India
Andaman exhibit
As word of the ocean Shangri-la has spread through Europe and America, tourism in one of Southasia's most isolated area, the Andaman Islands, has in recent years been rising steadily. Although visited mostly for its natural attractions – pristine beaches, world-class snorkelling and untouched, monkey-filled forests – there is also a wealth of human culture just waiting to be explored. Which brings us to the latest exhibit: the Jarawa, one of the original Adivasi communities of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Tour companies are now offering day trips to 'observe' the Jarawa in their 'natural habitat'. Tourists can take pictures of the people, and some have reportedly even been known to chuck biscuits and sweets at them. Moreover, Barefoot India, a major Indian travel company, has just won a case permitting it to develop an eco-resort at Collipur, right near the designated Jarawa reserve. Other companies are expected to follow, and the likes of Barefoot have big plans for bringing in thousands of tourists a year.
It has not been long since the Jarawa first started wandering out of the jungle. In 1997, they began to be seen standing around the roads that thread through their territory. Eventually, some stopped vehicles to beg for food. Most of the Jarawa, said to number only around 250, still remain somewhere in the forests. But a few have picked up a little Hindi over the past decade, and are becoming a regular sight in the markets. A handful of Jarawa children have even walked up to schools and asked for an education.