May 8
2200 hrs
Port Blair
From the year 1857 till about 1938, Ross Island used to be a beautiful British citadel, the administrative headquarters of the British Penal Colony in the Andamans. In its heyday, the 200 acre island had earned the sobriquet 'Paris of the East'. Today, it stands, a relegated 70 acre piece of land of tourist and historical interest, demolished by two major earthquakes six decades apart and a Tsunami and raped of its beauty by human greed..... This little island off Port Blair sure has some stories to tell.
The Cellular Jail, a.k.a Kaalapani, is a popular tourist attraction in Port Blair. Its construction was completed in 1906 and was meant to hold deported prisoners during the British rule. It was an imposing structure of seven wings (of which only 3 remain) stretching radially outward from a central tower, capable of holding 698 prisoners at a time. Many Indian freedom fighters have served time here, the most celebrated among them being Vinayak Damodar 'Veer' Savarkar. Prisoners at Kaalapani were subjected to physical and mental torture of the severest form. They were made to do extremely hard physical labour and were flogged in public as punishment. Its a place with a horrifying past..... The Light and Sound show wasn't that great though.
A note must be made of Anuradha Rao, our enterprising guide at Ross Island. She's a fourth generation local and a treasure trove of knowledge. She spoke from the heart and it was evident that she cared about the place. You find deer, peacocks, ducks and squirrels roaming free on Ross Island and they all magically respond to her. She feeds, medicates and looks after them herself. I could go on and on. But it will suffice to say that people like her are few.
Our Journey ends here. We'll be leaving for the mainland early tomorrow morning. We leave the islands wishing we had a lot more time to spend here. 6 days is way too short as it is, but when it passes in the blink of an eye, you really feel cheated. Ironically, returning to our mechanized existance on the mainland from The Andamans feels like deportation of sorts.... But of course, while travelling, the advance booked air ticket is the law........
I should probably stop rambling and get packing. Naah, will do it tomorrow.
Anyway, thats all folks!
[quote] Ironically, returning to our mechanized existance on the mainland from The Andamans feels like deportation of sorts.... But of course, while travelling, the advance booked air ticket is the law........[/quote]
ReplyDeleteHats off for signing off this well. You couldn't have come up with a better ending both in terms of the message you conveyed and the words you used.
And out came the 'R' word in the last post. Seven posts and no rape!!!! I thought Anand's lost it. But you didn't disappoint.
Written really well.You've got a unique skill of putting something simple in creative ways.Keeps the reader glued.
Have you been to all these places? You are right a lifetime will seem short so 6 days is really not much:)
ReplyDeleteDo post more snaps of these places if you can....
Cheers