India, July 8 -- The recent notification for the national census has left officials in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar seeking answers to three questions: One, how to count the Sentinelese, given the administration's decision to stay at least 5km away from the North Sentinel island that is their home?

Two, how to count the Shompen of Great Nicobar, who live in near-unreachable corners of the island?

And three, does it even make sense to insist on counting the number of Sentinelese and the Shompen?

This is the first census being conducted after the Andaman and Nicobar administration's decision, in December 2014, to not go near the island or disturb the Sentinelese.

The 2011 and 2001 census were based on extrapolated numbers ...