On Great Nicobar: 20 Christmases After the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

[ad_1] “YÔNTĨ An ngam Yöng Tēv, aṅ el halīöngö,

Hëtö finötnyi, Yöng töm Töhet Rēlö;

Ngam Yöng tö-örheūheu-aṅ, Anga-aṅ Yöng,

Haròh el chūökkuö nuā, el kantēra Mā;

Tā-a, töi ha-öiny ngam hanāngenlōn Ò,

Tön yônti An nö hayööken tökööl hī.”

The hymn echoed by means of the Nicobarese settlement of Rajiv Nagar, weaving its approach by means of constructions that its residents now name dwelling, illuminated by strings of brilliant, festive lights. But, amidst the celebration of Christmas, a deep sense of longing permeated the air — nostalgia for a lifestyle that the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami had all however erased.

“Christmas again then meant touring for days between villages to have a good time with everybody. We carried heavy masses however had been glad. Now, we're cramped in a single place. This doesn’t really feel just like the Christmas we knew earlier than the waves got here,” mentioned Robert*, main the carolers previous tin shelters that also don’t really feel like dwelling, even 20 years later.

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-279911" class="size-full wp-image-279911" src="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024" srcset="https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 4032w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 462w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium_large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 624w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 924w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 300w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 600w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 622w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 784w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 946w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 1244w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-xl-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180403.jpeg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px"/> For 20 Christmases, Nicobarese displaced by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami have a good time the vacation away from their ancestral lands. Picture by Leesha Okay Nair.

The Devouring Sea

On that fateful day, December 26, 2004, the ocean rose as an unholy leviathan. 9 carolers, journeying to their villages alongside western Nice Nicobar Island had been the only real survivors alongside that coast. What awaited them was destroy past comprehension. The western shores of Nice Nicobar — as soon as alive with the vibrancy of life, songs, and sacred rituals — had been devoured in a single, cruel second. Total villages had vanished beneath the waves, abandoning no hint of their types. For the 9 survivors, there was no solace, solely an aching void the place their kin, their houses, and their lifestyle had as soon as thrived.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was no mere calamity; it was a reckoning. An estimated 228,000 lives had been misplaced throughout 15 nations , with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, and Thailand bearing the brunt of the destruction. Nice Nicobar Island, mendacity perilously near the epicenter, Indonesia’s Banda Aceh, suffered immensely. Throughout the Nicobar Islands, 7,330 had been counted among the many lifeless — with one other 5,900 nonetheless lacking to today.

The aftermath was a tragedy of one other type — one crafted by human palms. By mid-2005, the Nicobarese survivors, nonetheless reeling from the devastation, had been uprooted from their ancestral villages on the western coasts of Nice Nicobar Island (GNI), and solid throughout the island’s jap aspect into unexpectedly constructed tin shelters in Rajiv Nagar and New Chingenh. The discomfort stretched on, and by the 2010s, “everlasting shelters” appeared — towering constructions of iron girders and picket planks, some perched precariously on stilts.

“The federal government’s involvement with the Nicobarese was very minimal. They by no means interfered, however had been quite facilitators. The Nicobarese performed themselves on their very own phrases. Put up-tsunami, the federal government made selections for them. The housing choices supplied to the neighborhood weren't in cognizance of how the Nicobarese organized themselves; they had been for nuclear households quite than joint households, ” a senior social anthropologist who has labored with the Nicobarese for twenty years instructed The Diplomat on the situation of anonymity.

Now, 20 years have handed, and the Nicobarese proceed to plead for the return to their ancestral lands; lands that maintain not simply their reminiscences, however their very id and lifestyle. At present, round 500 Nice Nicobarese, the smallest neighborhood of Nicobarese on this planet, reside crammed into these settlements which proceed to be alien to them.

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-279910" class="size-full wp-image-279910" src="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024" srcset="https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 4032w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 462w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium_large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 624w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 924w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 300w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 600w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 622w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 784w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 946w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 1244w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-xl-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180209.jpeg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px"/> The Nicobarese proceed to plead for a return to their ancestral lands; within the meantime, they reside in unexpectedly constructed tin constructions. Picture by Leesha Okay Nair.

Life at Larger Floor

“I actually don’t know tips on how to preserve this place,” mentioned Joseph*. “The room turns into unbearably sizzling throughout summers, and in the course of the rains, the roofs leak. When cyclonic climate strikes, we males are up all night time, draining water from the decrease flooring. There have been nights I haven’t slept, endlessly scooping out water. If these houses had been product of wooden, we'd know tips on how to restore or preserve them. But when we have now to restore these metallic constructions, it could value us extensively. We will’t afford it.”

Earlier than the waves reshaped their world, Nicobari villages thrived on a deeply rooted system of kinship and communal concord. Assets weren’t individually owned however collectively shared inside these close-knit teams. Elders had been revered as reservoirs of conventional data. The division of labor, although versatile, adopted a pure rhythm. Males ventured into the forests, plantations, and the ocean, bringing again meals from the land and water. Girls, then again, wielded energy as decision-makers, overseeing each stage of useful resource administration, from sourcing to processing. Now, stripped of their conventional obligations, they’ve been thrust into roles that had been by no means theirs to shoulder.

“I don’t prefer to see my daughters working as guide laborers for another person,” mentioned Cynthia*, a mom of three. “It's one thing we have now by no means performed. However what can I do? We now have to outlive. We girls have additional bills in comparison with males. If we return to our previous villages, we gained’t have to fret about feeding the household. Right here, that's the important fear. That’s why we additionally should work.”

The rehabilitation efforts, whereas well-intentioned, had been blind to the nuances of Nicobarese life. Relocating them from the coasts severed their connection to the land and disrupted their cultural spine. The tsunami took with it a good portion of the elder inhabitants, and with them went the deep-rooted data of their traditions. Now, a complete era is rising up oblivious to the methods of their ancestors, leaving the surviving elders involved about their vanishing heritage.

Take, as an illustration, the function of pigs of their tradition. These animals had been integral to their festivities, an emblem of neighborhood and celebration. Of their previous villages, the pigs thrived, foraging freely throughout the land. However the cramped, sterile settlements in Rajiv Nagar haven't any area for such animals to roam. The pig inhabitants has dwindled, decreasing the variety of festivals the tribe can have a good time. What was as soon as a cornerstone of their tradition has now change into a rarity. What's the equal to gold among the many Nicobarese is commonly seen as a menace by the non-tribal communities close by.

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-279908" class="size-full wp-image-279908" src="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024" srcset="https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 4032w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 462w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium_large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 624w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 924w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 300w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 600w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 622w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 784w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 946w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 1244w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-xl-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-175926.jpeg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px"/> Of their previous villages, the pigs thrived, foraging freely throughout the land. The pig inhabitants has dwindled, with the non-tribal communities close by usually seeing the pigs as a menace. Picture by Leesha Okay Nair.

Battle with Non-Tribals

The relocated Nicobarese, as soon as nestled within the isolation of their ancestral villages, now discover themselves in unavoidable proximity to non-tribals, primarily Telugu settlers whose tsunami rehabilitation settlement lies only a stone’s throw away. With this pressured mingling has come an unrelenting erosion of their privateness.

Not too long ago, a daring message appeared on a signboard erected by the Nicobarese on the entrance of a street connecting the 2 settlements: “24×7 Non-Tribals, Not Allowed.” The signal stands like a silent sentinel, a determined try to reclaim boundaries which can be repeatedly trespassed. But, regardless of this assertion of autonomy, their areas stay intruded upon.

“If they need one thing from us, they will name us outdoors,” mentioned Suman*, a Nicobarese teenager, her frustration barely contained. “However they at all times wish to enter utilizing some excuse.”

Campbell Bay, a microcosm of India’s variety, is dwelling to settlers from Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and lots of different states. Within the Nineteen Seventies, households of retired navy personnel had been resettled right here by the federal government, adopted by different mainlanders in the hunt for higher livelihoods. Including to the mosaic are protection personnel stationed on the islands, making a combined however uneasy cohabitation.

Within the early days after their relocation, the Nicobarese had been acutely made conscious of their “otherness.” Regardless of being the unique inhabitants of the islands, they had been made to really feel inferior to their settler counterparts. Their distinct Mongoloid options grew to become a straightforward goal for ridicule. They struggled to talk Hindi fluently, a indisputable fact that was not solely mocked however wielded as a weapon to belittle them. Their kids, too, bore the brunt, criticized in colleges for being “slower” than settler youngsters.

“Our children now give it again to them. They don’t maintain again anymore,” mentioned Cleo*, a Nicobarese lady, as she meticulously stitched a brand new shirt in preparation for Christmas. “We used to hesitate to speak to the settlers again then as a result of we didn’t know Hindi. And that’s what they’d at all times ask us — ‘Why don’t you understand Hindi?’ Why would I converse Hindi to my individuals? They wouldn’t perceive a lot! Even now, many people don’t converse the language. My Hindi continues to be weak,” she laughed.

The strain extends past language and colleges into the bodily areas of their lives. The Nicobarese ancestral plantations, wealthy with areca nuts and coconuts, are commonly exploited by the settlers, harvesting its bounty with out consent or consideration.

“After we return, we see our previous plantations with out a lot produce,” mentioned Robert, his tone a mixture of resignation and anger. “In the event that they wish to take, they will take — however depart one thing for us. They don’t simply take; they destroy the plantations by extreme chopping, leaving the waste scattered in all places. By the point we return to reap, there may be nothing left for us.”

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-279909" class="size-full wp-image-279909" src="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024" srcset="https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 4032w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 462w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium_large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 624w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 924w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 300w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 600w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 622w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 784w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 946w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 1244w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-xl-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180112.jpeg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px"/> Not too long ago, a daring message appeared on a signboard erected by the Nicobarese on the entrance of a street connecting the 2 settlements: “24×7 Non-Tribals, Not Allowed.” Picture by Leesha Okay Nair.

The Knock of a New Disaster

Because the Nicobarese proceed to grapple with coexisting alongside non-tribals, a storm of better magnitude brews on the horizon. The Indian authorities’s bold plans to develop the islands have introduced with them the specter of displacement, ecological destruction, and cultural obliteration.

The Nice Nicobar Venture, a 720 billion rupee (round $9 billion) enterprise has drawn international consideration for all of the incorrect causes. Dismissed by many as an ecological disaster within the making, the mission has been branded as a loss of life sentence for the Shompens, one of many final Indigenous tribes of the islands. For the federal government, nevertheless, it's a jewel in India’s strategic crown: a plan to dominate the Malacca Strait, the world’s busiest sea route.

To attain this imaginative and prescient, the federal government intends to divert 130 sq. kilometers of pristine rainforest — an expanse bigger than many small cities. Of this, 84 sq. kilometers lie inside tribal reserves, sacred lands which have sustained Indigenous communities for generations. The feasibility research for this colossal endeavor, performed by the American consulting agency AECOM for NITI Aayog in March 2021, suggests developing a global port, an airport, an influence plant, a township, and tourism infrastructure — all on what the report claims is “uninhabited” land.

In 2022, throughout discussions for environmental clearance , an Skilled Appraisal Committee (EAC) asserted that the mission wouldn't disturb the Nicobarese or the Shompens. To maintain these Indigenous peoples away from the 1000's of staff and settlers who will flood the island, the draft Environmental Impression Evaluation (EIA) proposed erecting barbed wire fences.

But, the guarantees that the Nice Nicobar Venture will proceed with sensitivity are already unraveling. To “compensate” for the environmental destruction, the federal government introduced the creation of three sanctuaries for displaced Leatherback turtles, corals, and Nicobar Megapodes on Little Nicobar, Meroe, and Menchal Islands. These islands, nevertheless, are ancestral lands of the Nicobarese. Shockingly, no session with the tribal communities came about.

Barnabas Manju, the chairman of the Tribal Council for Nice Nicobar and Little Nicobar, stumbled upon the notification of those sanctuaries throughout a routine go to to the Assistant Commissioner’s workplace. “I noticed the discover in regards to the sanctuaries on the board once I went to the AC workplace. We weren't consulted about it, nor had been we given a duplicate of the discover,” he mentioned, disbelief evident in his voice.

In August 2022, the Tribal Council took the primary steps to withstand this pressured determination. They penned a letter to the deputy commissioner of Nicobar District, with copies despatched to the chief secretary, lieutenant governor, and forest officers. But their plea was met with silence — an amazing, deafening refusal to have interaction. As a substitute, the administration’s last blow to their considerations was issuing official notifications ( right here , right here and right here ) to create the three wildlife sanctuaries simply two months later—the choice, once more devoid of dialogue or consent.

The tipping level got here in November 2022 when the Tribal Council formally withdrew their consent for the diversion of their reserved lands for the Nice Nicobar Venture. The letter revealed a disturbing fact: they'd not been knowledgeable that components of their pre-tsunami villages alongside the southeast and southwest coasts would even be denotified. This important data had been intentionally hid throughout public hearings, the place assurances got that their lands would stay untouched.

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-279912" class="size-full wp-image-279912" src="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024" srcset="https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 4032w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 462w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium_large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 624w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 924w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 300w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 600w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 622w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 784w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 946w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 1244w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-xl-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180523.jpeg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px"/> Residents of Campbell Bay collect on the neighborhood corridor round Christmas. Picture by Leesha Okay Nair.

Outdated Fears, New Fears

“The tsunami took every part from us in a single go, however this new mission will take what stays with us little by little,” mentioned Robert, his voice heavy with each frustration and resignation. “I additionally worry the tsunami returning, particularly throughout Christmas. The Shompens worry it much more than we do. What if it comes again once more? My son is learning outdoors the islands. What if it occurs when he’s not right here? I used to be his age — simply 17 — when the tsunami occurred. I misplaced every part. I don’t need him to have the identical destiny.”

For the Nicobarese, the answer to their plight is obvious: They wish to return to their ancestral villages. However they're pragmatic, too, understanding that an abrupt relocation would push them additional into instability. What they search is a gradual shift, one the place their devastated villages, overtaken by particles and overgrowth, are cleared with the administration’s assist. As a substitute, they're met with obscure assurances and bureaucratic indifference.

“They instructed us we’ll return when the street is constructed,” one other Nicobarese resident, John* defined. “The administration thinks tribals can reside wherever, however that’s not the way it works. If I can reside wherever, can I simply go and reside of their homes? No, proper? We now have our personal approach with forests and land, and we wish to reside that approach.”

“We additionally worry that after transferring our youngsters gained’t be capable of attend colleges. The officers mentioned we gained’t be capable of entry hospitals if we return. I've diabetes, a illness that I didn’t even learn about earlier than coming right here. What to do, our food regimen has modified,” mentioned Janice*, a Nicobari elder.

The federal government’s neglect of the Nicobarese stands in stark distinction to its repeated proclamations of championing tribal rights. “The welfare of tribal communities has been on the forefront of our insurance policies. We launched the [240 billion Indian rupee] JanMan Yojana for probably the most backward tribal teams. At present, homes are being constructed for them, and roads are being constructed to attach them to the broader society,” declared Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November , whereas unveiling growth initiatives value over 66.4 billion rupees geared toward uplifting tribal communities in Bihar. The Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) has usually emphasised its dedication to tribal welfare, proudly citing the election of Droupadi Murmu as India’s first tribal president. And but, the “Ghar Wapasi” — the long-awaited homecoming of the Nicobarese — appears to have been forgotten amidst the fanfare.

“The very best strategy proper now's to seek the advice of and take part with them, quite than dictating phrases. All of the directors which have come after the tsunami have been dictators. Prior to now, there was engagement with the tribes, regardless that a minimal one. They don’t should be instructed what to do and what to not do, they’ll determine that out themselves. They simply should be facilitated, that’s all,” added the senior social anthropologist.

What started as a promise of refuge has now became a chronic exile, leaving the Nicobarese stranded between a previous they mourn and a gift they can not settle for. Each Christmas, they have a good time with what little they've, however the pleasure is fleeting. Because the night time of celebration fades, they wake the following morning haunted by what was misplaced the day after Christmas in 2004 — the individuals, the house, a lifestyle, and the sense of belonging to the land they as soon as known as their very own.

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-279913" class="size-full wp-image-279913" src="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024" srcset="https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 4032w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 462w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/medium_large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 624w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/large/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 924w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 300w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-s-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 600w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 622w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-m-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 784w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 946w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-l-2/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 1244w, https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sizes/td-story-xl-1/thediplomat_2024-12-26-180703.jpeg 1568w" sizes="(max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px"/> At present, round 500 Nice Nicobarese, the smallest neighborhood of Nicobarese on this planet, reside crammed into these settlements which proceed to be alien to them. Picture by Leesha Okay Nair.