as most would pick a travel companion.

To start with, I cannot conceive of travel without at least a couple of books safely tucked away in my bag. Then the choice of the books to take along is the one I agonise over, leaving a lot of time for it. Read more

Tomorrow I will go on my first sailing trip ever. This is a real sailing trip. Not like the 30-minute harbour tour from the Gateway or the slightly longer trip to Mandwa jetty when you’re never far from land.

This is an honest-to-god, sea-all-around-and-not-a-speck-of-land-in-sight sail. It’s not on a cruise ship with 50 other people, and the entire paraphernalia of waiting staff, brass bands and performance troupes, but on a sailing boat with a grand total of five other people. Read more