Amazing Andamans - Day 5

Last Morning At Havelock

With great reluctance we opened our eyes on our last morning at Havelock. It was almost as if our bodies had realized we were getting ready to leave this slice of heaven and wanted to remain in a state of sleep rather than get up and depart. We made our way to the Café where the rest of the gang were all set for their dives of the day. Envious glances given, we moved to the beach to bid them adieu.

That’s when we realized that the weather had changed. Waves lashed the shore. The water that on earlier days lapped at your ankles were now near the knee and threatening to throw you off balance as they reached the shore. The clouds gathered menacingly in the distance. Our beloved “Black Tip” was no longer a stationary place where we could sit and philosophize but a boat that rocked, dipped and strained at her anchors, willing to be let loose at sea.

As we waved goodbye from the shore, we suddenly realized the menacing clouds that were in the distance were now suddenly upon us. We then figured it was not just the clouds that were approaching us but a rainstorm. We fled to the shelter of the café before nature unleashed her fury on us. It was almost like nature was acting like a petulant child throwing a tantrum on us leaving.

We learn only later that it was beginning of a cyclone. Neelam had started to brew.

 

In that one moment... nature synchronized itself to be in the perfect shades of Blue! This was the first signs of Neelam!

Battling spouts of rain, sadness of leaving our slice of heaven and trying to find our ferry, we make our way to jetty and collapse in our seats. No VIP treatment this time around. Fortunately, the First Officer recognizes us and we are invited up to the deck. We stand in silence as we pass what is now familiar territory – the mangroves, the little lighthouse, Radhanagar beach. Everyone is so caught up with the ebbing sight of Havelock that no one notices the change in movement of the boat. Soon we are in a natural roller-coaster. Fortunately, my medicines put me in an uneasy slumber and I wake as we near Port Blair.

We could truly gaze at this forever.... till a downpour forced us to get inside.... returning from Havelock to Port Blair

 We make our way to Captain Noble’s house – Tanaz’s mom’s house which was now a homestay. 

Adventures in Port Blair – Day 1               

We soon found our way to Captain Noble’s home – a picturesque little cottage overlooking the bay. We had a choice of rooms as the rest of the gang were only arriving later at night. We took one on top which was part of the original home. A hot meal of Dhansak, brown rice and salad followed by some scrumptious homemade ice cream downed, we were ready to start exploring the island.

We found ourselves with a lot of options and hardly anytime. We started off with walking down to the Naval Museum. A little building that takes you through the history of the islands and gives you a bird’s eye view of the culture, inhabitants and fish. The museum has a huge skeleton of a blue whale as you enter and you are stopped in your tracks with the imagery in your mind as you picture the whale in all its glory. The museum also has a video with a running commentary that shows the islands in a very different light. There is a small aquarium on the premises that has a few species. Though there is a sign that prohibits photography, quite a few of the visitors take perverse pleasure in clicking pics of the fishes, using the flash that has them scurrying in their tanks. Fresh from our diving experience, it seemed criminal to keep these beautiful creatures in such small tanks. While most tanks had a couple of fishes, so that they could keep each other company, some of the tanks had singular occupants. A pair of parrot fishes occupied one tank. One of the parrot fish would swim to one end of the tank and then head with full force to the other end butting his head against the glass. He did this again and again. It was heart rending to see them trying to figure out where they were. 

Another room was filled with corals and shells, extinct and endangered, which would have been incredible to view under the sea.  On the wall are the shells of three turtles and their story before they were killed for their shell. When will we stop this carnage? I wonder if people who buy these “artifacts” realise what’s at stake. Wonder how they would feel if the situation were reversed. If it was our species being hunted and driven out of our homes – would be so casual about everything? Would we take things for granted and just shift the responsibility to someone else?

The need for us to preserve the islands and its beautiful marine life just hit you in the face as you grasped that if we continued on this path of self-destruction, very soon the only way to see these wonders of nature would be in tanks like this.

In spite of all of this, the naval museum is a must visit during the trip and am glad we went. The rain continued to play hide and seek. We then decided to go the Cellular Jail. We both had heard a lot about it and were keen to go and pay our respects at this national monument of bravery, courage and patriotism. 

Situated on top of a hill, we came up to a huge building where throngs of people had braved the rains and had come to see such an important piece of history. Kaala Paani is something all Indians are familiar with but the extent of the brutality only reveals itself when you enter the building.  As you enter you see words of our freedom fighters inscribed on the walls as you are led to the halls that have the names, photos and details of the “crimes” of the people imprisoned in the jail. Every photo looks back at you with a defiance and with a sense of pride. 

People were breaking down as they passed the rooms, filled with row after row of poignant images. Do we realise what people gave up for us to walk around and live our lives the way we do? Imprisoned on what seemed almost like whims of the British, the crimes some of the prisoners were miniscule – breaking a police cordon, coming in front of a British High Ranking Official, talking to a group of friends, the list is endless. Silence screamed in the halls as people walked by the photos of people killed by force feeding as they fasted for better living conditions. I have goosebumps as I scribe these lines. I cannot imagine the mind-set of the British officials to treat fellow humans in the manner that they did. The Cellular Jail was a startling reflection of the phrase, “Power Corrupts”. It didn’t get any worse. Escape was impossible and prisoners knew they were signing away their life when they were sentenced to Kaala Paani. They knew it would be the last time they would see their families, their country and live life as they knew it.

The Sky also shed tears with us as we tried to make sense of Kaala Pani

The next hall had the history of the Cellular Jail. The devices used to mete out punishment sent shivers down your spine. As you entered the main courtyard, a flame is kept alive in honour of the inmates. While I am sure, the British wanted to create an atmosphere of terror, fear and subjugation within the four walls of the prison – what you get when you walk into the courtyard surrounded by countless cells which would have housed these brave men and women is a sense of pride, self-esteem and confidence that they would overcome all perils and sufferings and win freedom for their motherland. They would survive and survive on their terms and conditions. A marble pillar stands in a corner in quiet contemplation of the days that were.  

Groups of people walk past the newspapers of a bygone era and into the cells where the inmates were housed - tiny cells with a window so high that you wouldn’t be able to see anything other than a line of blue during the day. I dread to think of the nights they had to spend there. As you climbed to the tower and walked out into the arms of the prison, you realise that this was an architectural gem but a dampener of the human spirit.  As you gazed into the distance, you saw islands dotting the fringes, the blue sea for miles and a holiday planner’s dreams come true. What a contrast to what the inmates must have felt as they were brought here – the very things that define a holiday destination for us today would have spelt torture and death for them. What was commendable was their spirit of life in spite of knowing the odds against them.

Truly Cellular

Earlier in the day as we were on the ferry, the gentleman I met from Holland asked me a question – Do I hate the British for what they have done to us, as a country, as a people? At that time I had replied a very firm No stating that the important fact was that now we were free and that was key. But after the visit to the Jail, my heart cries to answer differently. I wonder if I ever will be to answer so resolutely ever again. Hate might a very strong word but it’s important we don’t forget what happened. It’s important that we realise the extent of sacrifice and resolve our earlier generations had and work hard to keep the pride alive.

We slowly made our way back to Aunty Noble’s house. Emotions were high as we both dealt with the experience of the visit to the Cellular Jail in our own way. 

The rest of the gang soon arrived. Once they were settled into the rooms, we had a quick dinner and then the Gang of Girls gossiped the night away, after deciding to spend the next day exploring some more.

Look out Port Blair – here we come! 

Our “Been There, Done That” Tips –

• Make sure you have your ferry tickets ready. Its difficult to get them on the spot.
• Try and fix up the return trip on the Sea Plane. Its an awesome experience with the plane doing a detour of 30 mins over India’s dormant volcano. The sea plane is the only way to see the volcano as access to the island has been restricted
• Check the timings of the Cellular jail. The jail is closed on Mondays
• There are two sound and light shows at the Jail. If you are Indian, the Hindi one is highly recommended.
• The naval museum closes early so make sure you are there on time.