This place -- the Mus Cathedral Ground -- where we stand was the oldest football ground," said Thomas Philip (left), secretary of the tribal council, "It now houses our village relief camp."
Tribal governance is in the hands of the tribal council, and Philip is one of the spokesmen for the local people.
An award winning athlete, he excelled in sport as a student in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. But realising there was no future in sport those days, he did not pursue it and returned to the island.
He says with great pride that he still holds the 1975 hurdles record in Tamil Nadu but all the trophies and medals that adorned his family home were washed away in the tsunami.
"The Nicobarese men and women enjoy playing football, volleyball and were very proud of the Mus ground," says Indian Air Force Public Relations Officer Squadron Leader P M Beniwal, "It was so well maintained, it looked like a golf course."
Other Nicobari games include the canoe race and pig fights. A local newspaper reported that only two of the island's famed racing canoes survived the tsunami.
Text: Archana Masih. Photograph: A Ganesh Nadar; Design: Dominic Xavier