New Delhi, April 14 -- What is this book really about? This is perhaps a strange thing to ask at the beginning of a book review. This, however, is exactly the question I was left with after reading Keshav Chandra's When Turquoise Waters turned Dark, which the cover describes as An Illustrated History of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

This is a large-format coffee-table book richly illustrated and lavishly produced, but little to no thought seems to have been given to the purpose of the book, who the readers could be or even why certain photographs were chosen. The inside flap copy explains: "Crafted with stunning photography and presented with a meticulously researched narrative, this book is an immersive exploration of the islands' pa...