Ila ✨

Two of India's leading experts on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dr. Manish Chandi and Dr. Vardhan Patankar sat down with me to explain what is truly at stake in Great Nicobar. From the leatherback turtles that cross entire oceans to nest at Galathea Bay, to birds, fish and wildlife found nowhere else on Earth, to the stunning coral reels that could be wiped out completely - these islands are an ecological treasure unlike anything India has. We also spoke about something deeply troubling: how the Forest Rights Act was bypassed, and how the Nicobarese and Shompen tribal communities were manipulated into signing away land that is rightfully theirs. This is a podcast every Indian should hear. The more people understand what is being destroyed - and how quietly it is being done - the harder it becomes for this government to get away with it. Tune in: YouTube: youtu.be/Y3WMOyGtJBA?si=quJl… Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0yC… #GreenOverGreed

I visited the southernmost tip of India. I stood at Indira Point. I walked under trees that have stood for centuries. I dove into coral reefs among the most vibrant on earth. And I sat with the people who live there. Tribal communities, whose land is being taken away by violating the Forest Rights Act. Settlers, many of them former soldiers, placed on these islands by the Indian government, who aren’t getting fair compensation. The Modi government and BJP tells you Great Nicobar Project is about defence. It is not. Expand INS Baaz - we will back the government fully. The Navy has been asking for expansion for five years - it has been ignored. They tell you it is about a transhipment port. It is not. India is already building one in Kerala, which is on the mainland. What it actually is: 1.5 crore trees felled. Coral reefs erased from official maps. Soldiers and tribals displaced - so one businessman can build hotels and casinos on India’s most irreplaceable ecological land. Every young Indian I have spoken to understands this. You know that no amount of profit is worth destroying what can never be recovered. I stand for ecologically balanced development. These islands can be the most extraordinary sustainable destination the world has ever seen. That is the India worth fighting for. #GreenOverGreed #NicobarMatters #WorldEnvironmentDay