In 2017, an island vanished. Parali I, one of thirty-six islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago off the western coast of India, disappeared thanks to rising sea levels and coastal erosion. It was a small island, uninhabited, a quiet calamity. But it’s a calamity that will be repeated. Four more of the archipelago’s islands are expected to disappear in coming years. Experts anticipate that it won’t be long before more populous islands and coastal communities are affected.

Sidhant Chand’s Lakshadweep is about the titular archipelago. Its tone is optimistic. Rather than dropping islands beneath the waves, it’s about developing sustainable industries that will allow the local population to prosper without demolishing the natural world around them.

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