"The semi-nomadic Shompen who inhabit the Great Nicobar Island would have been hit very badly. I don't see how their primitive settlements could have withstood the fury of the Tsunami," says T.N. Pandit, former deputy director, Anthropology Society of India. Pandit spent almost 26 years in the Andaman & Nicobar region. "It would be a miracle if any of the Shompens would have survived here," adds Lucknow-based filmmaker Rakesh Manjul, who made documentary on the customs and traditions of tribals here in the mid-nineties. The fate of the 39 Great Andamanese who inhabit the Strait Island appears no less bleak. "The place is just a couple of square kilometres in area. If rescue teams are not sent in immediately there would be no trace left of this endogamous tribe," says Manjul. "The Andamanese took on the might of the British army in the famous Battle of Aberdeen in 1858. It would be a huge setback if the tribe is lost," quips Pandit, who was instrumental in rehabilitating the Great Andamanese in 1969. Rescue efforts are on in full earnest, but some beads may just have gone missing from the Emerald Necklace of India.

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Update: The Indian Government has currently declined foreign aid in this disaster relief, expressing the view that it is capable of handling the relief and rescue operations on its' own. This is in line with an unwritten policy of declining aid, particularly if there are 'strings attached'. International organizations like the Red Cross et al are hard at work in the region and contributions can be made to them directly.