Madhumala Chattopadhyay, who befriended Andamans’ isolated Jarawa tribals

A Kolkata-born researcher, Madhumala participated in the first friendly contact ever made with the hostile Sentinelese of the Andamans way back on January 4, 1991

Tribune News Service

Updated At : 03:25 PM Jan 20, 2025 IST

Madhumala Chattopadhyay, a Kolkata-born researcher. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal
When the Election Commission recently enrolled the long-reclusive Jarawa tribals of Andamans as voters, one particular story lurked in the background. This was about Madhumala Chattopadhyay.
Madhumala Chattopadhyay, a Kolkata-born researcher, participated in the first friendly contact ever made with the hostile Sentinelese of the Andamans way back on January 4, 1991.
Madhumala with the Jarawas during a research trip in the 1990s.
She later became the first woman anthropologist to make a friendly contact with another set of secluded natives, the Jarawas.
The anthropologist recalls with pride her forays into the world of Andaman tribes, long perceived as hostile.

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Madhumala Chattopadhyay, a Kolkata-born researcher. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

When the Election Commission recently enrolled the long-reclusive Jarawa tribals of Andamans as voters, one particular story lurked in the background. This was about Madhumala Chattopadhyay.

Madhumala Chattopadhyay, a Kolkata-born researcher, participated in the first friendly contact ever made with the hostile Sentinelese of the Andamans way back on January 4, 1991.

Madhumala with the Jarawas during a research trip in the 1990s.

She later became the first woman anthropologist to make a friendly contact with another set of secluded natives, the Jarawas.

The anthropologist recalls with pride her forays into the world of Andaman tribes, long perceived as hostile.

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