Port Blair, June 21: The Anthropological Survey of India organised one-day workshop on “Study of Great Andamanese and Future Studies of Anthropological Survey of India” on 20 June 2019 at its Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre, Port Blair. The Secretary (Tribal Welfare), Shri Sanjeev Mittal, was the Chief Guest of the workshop. The workshop was inaugurated by him in the presence of Prof. Vinay Kumar Srivastava, Director, Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI); Ms. S.A. Bellrose, Assistant Commissioner (Tribal Welfare) & Executive Secretary, Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti, A&N Administration; Shri S.A. Awaradi, Director, Andaman Nicobar Tribal Research Institute; Dr. Siddharaju, Deputy Director (Tribal Health), DHS, and Dr. M. Sasikumar, Director, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata. Addressing the gathering, Sh. Sanjeev Mittal, Secretary (Tribal Welfare) said that there should be a proper coordination between the academicians and those who are concerned with planning. The findings of research should reach people so that their life is ameliorated.

Ms. S.A. Bellrose, Assistant Commissioner (Tribal Welfare) & Executive Secretary, Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti, Shri S.A. Awaradi, and Prof. Srivastava also addressed the gathering during the inauguration session.

The first technical session was on the recently concluded study of the Great Andamanese, conducted by a team of biological and cultural anthropologists of the AnSI. Four presentations (respectively by Shri Amit Kumar Ghosh, Dr. Nilanjan Khatua, Dr. Venugopal P.N., Dr. Shiv K. Patel, Dr. Priyanka Airi Goyal, and Dr. Umesh Kumar) were made during the first technical session, which gave detailed information on different socio-cultural and biological aspects of the Great Andamanese. Dr. M. Sasikumar, Director, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, chaired the first session.

The second technical session of this workshop was devoted to the researches that the Anthropological Survey of India is planning in future in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Prof. Vinay Kumar Srivastava, Director, Anthropological Survey of India, chaired this session. Dr.Nilanjan Khatua, Head of Office, AnSI, Andaman &Nicobar Regional Centre, Port Blair, gave a brief presentation on the researches that have been carried out among the tribal communities of A&N islands by the AnSI. Later, a panel discussion was held during the session in which participants from various government offices and colleges of A&N islands engaged in a discussion about the kind of research projects that can be launched in future among the different communities of A&N islands. Prof. Anvita Abbi, a renowned linguist from JNU, Delhi, and a Padma Shri awardee, also attended the workshop and enlightened the audience with her researches she has carried out among the tribal groups of A&N Islands. 

The workshop was concluded by a formal vote of thanks by Dr. Umesh Kumar, Head of Office, Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata.