HISTORY OF ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS

History of Andamans Revisited

 

The Chinese knew of these Islands over a thousand years ago and called it the ‘Yeng-t-omag’ in the First Millenium. These islands also find a place in the first map of the world drawn by Ptolemy, the renowned Roman geographer during the second century. He called it ‘Angdaman islands’ (Islands of good fortune). During the sixth century, I’T Sing, a Buddhist monk, named it ‘Lo-jen – kuo’ (Land of the Naked). Two Arab travelers during the eighth century referred to these islands as ‘Lakhabalus’ or ‘Najabulus’ (Land of the Naked). The great traveller Marco Polo called it ‘Angamanian’.

 

Modern history of Andaman Islands can be traced back to 1789 when the Governor General of British India commissioned a survey of these Islands by Lt. Archibald Blair, who conducted the first ever topo-cum-hydrographical survey and reported suitability for human settlement.

Immediately thereafter, in 1790 the first settlement was established at Port Blair (then Port Cornwallis) in the present day Chatham Island by bringing hard core criminals from undivided India. However, high mortality due to malaria and frequent attacks by aborigines forced the settlement to be shifted to a new port in North Andaman during 1792. Faced with similar problems, the new settlement was also abandoned in 1796.

 

The present-day Chatham Island guarded by Mt. Harriet

 

The missionaries entered the Nicobar group of Islands in 17th century. In 1756, the Dutch colonized the Nancowry group of Islands and stayed there up to 1787. After several unsuccessful attempts to build up a colony in Nancowry, the Dutch Government ultimately handed over the Nicobar group of Islands to the British, who took possession in 1869.

 

The Penal Settlement

 

It was in 1857, after India’s First War of Independence, that a penal colony was attempted at Port Blair with an initial lot of 200 freedom fighters who, for the first time, attempted to overthrow British rule in India. The number of freedom fighters increased to 773, within three months of that. The famous “Battle of Aberdeen” between civilized men and Stone Age aborigines of Andamans was fought on 14th May, 1859 at Aberdeen.

 

During 1869 – 70, many ‘Wahabi Movement’ activists who rose against the British rule were deported from the Central and United Provinces of undivided India to the Andamans. One amongst them was Mohd. Sher Ali Khan (a Pathan), who assassinated Lord Mayo, the Viceroy and Governor General of India on 08 February 1872 at Hope Town Jetty (now called Panighat). Later, in the same year, Sher Ali Khan was executed in Viper Island by the British. On 13 September 1893, the British Government of India ordered the construction of a Cellular Jail to accommodate 600 prisoners.

 

 

Prior to construction of the Cellular Jail, male convicts were held in a jail on Viper Island and women convicts in South Point barracks (near the present day Hotel Sinclair).

 

 

Then occurred, the great uprising of Moplahs during 1921- ‘the Moplah Rebellion’. About 1400 Moplahs mostly from Muslim dominated districts of Ernad, Walluvanad and Calicut of Kerala were sent to Andamans with their families for rebelling against the British rule. Then, the Rampa Revolution during 1922 – 24. As a result, many Rampa revolutionaries were also sent to the Andamans.

 

The Japanese Rule

 

During the II World War, the British hastily evacuated and abandoned these Islands in the face of the advancing Japanese Forces, allowing Japanese occupation of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Japanese brutally ruled the territory for four years from 1942 to 1945. During this period, the Japanese took up massive fortification on these islands through construction of airfields (Port Blair, Rutland, Car Nicobar), installation of Radars and guns for air defence network, chain of foreshore concrete pill boxes, underground ammunition dumps with trolley lines connecting some of them to the Port Blair airport and elaborate underground bunkers for the troops. The remains of pill boxes, radars and anti aircraft guns are still visible at some places.

 

 

The Port Blair harbor was extensively used as a forward surveillance base for seaplanes of the advancing Japanese forces. A few months after the Japanese occupation, allied forces succeeded in blocking seaplanes threatening the islands’ population to the brink of starvation. The Japanese successfully averted the disaster through enforced intensive community of farming of tubers like tapioca and sweet potato. Extensive road network expansion was also undertaken at that time for connecting Port Blair with outlying villages and cultivating land.

 

 

On the morning of 7th October 1945, the Armada carrying 116 Indian Infantry Brigade of South East Asian Allied Land Force under the command of Brigadier A.J. Solomon surrounded Port Blair compelling about 20,000 armed Japanese force to surrender on 9th October 1945.

 

Eventually, with the advent of the Indian Independence on 15th August 1947, these islands were merged with the Indian main stream.

NETAJI GAVE FIRST FREEDOM TO INDIA IN ANDAMAN

Today is yet another historic day in the history of the great Indian Freedom Movement. It’s the 66th anniversary of the hoisting of the National Tri-color for the first time on the Indian soil by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

It was on this day i.e. December 30, 1943, that one of the greatest freedom fighters in the history of modern India, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had hoisted the National Flag for the first time at the Gymkhana Ground, Port Blair, the current capital of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, declaring the Islands, the first Indian Territory freed from the British rule.

The Andamans, at one time, precisely during 1942, had fallen into the strong hands of the Japanese, when they had made a fantastic effort and overpowered the British. And it was during that time that Subhash Chandra Bose had paid a visit to the terrifying Cellular Jail, during his brilliant period of escapade to various places outside India.

While in Singapore, Rash Behari Bose had handed over the responsibilities of Indian Independence League to Subhash Chandra. It was here that he formally announced the establishment of Azad Hind Fauj, and was christened ‘Netaji’. After conducting several meetings, Bose visited the Andamans and Cellular Jail in 1943. The eerie muteness of the place reminded him of the torture and toil the prisoners had to face in the hands of the merciless British oppressors.

And it was here on 30th December, 1943 that Netaji had hoisted the Indian National flag, making the historic effort to make the Andaman and Nicobar Islands free from the yoke of the oppressing British.

During the Second World War, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands fell to the Japanese forces on 23rd March 1942, when the ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy swooped on the islands of Ross and Chatham which were the entry points to Port Blair. Within the next two days, the Japanese completed the occupation of Port Blair, arrested the remaining British officials and established their own administration. It lasted till October 1945. Subhash Chandra Bose visited Andamans in December 1943.

Netaji took over the direct command of the Indian National Army on 25th August 1943. He inspired his companions in these words: 

"Comrades, Officers and Men, with your unstinted supported and unflinching loyalty, Azad Hind Fauj (The Indian National Army), will become the instrument of India’s liberation.... With the slogan - “Delhi Chalo” (onwards to Delhi).... on our lips let us continue to fight until our national flag waves over the Viceroy’s house in New Delhi and Azad Hind Fauj holds the victory parade inside the ancient Red Fort of the Indian Metropolis."

The provisionary Government of the Azad Hind was formed on 21st October 1943. The event was announced solemnly at a meeting of Indian representatives from all over East Asia at ‘Sathey Cinema Building’ in Singapore. A proclamation was issued under the signatures of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as the Head of State, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, who took the oath of allegiance to India in the following words: 

"In the name of God, I take this sacred oath that to liberate India and the thirty eight crores of my countrymen I, Subhash Chandra Bose, will continue this sacred war of freedom until the last breath of my life. I shall always remain a servant of India and look after the welfare of the 38 crores of Indian brothers and sisters. This shall be for me my highest duty. Even after winning freedom, I will always be prepared to shed the last drop of my blood for the preservation of India’s freedom."

The provisional government of the Azad Hind was recognized by Japan on 23rd October 1943, and was also recognized by Germany, Way, Manchuko, Philippines, Burma, National China, Hungry and Croatia.

On 8th November 1943, Netaji announced in a press release that the return of the Andamans to the Indians would be the first territory to be liberated from the British yoke. After mutual discussions, it was settled that the defence and foreign affairs would continue under the Japanese government, but the charge of other departments of the administration would be handed over to the Azad Hind Government.

At mid-day on 29th December 1943, Netaji accompanied by Sarvashri Anand Mohan Sahay, Captain Rawat - ADC and Col. D.S. Raju, personal physician of Netaji, landed at the Port Blair aerodrome in the Andamans. He was received by the Japanese admiral at Port Blair. The enthusiastic Indians and Burmese also accorded a warm reception to him. Netaji went around the historic Cellular Jail where the walls told him, in silence, the woes of the political prisoners who were tortured there. He also saw the courage and enduring spirit that braved the vehemence of the British authorities. Netaji paid glowing tributes to the noble sacrifices of the Indian heroes.

On the following day, 30th December 1943, the National Flag was hoisted by Netaji on the liberated Indian soil, an act first of its kind in the history of the oppressive British rule in India. All the ceremonies of retrieving the lost territory from the enemy were held with joy, pride and jubilation. The national anthem i.e. the anthem of the Azad Hind Fauj (The Indian National Army) was sung in chorus by all present, which added to the gravity of the occasion.

During the course of the day, the National Flag was hoisted at the Gymkhana Ground at Port Blair and atop the British Chief Commissioner’s residence in the Ross Island, the then capital of the Islands. Netaji expressed the hope that some day soon the same flag would fly on the Viceroy’s House in New Delhi.

In a press interview in the first quarter of 1944, Netaji had stated that by the acquisition of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the provisional government had become a national entity in fact as well as in law. The liberation of the Andamans had symbolic significance, because the British always used them as a jail for political prisoners. Part by part, Indian territory would be liberated, but it was always the first plot of land that held the significance. The Andamans were renamed as `Shaheed` in the memory of these martyrs and Nicobar as `Swaraj`.

The administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was formally handed over to the ‘Azad Hind Government’ on 17th February 1944.

His historic visit to the island made a symbolic fulfillment of his promise that INA would stand on the Indian soil by the end of 1943.

A memorial stands today at the Andaman Club, Netaji Stadium, the erstwhile Gymkhana Ground as a testimony of his visit to the Islands and the indelible historic moment of the very first hoisting of the country's tri-color.

Salute to Netaji!!!

*** JAI HIND ***

Excerpts & stats courtesy: www.indianetzone.com

LIVE BOMB SHELL OF WORLD WAR II FOUND IN ANDAMANS

An unexploded shell of World War II has been found in Lamba Line area near the Veer Savarkar Airport at Port Blair on the morning of 9^th October, 2009. As the news spread, thousands of people of the Andaman Islands gathered at the area to catch the glimpses of the unexploded ordnance (EXO).

According to the A & N Police, the owner of the plot, Mr. Mahesh Kumar was carrying out construction work on the said plot and during the extraction of earth, the construction workers found the shell. “We found it this morning and immediately informed the police about the bomb,” said Mahesh Kumar. 

“The matter was informed to the police and our bomb squad team is now examining the shell, which doesn’t have any marking. This is why we can’t say whether the shell was dropped by Japanese or British forces,” V Ranganathan, the Superintendent of Police in Andaman told UNI.

The police have sealed the entire area and experts from the defence forces have also been called in for examination. “We are now examining the shell and only after proper investigation we can say anything more,” the SP added. Mr. Ranganathan, however confirmed that the shell still has explosives inside and is 1.3 metre in length and 1.2 metre in diameter.

In the last six years, in two different cases, huge amount of ammunitions were earlier found in the Aberdeen Bazaar area at Port Blair and Arong village at Car Nicobar, which were believed to be kept by the Japanese forces during their occupation in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 1942 to 1945.

History has it that during the World War II, the Japanese forces had heavily bombarded these islands and captured the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from the forces of the British Government of India in 1942. But during 1942 to 1945, when these Islands were under the Japanese rule, the British forces used to bomb these islands periodically based on specific information received from a British spy, Denis McCarthy in a bid to retrieve the significant Island territory from the Japanese control.

The place where this Unexploded Ordnance (a shell) has been found is situated very close to Port Blair’s lone Airport which harbors a naval airbase of the Indian Navy called INS Utkrosh. The airport was actually built by the Japanese forces during the World War II and was obviously one of the prime targets of the British bombers.

Meanwhile, grapevine in the Islands is hot due to the thrilling discovery and will continue heating up until the mystery unfolds further.

News courtesy: UNI Photos courtesy: andamansheekha

BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE Vs THE JAPANESE AT PORT BLAIR

Hi, friends! 

Here’s sharing with you this very rare & mesmerizing historic picture of a poster that I’ve collected from the Andaman & Nicobar Administration’s archives at Port Blair. 

The title of the poster is – “Smash Japanese Aggression!”

This dramatic British poster depicts the scene described above the title: "Thirteen Japanese flying-boats were smashed in a heavy Royal Air Force raid on the harbour of Port Blair in the Andaman Islands". 

The artist of the poster is - Roy Nockolds.

Date: 1943.

Size: 20" x 30" 

Condition: Very good still with two small edge tears that have been repaired. 

To learn about the detailed saga of the Japanese occupation of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, something that my own family has suffered, here at Port Blair during the Second World War CLICK HERE