Story of Andaman and Nicobar islands

"I'd rather go back to the islands, if given a chance; there are a lot of things still to be explored," says Pankaj Sekhsaria, a photographer and an environmentalist who spent more than two decades of his life on the lands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In his exhibition 'Island Worlds…of Land and Sea', he showcases his work that captured the biodiversity of the area in the most accentuated manner. The work is presented on raw silk, giving the photographs an artistic texture.

"Silk presents a luster that I think would do justice to the islands. Also the idea behind experimenting with fabrics is to see how the meaning of a photograph changes when the medium changes," told the artist on being asked about why he chose silk. Pankaj specifies that the light seems to penetrate the canvas that enables many ways of seeing the flora fauna and the locals of the place distinctively.

While pursuing his engineering he got a chance to visit the Andamans when he was called upon by his friend. He went to the islands and became fond of them so much so that he decided to completely devote himself to the islands.

In his novels 'The Last Wave' and 'Islands in a Flux', Sekhsaria has made an attempt to write extensively in order to make people aware about the islands which are geologically active to earthquakes. He has pioneered proceedings against various development projects that tend to endanger the aboriginals. Thsi exhibition showcases the beauty of the place for sure, but it also shows other aspects that get neglected due to various factors.

Thereby, in the process, Sekhsaria tells the disturbing story of how we are treating our fragile islands. In the exhibition at India International Centre, he has created a privileged index of photographs that depicts the visual beauty, the slenderness of the sea-waters, and the indigenous tribal communities.

"The wildlife is the one thing that stands out for me," said the photographer who communicates well to the people and the place.

The photographs depicts not only the creativity of the photographer but also his keen observatory skills which includes photographs of the giant turtle fiddling around the sea shore, acute jelly fish, sea anemone and the birds resting on

mangrove trees.