The Sentinelese of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are in the news after they shot with bow and arrow an American missionary around 10 days ago. Breaking Indian law, he approached their off-limits island to try and convert them. He paid fishermen R25,000 to be taken there, a price too cheap for any human life. Americans have grieved over the missionary's loss and some Indians are intrigued why the Sentinelese are kept isolated from civilisation and modernity. "What's the point in keeping them backward?" the wife asked.

Imagine a Sentinelese travelling 1,100 km to the Indian mainland. She might visit a mall or a eatery after her long journey. She would be foxed by the uncommunicativeness of the people around her, all hypnotised by a funny screen in their hands. She might gape at the overclothed women who paradoxically are covering their bodies while trying to make it sexually appealing. She might be scared by noisy and powerful motor vehicles, meant to shorten distances but all paralysed by traffic jams. She might laugh at the way inside their huts, mainland families are glued to the TV depicting garish families in incessant distress.