Bindu Duraikannu, REACH 1 North Andamans, Sustainable Tourism
Bindu’s home is in Mayabunder, in the North Andamans. She aims to go back to the Andaman Islands to create a model in sustainable tourism development along with preserving the environmental heritage of the islands.
Despite the Andamans’ robust biological diversity, so far only one organization in the entire archipelago of 576 islands looks into its protection and development.
Having graduated from Xavier’s college with a Bachelor in Management Studies, she trained with the World Wildlife Fund and Sanctuary Asia while doing her undergraduate degree. She is currently in an intensive 18 month hotel management program with the Taj Group. Naturally her special focus is on sustainable tourism.
Matrena Martin, REACH 1 Car Nicobar, Textile designer
Matrena Martin’s family originates from a small village in the Car Nicobar islands.
The handicrafts and arts heritage of the islands have hitherto gone totally unrecognised. Matrena aspires to change this by creating textiles unique in their fusion of contemporary and tribal art.
She will do this by marrying her learnings from Shristi School of Art and Design, the Nicobar Design Studio in Delhi, the Weavers Studio in Kolkata and the Ministry of textiles, with the centuries old textile designing tradition of the islands. It will be the first time in India’s history that somebody from the islands will bring Nicobarese arts and crafts into the mainstream.
