Travel
Andaman Island
A Jewel in India’s
Tourism Crown
As the aircraft began its descent, and the first of the 572 isles that make up the Andaman and Nicobar Islands became visible, I remember thinking that this archipelago has to be the most beautiful part of India.
By: Rufaida Javid *
More than 1,200km from India’s eastern coast, in the heart of the Bay of Bengal, the Andamans is a land of untouched, pristine beauty. If the infrastructure is given a much-needed upgrade, then these relatively unknown islands can rival or surpass the likes of Mauritius, Maldives and the Seychelles..
The quaint town of Port Blair is the administrative capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is also home to the archipelago’s only airport. There are two ways of getting to the Andamans: by air or by sea. Either ways, all travel is from the Indian mainland. There are flights (daily) from only three Indian cities: Chennai, Vishakapatnam and Kolkata. All flights land and take off before dusk for security reasons (there is a huge military base nearby).
Ships also leave for Port Blair twice a week from the aforesaid cities. But it is an arduous, 56-hour journey.
Port Blair is a beautiful small town, with undulating streets and luscious greenery. Life goes on here at a slow pace, a far cry from the unnerving din of mainland India’s cities. It is safe, quiet and, since it is so tiny, easy to navigate on foot. After dusk, life comes to a standstill. There is no cinema or shopping mall, and the best way for you to spend time after 6pm is in front of the TV in your hotel room. Why, even the public transport system comes to a halt after 7pm!
Port Blair gets its name from Lt Archibald Blair, who was an officer of the British East India Company. He navigated the Andamans on behalf of the Company in 1788, and surmised that this was an excellent place to build a penal colony, where “undesirables” from the mainland could be banished to. His plans, however, did not materialize at that time.
For all its beauty, Andamans is also a place with a dark and painful past. In fact, it is actually a place of great importance in the context of the Indian sub-continent’s struggle for independence from British colonial rule. It was here that the colonial authorities established two of their most dreaded prisons and torture centers.
Port Blair’s biggest attraction is the Cellular Jail, in the center of town. It is to India what, for instance, Robben Island is to South Africa. Now a national memorial, it was a place of great suffering. Political prisoners from all over India – which during the days of the Raj included present-day Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar – were sent to the Cellular Jail. You can spend an entire afternoon inside the jail complex (entry about SR1), including a visit to the small but interesting museum in the main building, and come back in the evening for an amazing sound-and-light show in English (about SR2) that gives a gripping account of what went on in the prison during those dark days.
You can reserve the next day for a 25 km drive to one of the most beautiful places in the Andamans – Wandoor beach. The best way to get there is through private cab (about SR 100, both ways) which can be booked through your hotel. The drive takes you along the jungle route, a narrow road built in the midst of stunningly dense and unbelievably beautiful vegetation. En route, you can still see signs of the destruction wrought by the 2004 tsunami.
When at Wandoor, you can also take a private boat into the sea to see the corals the Andamans are famous for. If you are unable to do scuba-diving for whatever reason, this is the next best way of seeing the coral reefs. These boats – which have a base made of fiberglass – are operated by local fishermen, who know exactly where the corals are. For just Rs 100 (about SR 9) they will take you out on a 30-minute ride. You can top up the experience in Wandoor with the tastiest fresh coconut milk you can get anywhere in India – for only Rs 10 (less than SR 1).
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Back in Port Blair, you must reserve a day for a trip to Ross Island, the memories of which are likely to stay with you for some time. Ross is just a 15-minute ferry ride (about SR 5, both ways) from Port Blair and is clearly visible from the capital city. It has remained essentially untouched since 1945. The British used it as a penal settlement until 1942, when the Andamans became the only part of India to be occupied by the invading Japanese army. The British evacuated in a hurry, rushing off to Port Blair and from there to mainland India.
More than a hundred British officers and their families lived on Ross at any given time, to guard the political prisoners languishing on the island. The most attractive part of this tiny island, of course, is the buildings that lie in magnificent ruins. Today, these buildings – ice plant, libraries, barracks, officers’ mess – are under the crushing grip of roots of trees hundreds of years old. It is this sight that gives Ross an eerie feel. The swimming pool is now a mini-pond where ducks wade. And there is a tree that has stood guard on the island for more than 800 years..
The most obvious signs of the Japanese occupation are the bunkers and tunnels, built to protect the island in case of an allied naval assault and, if need be, to flee. The tunnel leads all the way to Port Blair. Lore has it that Japanese soldiers stashed away their loot inside the tunnel, and also filled it with explosives to keep treasure-hunters at bay. No one, we were told, has tried his or her luck so far!
Another ferry ride from Port Blair, also 15 minutes long but in the other direction, takes you to the intriguing Viper Island. The only building of any importance on this island is the monstrous red structure atop a hillock. The grim place was used by the colonial authorities to execute convicts by hanging before the Cellular Jail was built. The most famous man to be hanged here was Sher Ali, a Pashtun from the North West Frontier Province (in present-day Pakistan) who was banished to Andamans as a political prisoner. When Lord Mayo, the then Governor-General of India visited the islands in 1872, Sher Ali assassinated him. He was promptly sent to the gallows.
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