Andaman - A Travelogue

Date: 15.09.2007

Early this year, that is, from 7th - 11th of February, I happened to tour Andaman along with my mother and paternal aunt. Andaman,being the birth place cum place of up-bringing of my paternal grandma,was instilling some interest in our hearts to tour the same for decades together until then.

On 7th of February, we boarded the Jet Airways flight at 9:55 AM at Kamaraj Domestic Terminus, Chennai. At 11:55 AM we landed at the Vir Savarkar Airpot, Port Blair. The airport is named after the Maharashtrian freedom fighter, Vir Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. He was ordered to remain behind the bars for fifty years in the cellular jail at Andaman from 1910 - 1960, by the then British Government in India.

Some of our relatives are thriving general merchants there at Andaman. So, soon after landing at the airport, we were picked up by the car driver sent by our relatives and he took us to a place called Aberdeen Bazaar at Port Blair, where our relatives are residing. Just opposite to their house, there is a lodge called "Dhanalakshmi Lodge", where we checked in.

Soon after checking in there, we went to see the saw mill, situated at a place called Chattam, which was established by the then British Government. In the Tamil film, "Andaman Kaadhali", the hero Sivaji Ganesan, plays the role of the same saw mill employee for a while. The saw mill is situated in a sprawling area. We had the opportunity to see how logs of wood are being turned into woods of desired shape and size. From the saw mill, we proceeded to a zoo at Hudoo and then to an aquarium and then to Samudrika museum, which has exhibits of marine life in Andaman. Then we proceeded to Anthropological museum, where we came to know about the inhabitants of Andaman and Nicobar islands.

The Andaman and Nicobar islands together comprise about 356 islands in Bay of Bengal. Together they comprise one of the union territories of India. Of these 356 islands, human beings inhabit only about 10 islands. There are five major islands in Andaman, namely, North Andaman, South Andaman, Middle Andaman, Great Andaman and so on. The capital city Port Blair is situated in south Andaman. It is named after the Britisher, Archibald Blair. The population of Andaman, based on their linguistic identity can be segregated as under:

Bengalis - 23%
Tamils - 19%
Telugu - 12%
Malayalis- 09%
Ranchi - 05%
Tribes - Rest of the population

The Nicobar islands are being inhabited by the Nicobarese. Ethnically they identify themselves with Malay speaking people. Nicobar also comprises of some major islands like Great Nicobar, Car Nicobar etc. The "Indira Point" situated at Car Nicobar forms the southernmost tip of India. From Indira Point, the border of one of the Indonesian islands is only 30 km away. Tourists are not allowed to tour Nicobar islands for some reasons that are not clearly intelligible to me. To go to Nicobar islands, a special permission has to be secured from the Union Government of India. Entry into Nicobar islands is restriced only to army men, naval officers and people who hold high ranks in the Government.

From the anthropological museum, we proceeded to witness the world famous cellular jail. A part of the jail had been lost in one of the natural calamities. The brutal treatment underwent by the freedom fighters of India in that cellular jail has earned en epithet, "Black Water" for the entire islands of Andaman. Every evening a sound and light show is being conducted in the jail, which narrates the untold harships underwent by the freedom fighters to the tourists. A British man, David Barry, has earned a unique place in the history of the cellular jail for having had made the jail a hell for the patriotic prisoners to drive away from their hearts the thirst for freedom, self rule and self respect.

The last tourist spot that we visited that day was a temple enshrining Lord Muruga. The name of the presiding deity is "Vetrimalai Murugan". It is supposed to be one of the biggest Hindu temples there. It is situated at Siddhapur in Port Blair.

The next day morning we pushed off to see three major islands, namely, Ross island, Viper island and North Bay. For the second time in my life, I had an opportunity to travel in the open sea in a ship. My first journey in open sea was in the year 1995 from the sea shore to Vivekananda memorial rock and back at Kaniyakumari in Tamil Nadu. Coming to the beauty and importance of Ross islands:

The Ross islands served as the capital of Andaman and Nicobar islands until 1942, when it was shattered by an earth quake. What is remaining today is only one-fifth of the original Ross islands. Even today one will get to see the Commissioner office, a distillation plant and a church (both in dilapidated state) and other exhibits like the designs of the then British ships, weighing balances etc. I, being a native of Chennai, am very much used to seeing the waters of seas in blue. But in Andaman islands throughout one will get see the sea in green. The Viper island houses a jail in a dilapidated state. The North Bay owes its charm to its rich coral reefs. The total number of families that inhabit the North Bay is only twenty. It has a primary school which has twenty students and a teacher, who comes everyday from Port Blair.

On our third day in Andaman, we toured a farm of spices and condiments that is being run by the Government and Jolly-Buoy island. The Jolly-Buoy island is situated at a distance of 30 km from Port Blair. It also owes all its charm to the rich coral reefs and oysters etc. For the first time in my life, I happened to see star fish of attractive hues, until then I have seen star fish only as a biological specimen in school. The tourists are being taken in glass boats to enjoy viewing the coral reefs and oysters. The tourists are strictly prohibited from disturbing the coral reefs, since they are a source of natural wealth.

On our penultimate day in Andaman, we witnessed Baratang caves in middle Andaman. The caves are actually being formed by water insoluble calcium carbonate. It is really worth seeing. There are about 10 - 12 caves of that sort. We also had the opportunity to witness mud volcano, which is nothing but a lava like thing emanating from heaps of sand of about 30 - 60 cm in height.

Inorder to help us cherish our Andaman trip we bought some items made of shell in a shop that is being run by the Government itself.

The next day we boarded an Indian Airlines flight at Port Blair at 9:00 AM and reached our home town at 11:00 AM. When we were touring Andaman, the following airlines were operating a direct flight from Chennai and Kolkata to Andaman on daily basis:

* Jet Airways
* Indian Airlines
* Air Deccan

The best season for touring Andaman is January - February. The temperature that prevails there is normally hotter than Chennai. The cost of living is actually very less there. For tourists from the main land of India, the air travel will be the most expensive as compared to the rest. Ferrys are also being operated from Chennai and Visakhapatnam to Port Blair. The islanders are given concessions in ferrys. The arts and science college at Andaman is affiliated to the University of Pondicherry. Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu are the preferred destinations for the inhabitants of Andaman to pursue higher studies. Apart from Kendriya Vidyalayas we can find schools where the media of instruction are vernacular languages like, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali etc. The following cuisines are served every where in Andaman: Chettinadu, Andhra, North Indian, Tandoori, Malabar etc.

Summing up, Andaman would certainly be a preferred tourist destination for one and all.