Dr. Ratan Chandra Kar, a doctor from West Bengal, joined the Andaman and Nicobar Administration in 1988. A decade later, while posted at Kadamtala, he began working with the Jarawa community. By learning their language, understanding their culture and providing medical care, he gradually built trust with a community historically wary of outsiders.
Born on May 4, 1954, in Ghatal, Midnapore, West Bengal, Kar completed his MBBS from Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College, Kolkata, in 1981. Before joining the Andaman and Nicobar Health Services, he had worked in Nagaland, where he provided medical care to Konyak tribal communities and Assam Rifles personnel in Tripura.
In September 1988, Kar joined the Andaman and Nicobar Administration. In 1998, he was posted as a Medical Officer at the Primary Health Centre in Kadamtala. It was there that his work brought him into contact with the Jarawas.
Building Trust Through Healthcare
The Jarawas had a long history of limited and often difficult contact with outsiders. Kar’s approach was centred on patience and medical care. He gradually learned their language and became familiar with their customs and way of life, helping establish communication and confidence.
His work extended beyond treating patients at a health facility. He visited Jarawa settlements, provided medical assistance and sought to understand their healthcare needs while respecting their existing practices. Over time, this relationship became important when the community faced serious health challenges.
The 1999 Measles Outbreak
In 1999, a measles outbreak affected the Jarawa community. Kar and his team treated those who became ill and helped seriously affected patients receive hospital care.
The experience highlighted the importance of trust when delivering healthcare to communities with limited interaction with formal medical systems. Kar’s established relationship with the Jarawas helped facilitate medical intervention during the outbreak.
According to the official Padma Awards citation, his team helped save the community from the verge of extinction during the crisis.
Healthcare Designed Around The Community
Kar also helped establish an eco-friendly ward for Jarawa patients. The approach aimed to provide medical assistance in an environment more familiar to the community rather than relying solely on conventional hospital settings.
His work later expanded into tribal-health administration. From 2006 to 2011, he served as Deputy Director of Tribal Health and Welfare in the Andaman and Nicobar Administration. In 2009, he also served as Executive Secretary of the Andaman Aadim Jan Jaati Vikas Samiti.
In these roles, he contributed to healthcare policies concerning the Jarawas, Onges and Shompen communities.
Documenting The Jarawa Experience
Kar also documented his experiences and observations. He authored the Bengali book Andamaner Aadim Jan Jaati Jarawa and the English-language The Jarawas of the Andaman. His other writings covered the Cellular Jail and the history of the Andaman Penal Settlement.
His contribution to the Jarawa community had received recognition before the national honour. He was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Commendation Certificate on January 26, 2000, for his service to the Jarawa tribe.
Padma Shri Recognition
In 2023, Dr. Ratan Chandra Kar received the Padma Shri in Medicine. The honour recognised his distinguished medical service and pioneering healthcare intervention among the Jarawa community.
By then, Kar had spent decades working in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He retired from the Andaman and Nicobar Health Services in 2022, after serving the administration since 1988.
The official Padma citation also noted that the Jarawa population had increased from 255 in 1999 to more than 560. This demographic change cannot be attributed to one individual alone, but the citation recognised Kar’s contribution to healthcare and the community’s survival during a critical period.
Healthcare With Respect
Kar’s story also raises a broader question about healthcare among Indigenous communities: how can medical intervention be provided without disregarding cultural autonomy?
His experience illustrates the role of patience, communication and cultural understanding in making healthcare more accessible. Rather than treating trust as an automatic consequence of medical authority, his work developed through sustained interaction and familiarity.
The Jarawa community’s relationship with the outside world remains a sensitive subject, and healthcare interventions must continue to respect Indigenous rights, autonomy and established protections.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Dr. Ratan Chandra Kar’s journey from West Bengal to the Andaman Islands was not simply about providing medical treatment. It was also about building communication with a community that had historically remained wary of outsiders.
His decades of work show how healthcare can become more effective when it is grounded in patience, cultural understanding and respect. His Padma Shri recognition in 2023 brought national attention to a career shaped by those principles.
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