Click below to see the pictures from the trip.

Pictures from Andaman Island

In my last trip to India, which lasted for over three months and ended only two weeks ago, I suddenly had a brainwave to visit the Andaman Islands. I do not know what attracted me to the Andamans. I had heard about the famous cellular jail which housed the criminals as well as our revered freedom fighters. I had also read about exotic tribes living there, some still in the Stone Age. And then there was the memory of this Kashmiri gentleman, Mr. Kaul, who I had made acquaintance with here in America. Mr. Kaul, who worked for the California Department of Transportation once told me, “You see Mr. Sircar, I come from Kashmir. And my first job in the US was in Hawaii. So you cannot tell me I have not experienced beautiful sceneries. But to me, nothing compares with the Andaman Islands, where I worked for some time.” And then, of course, there was a drive to experience territories less traveled, a sort of adventure without the typical physical hardships. Anyway, I made the trip, despite some discouragement from my well-wishers in Kolkata, fueled primarily by considerations of my relatively advanced age, and the fact that I would be traveling alone (not part of any tour group). It was a 4-day, 3-night trip. The planning was all done by Chocks off, my brother’s travel agents in Kolkata. I have to thank Christopher, the owner, a third generation Kolkata born Chinese and his able assistant Garrett (Gary) for the wonderful time. They supplied me with the contact names who met me at the right places and times, which made it all the more convenient. In this context, I have to particularly thank Christopher for his insistence in putting me up in first-class hotels, in view of my age and the fact that I was traveling alone. It was a 2-hour flight by Vistara Airlines (I had not heard of them before!) that took me to Port Blair from Kolkata. Landing there at around noon, I was met with my designated guide, Ashutosh, who took me to my hotel, Fortune Resort Hotel, for a brief rest before embarking on my tour of the islands. The first stop was at the infamous Cellular Jail. I was overwhelmed, I was not prepared for this. The guide (he, unfortunately, spoke only Hindi) showed us around and we saw the rows of 7’ x 11’ cubby holes with no bathroom facilities except a pitcher in the room. We were shown the torture chambers and the ‘execution room’ with three nooses hanging down. Three people could be executed all at once. We learned that the jail was discontinued by the British in 1941 when the Japanese took over the island for four years and operated the jail. We were treated with a wonderful Light and Sound Display. Fortunately, it was in English. We heard more graphic descriptions of tortures. Familiar names of Ullaskar Dutta and Barin Ghose were mentioned. We learned that many lost their lives to extreme tortures, including force-feeding of those that refused to eat. There were tablets showing names of those incarcerated there. The prisoners were overwhelmingly from Bengal, looked like 80 percent of them. Finally, I cannot help mentioning the special attention given to the RSS supremo, Veer Savarkar. There was a room showing where he stayed – the only room to be so designated for a particular prisoner. And of course, the Port Blair Airport is named after him. To me, it was quite bothersome, considering he begged for reduction of his term by asking for clemency from the British when so many other young men lost their lives there. Anyway, I came back to the hotel, drained and yearning for more pleasant experiences the days ahead. I could hardly appreciate the wonderful facilities of the hotel, as I had to get ready to head out for Havelock Island by 8:00 AM. After a quick breakfast, I checked out of Fortune Resort Hotel and headed to the jetty for a steamer ride to Havelock Island. The lines were long and there was strict scrutiny of the travel papers, even for domiciled Indians. After over an hour and a half ride, I was, as planned, fixed up with a wonderful young Bengali driver named Ramesh who was there for my entire stay in the Havelock Island. He dropped me to my hotel, Coral Reef Resort. I cannot thank Ramesh enough for pointing out that my tour plans did not include a trip to the Elephant Beach. He strongly recommended that I include it as I will have the time. I took upon his recommendation and after a very short rest at the hotel, headed out to the jetty for a speed boat ride to Elephant Beach. There were about eight to a boat and we all had to have life jackets on. Elephant Beach had a wonderful ambiance of its own. Covered with tree shades and thatched roof kiosks, it was lively with peddlers. I had one of my best Mashla Muri ever from (you guessed it!), a Bengalee. Elephant Beach is best known for its sea diving and snorkeling. I was told its facilities were among the best. Tourists from even Thailand came there. I, however, could not muster enough courage and contented merely with a ride in a glass-bottomed boat with an elderly couple. Another feature that struck in the Elephant Beach was a large number of young couples. Many of them, it seemed were probably on their honeymoon, characterized by a large number of bangles and prominent sindoor on the foreheads of the women. It was time to leave the Elephant Beach. We came back by the speed boat, and Ramesh picked me up for Radhanagar Beach. I had heard a lot about the beach. It was a long drive through the lush green countryside. I wish I could stop the car and take some pictures. Finally, I reached Radhanagar Beach. It was stunning. The white sand, the blue water, ships sailing at a distance, the greenery on the edges of the beach, all added to the grandeur. I am at a loss to do due to justice with my camera and my narration. All I can say is that to me it was easily comparable to the best beaches I had seen here in California. There was quite a crowd, many wading into the sea or taking a bath. Everyone waited for the wonderful sunset before leaving. It was the first time I saw a semblance of a traffic jam in the three days at the islands. I left my hotel early and boarded the steamer for Port Blair. Havelock Island was arguably the Crown Jewel of the Andamans. Once in Port Blair, I was driven to the same Fortune Resort Hotel. Finally, on the third day, I had a little leisure time to enjoy the wonderful surroundings of the hotel. I could see the sea and the coconut trees and the sandy beaches from my window. My guide Ashutosh arranged for visits to two Museums. In the Naval Marine Museum (Samudriks), I saw some stunning exhibits of corals. There were also models of local aborigine from the Andaman and Nicobar islands. I saw more of these in the Regional Anthropological Museum. That was my closest ‘encounter’ with these ancient people: the Jarwas, the Great Andamanese, the Onges and the Sentinelese (there are only twenty of them left). I found that the aborigines from the Andamans were very dark, something like some tribals of the mainland. The Nicobarese, on the other hand, were fairer, apparently of Mongolian stock with origins in Burma and southeast Asia. I bought a few books and learned a few interesting facts about them. The most interesting information I picked up was probably about the Jarawas. They were a fierce tribe, ever ready to kill outsiders with their bows and arrows. Sometime in 1996, a big break took place, thanks to a Dr. Kar of the local medical service and his efforts. Slowly, contacts are developing between the Jarawas and the ‘civilized’ world I still had a few hours in the morning on the fourth day before heading home. I took the opportunity to visit the local Ramakrishna Mission located near the beach. The facilities were quite impressive with a big temple, a Boy’s Home, living quarters for the swamis and a large playground. I was fortunate to meet with two of the resident Swamis. In the four days, I was in the Andaman Islands, I learned a few things and formed some impressions. First of all, it was clearly very Indian. That is not surprising, considering it is part of the Indian territory. And it was heartening to see Bengalees in overwhelming numbers. It felt like a home away from home. I asked several of them and most identified themselves as being from the islands. I knew that after Partition, our government settled many of the refugees in the islands, often in areas bordering on tribal settlements. I was surprised that I did not find much trace of the East Bengali accent. It also surprised me to learn from my driver Ramesh that they have schools and colleges and even engineering and medical colleges in the islands. They do not need to go to the ‘mainland’ except for special studies. Ramesh also told me that the major subsistence of the locals was from coconut and areca nuts (supari). The storefronts in the towns gave the impression of district towns in India with a somewhat rustic look. There were people from all over India. I met people from Tamilnadu, Kerala, Jharkhand and more. They all seemed to have their groups. In the Coral Reef Resort, there was a large group of about fifteen employees of Nepalese origin from Darjeeling. And I was quite taken aback when I heard a young girl singing western songs using a perfect accent. I thought she was from the Philippines. But I was pleasantly surprised when told she was from Mizoram.”