Andamans — an island in the Bay of Bengal has been inhabited since the time of Cholas in the 10th century but it came into prominence as a safe harbour for travelling ships in the 17th century by lieutenant Archibald Blair, a naval surveyor. The capital Port Blair, is named after him.
The town is small and everything is withing 15 minutes of driving time. We saw no traffic lights on the roads, tho’ there were many roundabouts and one way traffic roads all over the city. Needless to state many roads ran along the sea with its shimmering bright azure blue waters.
The Veer Sarvakar International Airport (shaped like a butterfly with its wings spread) was right in the town (no long winding roads to reach the central town). The first thing I noticed were the huge trees with orchids and lichen growing all over their trunks. (wish it was orchid season so that flowers could have been blooming)
Andamans has 6 indigenous tribes- the Great Andamanese, the Little Andamanese, the Jarawas ( they love the colour red and are liable to ask for it from visitors if they see it) , the Onge ( a big backside is the epitome of beauty- the bigger the better) , the Sentinelese and the Shompen of the Nicobar Island.
These people continue to follow their ancient culture and lifestyle- living in huts, fishing, hunting and gathering food, etc tho’ the Indian government has introduced formal education, hospitals, methods of cultivation and animal husbandry etc. to bring them into mainstream. The adoption of the upward mobility, however, differs for the various tribes.
The Sentinelese, do not allow any external intrusion into their domain- preserving their way of life as it has been since ancient times- going as far as to killing any possible visitors to their island where as the Shompen have assimilated and moved forward with the amenities provided. The Assistant Manager at the resort we stayed was a Shompen from Nicobar who had completed school at his native place , did his graduation at Port Blair and was fluent in Hindi and English.
In fact Hindi is the main language spoken all over the island.
The highlight of Port Blair is the Cellular Jail — made infamous by the prisoning of the political activists during the Indian Independence movement. Synonymously called Kala Pani. ‘Kal’ in sanskrit is Death and the island being surrounded by Pani — a sentence symbolised the ‘Time of Death” from which no one returned.
It had 7 wings coming out from the central spoke which had a watchtower. This 3 story building had 963 cells built for solitary confinement. the back of each of the spokes ( a blank wall) faced the front of adjoining spoke- so that there was no eye contact with any other prisoner.
Today just 3 wings remain the rest destroyed by the storms and the Japanese during their three year occupation of the island used the bricks to build their own quarters. Now a hospital stands where there used to be destroyed wings of the prison.
It took 13 yrs and 30 crore bricks and innumerable manhours of the prisoners to build the Cellular Jail
Treatment of prisoners was harsh and inhuman- 2 communal loos on the ground floor, shackled with iron rings and ropes ( as per assessed independent thought of prisoners), locked up in 3.5 x 7.5 x 10 feet WLH) cells with a hard board for a bed and a earthen ware pot . Brackish water served twice a day as were simple meals often with gravel in dal and sand in vege’s.
Each prisoner was expected to produce 30 litres of coconut oil or 4 liters mustard oil or built 4 meters of hemp rope per day . those unable to do so were whipped and severely shackled or hanged to death.
The single witness to all the harshness and atrocities faced is the lone sentinel- the Peepal tree which has stood there at the entrance (uprooted during a cyclone but replanted) Near it are two ever-burning flames commemorating those who have gone- the gas for the flames is provided by Indian Oil free of any charge.
The highlight of our trip however was the Havelock island and its water activities. An hour long ferry ride from Port Blair and we were there. Clear transparent waters in bright azure, light blue and deep blue, lush green rolling hills in the background, plants and trees growing in abundance- almost as if it grows wherever the seed falls-
Many trees on Havelock are old and majestic with huge roots extending for few feet all around the trees , others have huge tree trunks and many equally thick branches- took many pictures ( I am a sucker for old majestic trees- but am refraining from putting too many here)
There were multiple types of ferns and money-plant, coconut and betel nut trees, banana trees, mango trees- all growing rumbustiously next to each other. throughout the island there were small patches of tall thin betel nut plantations hedged by coconut trees and ferns and flowering shrubs
in contrast to the coconut trees the betel nut trees have thinner trunks and the leaf span is much lesser. also bunches of nuts grow slightly below the leaf line unlike coconuts which grow right next to where the leaves are.
Coconut and all parts of the trees are celebrated throughout the island- most houses ( single storey) are mainly built with wood and tin, nearly all
houses on the island have some part of the tree used — either as pillars and columns, or as thatched roof with leaves, or simply round strands of leaves and coir used decoratively. Saw huge piles of betel nuts and coconut husks drying in piles around houses
A must do thing is seeing the luminescent plankton in the mangroves around Andamans. If possible plan your trip around amavasya (no moon)
as the luminiscence is seen when it is pitch dark.
Unfortunately for us there was some moon and no cloud in the sky to provide a little of cover — so we were unable to witness this- but my son did in his earlier trip and it was an amazing experience for him.
Imagine reaching the site at 3 am at night when it is pitch dark, getting into a Kayak (2 to each kayak) — Not only is the kayak experience a first, but rowing in pitch darkness over dark waters with minimal visibility till suddenly you notice your oars are shining and twinkling with blue lights and then you see eerie blue lights all over the waters around your kayak Magic
Scuba diving was the ultimate experience for the team- I chickened out and am deeply regreting it-for the uninitiated- swimming is not essential, there is always a dive expert with you throughout who is willing to get you out of the water the moment you feel uncomfortable. One tip- go as early in the morning as you can for scuba- the sunrays and water combined play havoc on the skin…
Andamans is one of the four places worldwide where corals exists….and they are all over the island. In fact the colour of the waters turns darker when there are corals underneath. Corals need sunlight and calcium to grow though they take the longest time to grow 1–2 inches per year on an average. The brightly coloured corals are the live ones , once they turn black it means that there is fungus growing on them and these are the ones providing food for the fishes. Not only do they provide food and shelter for the smaller fishes but they also filter the sea waters making them clear and transparent
Corals are often named after the shape they take:- cauliflower, brain, stick, cucumber, star corals, sea fans etc. It is illegal to break off live corals — all corals used as decorative pieces or jewellery are made from corals which have naturally broken off and are washed ashore.
Another fun thing to do is the multiple water sports at the Elephant beach
the beach is so called as in ancient times there elephants were used to carry the felled trees to the waiting boats. The elephants are not there any longer but water sports from jet-skis, to paragliding, snorkeling, dragon, banana and octopus boats, submersible submarines with glass windows, ocean bed walking and biking…..all managed safely and in a very professional manner.
One thing that impressed — was the cleanliness of the beach and sand — despite the huge crowds, multiple eating stalls, loads of kids and teenagers- there was no trash anywhere, nor was there any screaming and shouting, nor any loud music playing ( as is common in north India if there are huge crowds having fun)
Radha beach — surrounded by lush green hills on one side and the open sea on the other with white sands and clear transparent water on the beach. In fact the sand and water were so clear that one could see reflections of people (as in a mirror) on the water on the sand.
again despite the huge crowds the beaches were spick and span — in fact even the sitting area under the trees with benches carved out of the thick tree trunks had no lotter anywhere either.
Barren islands and Baratang have the live volcano and the bubbling mud volcano which is another interesting thing to see — but it is a day long visit- as the route passes through a corridor used by the Jarawah tribe you may be lucky and see them. Carry a red scarf or shirt to present to them — apparently they have a fondness for the colour.
Our last stop was the Neil island — you go by ferry . the blue waters surrounding the islands has to be seen to be believed. the picture below gives a feeler- as cars cannot come close to the dock all luggage comes on bicycle rickshaws plied by older men (there were 4 such rickshaws when our liner docked and all had grey haired older men driving the bicycle rickshaw)
In contrast to the dwellings on Havelock island the houses, shops etc were made of bricks and cement instead of wood and tin
The Natural Bridge (made of corals) is a highlight of this island. to reach it one has to walk over corals — many of which are full of pointy pieces making it tough to walk on them.
we found it easier to walk in the water — the corals were somewhat smoother but we had to be careful as the surfaces were slippery.
The shops close by give complementary slippers which apparently make walking over the corals easier (we missed seeing them and my beach shoes with their thin soles made it quite a task for me)
General things — carry sunscreen and head gear. try wearing full sleeves- as the sun is merciless (tho’ we went in pleasant weather- still came back tanned) try having local food at different points of the islands- the fish curries, butter garlic prawns, grilled fish — all taste different at each place.
The sparrows and pigeons were plenty but the sparrows were smaller and the pigeons were black, brown and even white — not the grey ones we see in Delhi
In recent years all traditional names for the islands and beaches have turned Indian havelock island is Swaraj Dweep and Neil island is Shaheed Dweep.
not many local goods except shell and wood jewellery, also sea pearls and some spice grown by few farmers. Best place to purchase the same would be Sagarika at Port Blair run by the government- at least the quality would be assured.
Hoping to make another trip — just to get over my fear and try scuba diving myself. Fingers crossed. 🙂