Andamanush Nicobarese 

The island travenovel “Andamanush Nicobarese” is written by Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma, a Senior IAS Officer and an avid traveller. I have earlier read his travelogue “Every Mile a Memory”, wherein the author deftly interweaves the splendour, artistry, tales, festivities, culture, cuisines, history, geography along with his personal experiences during the trips, which creates a virtual journey for the reader. The author in the island travenovel “Andamanush Nicobarese” has also retained the similar dexterousness to behold through the vivacity and exuberance of the scenery, which he paints in the mind of the reader, as he travels across green lands, forests, mangroves, beaches, hills, inhabited and uninhabited islands, places like chidiya tapu and view of saddle peak, reaching many islands through small engine boat, flying across the vast oceans through helicopters and other modes of travels by road, mostly in company of a native named Feroz. Though the author himself is a senior IAS officer, he at the beginning of the travenovel admits that it is good to have friends, it is even better to have friends in influential positions who can facilitate easy access to places and people.

The British occupation of the islands, Japanese occupation during World War II and surrender in Oct 1945, the Danish Connection – 1755-56 (administrated from Tranquebar), Austrian renaming of island as Theresa Islands (1778-84), a tale about aborted invasion by Germans due to Union Jack flags shown by many villages simultaneously generates curiosity to know more and more about the ‘Manush’ who occupied 572 Andaman & Nicobar islands during different periods of time.

The description of tribes is quite natural as the author talks about original inhabitants of the islands. The author mentions a sole encounter with a tribal, one from the Jarwa tribe, who the author saw, sitting on a bus, with feet dangling. The travenovel not only provides vivid description of the people, places and history; but also revives the tragic memory of tsunami of 2004 through the eyewitnesses, in which the inhabitants of these islands also suffered inconceivable catastrophe.

His meeting with Dr Jahan at Cellular Jail and description of the cells emanates edgy feelings of torture unsung heroes of Indian freedom would have undergone. His visit to the private museum and conversation with Mr Mukteshwar Lal, meeting with Dr Rudra, a government physician who had been to tribal islands many times and had opportunities to see the lives of aboriginals, conversation while cycling in Car Nicobar island with Mr Rajeev Kumar, Police Chief of Nicobar islands; pillion ride on a motorbike with Mr Shamlal Yadav and meeting Mr Phillip and conversing about his life experiences at the islands and connection with mainland (Delhi), travel on motorboat with Mr Vinay Jindal, SDO at Nancowry, dinner at Feroz’s parents house and meeting with his grandfather, breakfast with forester Sameer Ghosh and travelling in his open SUV along with Sardar Tejveer Singh and lastly but not the least looking at the Indira Point though makes me somewhat envious of the traveller, but at the same time makes me eager to travel to these places and to have first-hand experiences of the islands and their inhabitants