REMINISCENCE OF THE ANDAMANS

Late Mrs. Parimal Dutta

The Andamans ! A group of islands big and small haphazardly arranged almost in a line from North to South in the South Eastern part of the Bay of Bengal was known to us as one of the darkest place full of horror with the bitter memory of dreadful barbaric punishment for the hardcore culprits of our Country. Mostly the victims sentenced for life imprisonment or capital punishment were lodged in this island. The British made these islands habitable with the money and labour of India.

Dreaded and hated by the people at large, few people could hardly appreciate the unbound beauty and wealth that is spread out all over these islands. The serene blue sky, the endless blue waves, the lush green forests with various valuable spices and fertile virgin soil, the beautiful under water coral gardens all are really wonderful that can serve as a heavenly medicine to weary and distressed people of the modern world.

Our earth is dwindling gradually with the progress of science and people are becoming more and more interested in knowing its different places and people intimately. With this end in view, tourism is developing fast almost in all developing countries and various facilities are made available for easy movements of the tourists.

For a long time we fostered a desire to visit the Andamans. We took our visit to this place rather like a pilgrimage as it found more importance to us as the captive land. It is really indistinguishable from the history of independence of India. Port Blair where the infamous cellular jail as situated and where hundreds of brave sons of our land were tortured and punished for life is no less than a holy place respected and worshiped by any one of the true Indians who care to know about the terrible days of our freedom struggle.

Anyway, in the last part of March’97 we started for the Andamans. To save time we traveled by Air. Starting early in the morning Indian Airlines plane took off at 6 O’clock a.m. and landed at the small airport at Port Blair within two hours. It was a very pleasant and comfortable journey.

After taking out our luggage we moved forward to the taxi. Mr. Rao, the Hotel Manager of Hotel Dhanalakshmi came to receive us. Everything went on smoothly and soon we reached Hotel Dhanalakshmi, just at the heart of the city of Port Blair.

In the Hotel we finished our bath, took our lunch in an hour taking a little rest, we were ready to go out. We went to Phoenix jetty first from where we sailed for Viper Island. It was a cruise of unique experience along the harbour in a boat. The panoramic view of the seven points from the sea, the harbour, the floating dock etc. were altogether new and exciting to us. But the main attraction was the Viper Island. It is a small island where there is a small building with a few cells. Doomed victims were kept there before their ultimate punishment. Female victims were mainly hanged in the special gallows, situated at the top of the hillock there. Just at the entrance of the island there is a board stating that the assassin of Lord Mayo was hanged there. At present these all are deserted and preserved only as a memory of the past.

We left the island with a heavy heart. But the cool wind and the blue waves soon wiped away all the gloom from our heart and we came back to Phoenix jetty before it was dark.

Our next destination was water sports complex, a very nice and enjoyable place where arrangements for various sorts of water sports such as speed boat, water cycle, paddle boat, water skeing etc. were available. As it was getting dark all the lights of the complex were on. The whole complex with all the glamourous lights glittering on the

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blue waves gave the impression of a fairy land. A crowd of tourists were waiting there for various sports and a band was playing some joyful music in the circular band stand at the center of the complex.There is a martyrs column at one side of sports complex that bears the memory of the brave tribal people of the island who laid down their lives for their native land.

At 7 pm we went to see the documentary film on cellular jail. The light and sound show on the jail was out of order so we had to be satisfied with the film show only. The documentary film was the past history of the jail. How the jail was built with the hard labour of the prisoners. How inhumanly these people were treated. The highly dedicated freedom fighters were also lodged here with the ordinary criminals and there was no discrimination between these criminals and the freedom fighters. All were treated in the same dreadful inhumanly manner. There was another film on the life of the local tribes, Jaroa, Ongees and Shantinalis who are still in the primitive stage of civilization. It was almost 9 O’clock when we returned to the Hotel and had our dinner.

Next morning we started for Jolly Buoy, a little island with a very nice beach. On way to wandoor jetty we visited the Sippy Ghat Agricultural Farm. The farm with its various plants is a nice well kept garden. Numerous spices plants such as black pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon nutmeg etc. for which India and South East Asia were famous and attracted Western nations in olden days were cultivated here on experimental basis.

We then proceeded to Wandoor Jetty where we boarded the boat “Taimoor”. As the boat started sailing we were relaxed with the cool breeze and the view of the vast dancing blue waves that reigned all around us. The main island of Port Blair was on our left, accompanying us for a long time. On the right side also there was another island. The boat was moving in between two long islands.

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After a two hours journey our boat anchored near a small island without any habitation. There was no facility for going down from the boat to the island. The small island was quite a little away from the boat. So we had to dangle down on a small speed boat with glass bottom which farried us to the small island – the famous Jolly Buoy. I noticed some restless eagerness among all in the boat and soon guessed the cause of it. It was because a wonderful and heavenly sight was waiting ahead of us. As we looked through the glass bottom of the boat the sunlit crystal water of the sea unfolded the beauty of a vast colourful garden of corals, the kingdom of the nymphs – arranged in unimagineable patterns stupefied with the touch of a magic wand into eternal slumber. Innumerable fishes of various shapes, sizes and colours were gayfully roaming about among these. We were amused and enjoyed this rare beautiful underwater garden for sometimes. But we had to get over the attraction of this magic world and hurry for Jolly Buoy proper to join other members of our party.

Reaching there we find all the visitors ready to bathe in the sea. We hired a snorkal to see the under water views while bathing. We had a very good time there for about two hours, bathing and picking shells on the shore. It was quite hot so we rested under the shade of some trees and had our snacks joyfully. Having finished all funs it was time to go back to the main boat batch by batch. Good buy Jolly Buoy. We will cherish your wonderful memory for long long time. We came back to Port Blair at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

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Our next programme was to visit Ross Island, the capital of the Andamans during the British regime.

In the morning when we landed on the small jetty of the Ross Island we were welcomed by a spotted deer, who came very close to us and was waiting with raised head expecting to be fed by the visitors. We gave it some bread and fruits. The present government has imported some deer and peacocks to be reared in this deserted island. Once this island was the head quarters of the English government with almost all the facilities of civilized high society life. There were Swimming pool, Tennis courts, Water Treatment system, Bakery, Bazar, Shop, Library, Press, Churches and even a Samatary. The court, the High Commissioner’s bunglow and the church were situated on the top of the hillock from where the sea all around is visible. The main island of Port Blair seems very near. The watch tower of Cellular jail could be seen and its bell could be heard from there.

In Ross island all the buildings at present are shattered totally. The clutches of destruction has spread out its dreadful embrace the form of roots of pipul trees and have gripped all the buildings tightly in various intricate patterns to declare the ultimate end of the British rule.

There a small museum named “Smaranika” where the pictures of the original structures of all the buildings are maintained. The contrust between the past with their present condition is really painful. The present administration has planted quite a large number of cocoanut trees to stop the erosion of land but it is a mistry why they did nothing to protect or preserve the old structures just as tyrannous British government.

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During the last world war the Japanese occupied some of the island and built thousands of bunkers in different islands. We saw two of these bunkers in this island. However, the island as a whole is kept very neat and clean for the visitors and is used as a strategic watching point. While on top of the hill we saw our boat coming back and we all hurried down to return to Port Blair.

Next day, the 1^st of April, 1997 we boarded for Havelock. It is another island 38 km far away from Port Blair and is famous for its long beach named “Radha Nagar” beach. It was about 10 o’clock in the morning when we landed at Havelock. We saw small children going back home in school uniforms. The driver of the bus drove the curious and amused children on either side of the road as we proceeded by the tourist bus to Dolphin Yatri Nibas, the government tourist center there. Within half an hour we reached the Yatri Nibas complex, a very nice, well kept and comfortable place with rows of tent shaped cottages with modern amenities spread over a considerable big space and connected with small coral covered path lined with bricks and flower plants. There is good arrangements for food also. So one can easily stay there for one or two days.

The beaches at the back and front of the complex were inviting us and after putting our luggage in the cottages provided for us we rushed to the beach at the back. Huge trunks of some fallen trees were there and the waves were constantly splashing over these. We enjoyed the water sprayed over us and were soothed by the cool breeze. Soon we returned to have our lunch and got ready to go to Radha Nagar beach.

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Radha Nagar beach is quite a few miles away from Yatri Nibas. We traveled by tourist bus through scattered and thinly populated villages.Havelock is mainly a colony of the East Bengal Refugees. The majority of the population is Bengali who still use their own East Bengal dialect. One can hardly realize that it is far away from the original East Bengal. People here are quite settled and happy. The old generation may sometimes dream of their original mother land but the new generations are quite happy with their newly found undisputed land. The government have provided them with land and job and the virgin soil is also very furtile and bountiful.

It was a very nice ride and we were completely unaware of the fact that we were in an island. The road was very nice and well maintained. The roar of the sea made us conscious that Radha Nagar beach was drawing near. We got down from the bus. There were some tents near the beach. In no time we ran to the beach. The sea was in its usual restless rytham. Big waves were breaking down on the beach creating white surf spread all over the edge of the vastly stretched sand bed. There was no limit to this. We atonce went into the water and enjoyed the sea bath for about an hour to our hearts content. All of us drunk green cocoanut juice, sweet and delicious like necter and were ready to return to Yatri Nibas. At night we had a stroll on the beach in front of the complex. Next morning we got up very early and went to the beach in front to see the sunrise. But unfortunately the sky was very cloudy, so we began to collect sea shells in our plastic bags. But after some time the cloud dispersed and we had a glimpse of the sunrise. At about 6 o’clock we came back to our cottages. Having our breakfast we started by bus for the harbour.

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There was a bazar near the harbour. It was a small village market with local fruits and vegetables. We bought some cardamon and cinnamon from the market and came to the jetty to catch the boat for Port Blair.

It took some time to load the boat with banana and some other vegetables. The boat sailed in time and we saw the coast of Havelock slowly vanishing to the deep blue of the sea. The boat was sailing like a small paper boat on a huge black disk under the hot clear sky. I was looking around to see some sea animals and suddenly was startled by a few flying fish quickly flying a few yards from the bottom of the boat. My long bourne wish to see some sea animals was thus fulfilled by the grace of God.

In the afternoon of March 29^th we went to Corvyns Cove beach. It was a long ride from Port Blair. The road was excellent and we did not feel any strain at all. It was evening when we reached the beach. We instantly got ready to have a bath in the restless roaring water. All members of our party bathed. But it was the youngest of all in the party, i.e. Rick who enjoyed the most. He was allowed to do so as he liked and he made the full use of his freedom. When all were tired we all went to the nearby Guest House to change our dresses.

The”Waves” is the small restaurant attached to the Guest House. We took rest in the garden of the restaurant and had our evening snacks and tea. There is a small colony of the Peerless Company nearby there.

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About 26 km from Port Blair, Chidia Tapu is also a very enjoyable beautiful place. Its spacious beach gives the visitors ample scope of collecting shells. The sunset there was marvelous and after sunset we came back.

The happy memory of the city often enlivens me occasionally. The Chatham saw mill lying on the tiny island connected by a bridge over a stretch of sea water is one of the biggest and oldest of its kind in Asia. The enthropological museum, Samudrika, the marine museum, the mini zoo, marine park, Sagarika, the cottage industries Emporium, Forest museum, Mahatma Gandhi Park, Netaji Stadium, Netaji Subhas Gallery, all these are the chief attractions of the city. Of all these the martyr’s columns in the cellular jail and in the water sports complex are the most touching memories that brought tears to my eyes. The cell where Binayak Damodar Savarkar was kept for ten years revived the memory of those struggling days of our independence movement. A

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page from the history came before our eyes. The stories of those bold undaunted, dedicated freedom fighters we heard from our parents and grand parents took shape in front of our eyes. We could never have thought of seeing these places with our own eyes.

Anyway the most disposed place has now turned into a heaven. It is now a peaceful and prosperous abode for the homeless East Bengal refugees, the descendent of those heros of our freedom struggle. It’s a place where education and medical treatments are completely free, a place where beggars or thieves are totally absent, where problem of unemployment is almost nil. Let the unfortunate rootless people of our country live in peace and harmony. Andaman ! be a boon to them. We will be very happy to see you prosper. We wish all the best for you. Your memory will be ever green in our mind. Adieu.