Coming back from the Andamans. Visiting the islands was a 30 year old dream. My aunty had been there & had said ‘you got to go there once in your lifetime! It’s a paradise on earth. Lush green vegetation, Blue clear seas & zero pollution’.
It was definitely at the back of my mind but somehow it got postponed. The latest is.. in Nov. tickets were booked but due to health issues they had to be cancelled. This time very few people knew about our outing.
The island comprising of 572 islands, of which only 38 are habited. Northern Andaman islands & southern Nicobar islands. Capital & largest city is Sri Vijaya Puram ( formerly Port Blair).
The islands are situated between the Bay of Bengal to the west & Andaman sea to the east. Spoken languages are Bengali, Tamil & Telugu. The hotel staff is fluent in Hindi & English.
The Cellular Jail also known as Kala Pani ( trans. Black Water ) was a British colonial prison in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The prison was used for exiling criminals & political prisoners. Many notable independence activists were imprisoned there during the struggle of India’s independence.
Today the complex serves as a national memorial monument. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who hails from Bhagur, a place close to Nasik, was imprisoned for 11 years along with his brother. They stayed in adjoining cells never realizing that they are so close by.
His cell in the corner has an unsettling aura , the hardships that he endured during his lifetime & his family even after his death is unfathomable. The place chills. Weather in Andamans due to nearness to the sea is around 30-35 C but the cells built with red bricks are cooler.
Of the seven only three remain. But they are sufficient to give an idea. Extracting oil was a job routinely given. If the extraction was less, the prisoner was subjected to lashes. ‘Kolhu ki bail ki tarha’ normally a bull drives the mill but here the men were tied to it.
Only sea around, so there was muddy water to drink & meagre meals were given. We live in a liberated world where we experience freedom like it is a given! But when we watch the light & sound show, it moves us to tear up & stand in the end.
Tourists flock & enjoy the beaches & the clear seas & weather. Gradually the tightening around the throat will ease & we can visit the islands like just any other beach. I hope.
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