NETAJI - THE DARE-ALL LEADER

Republic Day Special

Subhash Chandra Bose is one of the few heroes in the history of India who left the deepest impression on the minds of the people f India within a short span of his charismatic life. He was born on January, 23, 1897 at Cuttack in Orissa.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose occupies a unique position in the history of India’s struggle for independence. Although he was a member of the Congress, Bose took a different path in his struggle for Indian independence. 23^rd, January was his 114^th birth anniversary and he still remains largely unforgotten today.

Subhash was an indefatigable fighter for democracy within the Congress.  Mahatma Gandhi loved Subhash and Subhash had the highest respect for him. Gandhi called him “Dare-all Leader”.

Though Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru have garnered much of the credit for successful culmination of the great Indian Freedom Struggle, the contribution of Netaji is no less, by any means. He began his political career in Calcutta and soon became the leader of the left wing of the Indian National Congress.

Bose was elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1938-39, but resigned from the post following ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi. Netaji believed that Gandhiji’s way of non-violence may not be sufficient to secure India’s independence and advocated aggressive resistance.

Over a span of 20 years, Netaji Bose was incarcerated eleven times by the British, either in India or in Rangoon (Burma). During the mid 1930s, the British exiled him from India to Europe, where he championed India’s cause and aspiration of self-rule before gatherings and conferences. In 1941, he escaped and fled to Germany. In 1943, he headed in Singapore, a Japanese sponsored ‘provisional government of India’ and revived the Indian National Army (INA), which was formed initially under Captain Mohan Singh in 1942, immediately after the fall of Singapore in December that year.

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.

The Azad Hind Fauj (INA)

Finally, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose raised the flag of Indian independence and established his headquarters at Port Blair, on December 30, 1943 and declared the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the first Indian Territory freed from the British rule. (Read more here)

A proclamation was issued at Singapore by the provisional government of India, 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."

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Netaji visited Germany and met up with Hitler and other Italian and Japanese leaders. He sought their assistance in the fight for India's freedom. Netaji declared open war against the British rulers of India.

Netaji with Hitler

The Indian National Army (INA) fought shoulder to shoulder against the allied forces in Burma and eastern front of India and had confronted the colonial forces up to Imphal (Manipur). With the help from Germany and active support from Japan, they shook the very foundation of the British Empire. However, defeat of Japan and Germany in the World War II, forced INA to retreat and it, unfortunately, could not achieve its ultimate objective of a Free India.

Gandhi once paid his tribute to Bose in the following words: “The greatest and the lasting act of Netaji was that he abolished all distinctions of caste and class. He was Indian first and last. What is more, he fired all under him with the same zeal so that they forgot in his presence all distinctions and acted as one man.”

As the circumstances surrounding the death of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose remains shrouded in mystery, official documents declassified by the government say the revolutionary leader was a victim of an air crash on August 18, 1945 over Taiwan (Formosa). He was then only forty-eight years old.

No Indian could believe the shocking news. The nation still refuses to believe that their true idol of patriotism, Netaji, is no more. On his 114^th Birth Anniversary, various organizations, educational institutions, youth clubs other than the Andaman & Nicobar Administration, organized befitting programs at various places in different islands, paying tributes to the great hero. The 40^th Subhash Mela has been organized at Bakultala, Middle Andaman and Havelock Island, to mark the occasion.

Statue of Netaji at Marina Park, Port Blair

Today, on the occasion of India’s 62^nd Republic Day, it is time to recognize the grand truth: First, it was the Fall of Singapore in 1942, not the Quit India Movement that was the beginning of the end of the British Empire; and finally, it was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose before anyone else who was responsible for India’s freedom in 1947.

Salute to Netaji!

Happy and Proud 62^nd Republic Day!

JAI HIND!!!

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.

I CAME, I SAW AND I WAS ENCHANTED

“I Came, I saw & I was Enchanted!”

 

 

Thanks to the requests of a good number of my esteemed readers here over the past one year, I’ve been tempted to publish the rich, chequered, extraordinarily spine-tingling but very momentous history of these exemplary group of serene islands of Andaman & Nicobar, in a summarizing fashion, for the benefit of students, anthropologists, scientists, archeologists, sociologists, linguists, environmentalists, tourists and other general readers alike.

 

So, dive in and treat yourself with a unique and enchanting saga of human settlement that rekindles the reaction of Daniel Defoe’s legendary Robinson Crusoe, who said, “I came, I saw and I was enchanted!” J

 

Floating in splendid isolation, south-east of the Indian mainland is the archipelago of 572 emerald islands, islets and rocks known as Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This Union Territory is stretched over an area of more than 700 Km. from north to south with 36 inhabited islands and is divided into three districts – North & Middle Andaman and South Andaman to the North and Nicobar to the South. The North and the South districts are separated by about 90 nautical miles of sea – The Ten degrees Channel. These islands are the continuation of the ‘Arakan Yoma’ mountain range which extends from Myanmar up to ‘Achin Head’ of Indonesia.

 

 

These undulating islands are covered with dense forests and endless variety of exotic flowers and birds. The topography of the islands is hilly and abounds in evergreen forests. The sandy beaches on the edge of the meandering coastline are fringed with coconut-palms that sway to the rhythm of the sea. The sea around the islands offers excellent scope for water sports.

 

The rare flora and fauna, underwater marine life and corals, with crystal clear water and mangrove-lined creeks, offer a dream-view of the rare gifts of nature. The clean and wide roads, free of filth as well as unpolluted fresh air attract any nature-lover, who seeks absolute peace and tranquility in the lap of nature. Adventure tourism like trekking, island camping, snorkeling, scuba diving etc. are the real attractions. A visit to these islands is, undeniably, a memorable lifetime experience.

 

 

Mythologically, the name ‘Andaman’ was presumed to be derived from ‘Hanuman’, who was known to the Malays as ‘Handuman’. The name ‘Nicobar’ seems to be a corruption of the South Indian term ‘Nakkavaram’ (Land of the Naked) as indicated in the great Tanjore inscription of AD 1050.

 

Since prehistoric times, these islands have been the home of aboriginal tribes. The tribes of the Andaman group of islands are the Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, and the Sentinatese, all of Negrito origin, while the tribes of Nicobars are the Nicobarese and Shompens, both of the Mongoloid stock.

 

The first settlement by the British took place in 1789, which was later abandoned in 1796. The second settlement was basically a penal settlement, taken up in 1858, after the First War of Indian Independence, followed by the settlement of convicts, ‘Moplas’, some criminal tribes from the then Central and United Provinces, refugees from the erstwhile East Pakistan, Burma (Myanmar) and Sri Lanka as well as ex-servicemen.

 

The Social Make Up

 

In these exemplary islands, people of all faiths - Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs etc., and of all languages like Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Nicobarese etc., live together in complete peace and harmony. Inter-religious and inter-regional marriages are common. This amazing racial and cultural mix is correctly described as ‘Mini India’.

 

An old picture of a street in Port Blair, the present-day capital.

 

Forests are the green extension over gold of the islands. The reserved and protected forests extend over 86% area of the territory and the forest cover is more than 92%. About 50% of the forests have been set aside as Tribal Reserves, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, which are inviolate.

 

Luxuriant Mangroves, perhaps the richest in the world, occupy nearly 11.5% of the territory. More than 150 plant and animals species are endemic in nature. Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is rich in corals, varieties of colored fishes, sea turtles etc., besides other marine life. It is a bird’s paradise - more than 271 varieties of birds inhabit the idyllic landscape, out of which 39 are endemic. Megapode, Swiftlet, Hornbill and Nicobar Pigeon are some of the specialties of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

 

The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago comprising of 572 Islands, islets and rocks, float in the clear blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, 700 nautical miles off the South Eastern coast of India. Andamans are the Weather Windows to the Indian Peninsula as majority of the systems which affect the Mainland have their origin in the Andaman Sea. The Isles experience a tropical monsoon climate. Temperature is moderate and relative humidity is high. With both North-East & South-West monsoons being received, it rains for about eight months a year. December to March is the season of relatively fair weather with winds, generally East/North-Easterly, accompanied by occasional showers.

 

 

Continue Reading Here.

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 

65th ANNIVERSARY OF HOISTING OF TRI-COLOUR BY NETAJI

Hoisting of Tri-color by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

Friends! As the New Year 2009 was knocking at the door, the Islanders bade majestic farewell to the year 2008 with a patriotic fervour by commemorating the 65^th anniversary of hoisting of the Indian Tri-color by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in the Andaman Islands.

Netaji at the Cellular Jail, Port Blair in 1943

L K Advani laying wreaths at Netaji’s statue, Marina Park, Port Blair.

Functions were held to mark the historic occasion on 30^th December, 2008. Tributes were paid at Netaji’s statue, 1857 Memorial at the Marina Park, the Battle of Aberdeen Memorial and Martyrs’ Column at National Memorial Cellular Jail in Port Blair on December, 30^th. The dignitaries hoisted the National Flag at the Memorial in front of “Andaman Club” which was followed by the Guard of Honour.

Lt. Governor, Bhopinder Singh hoisting the flag at the Netaji Stadium on 30^th Dec. 08

30^th December is very significant in the history of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. On this day, in the year 1943, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hoisted the National Flag for the first time at Gymkhana Ground (the present-day “Netaji Stadium”), Port Blair declaring the Islands the first Indian Territory to be freed from the shackles of British Imperialism.

His historic visit to the Andamans turned out to be a symbolic fulfillment of his promise that the Indian National Army (INA) would stand on the Indian soil by the end of 1943. A memorial stands today at the Andaman Club, Netaji Stadium as a mute testimony of his momentous visit to the Islands and the historic moment of hoisting of the Indian tri-colour.

Thus spake Netaji, the real Hero.

So, my dear friends! On this positive & undaunted note in this age troubled with evils like terrorism, I wish you all a very

Happy, Prosperous & Terror-free New Year 2009!!!

“JAI HIND”

JAPANESE OCCUPATION IN ANDAMAN

A quick recap-

“History of Civilization in Andaman”

“Chequered History of Civilization”

Now, dear friends, the haunting unfinished script about the chequered history of civilization in Andaman continues ahead-

JAPANESE OCCUPATION – MARCH 23, 1942

The Japanese take over the Islands in the early hours of March 22. And another saga of human sufferings and endurance starts unfolding.

Reign of terror would be an understatement for the three-and-a-half year ordeal that the left out people had to undergo during the Japanese regime.

First, as is customary, the invading army plays havoc with the masses to create psychological pressure into subjugation. Individual houses were raided and cash, ornaments, automobiles and other valuables looted. Even good cloths were not spared. Thereafter the cattle, goats and fowls were taken away.

In such an incident only Zulfiqar Ali (incidentally, my father-in-law’s own maternal uncle) pulled his gun on a Japanese soldier. But he was overpowered and executed in public at Netaji Ground (presently at Aberdeen Bazaar in Port Blair). His tomb till date tells the tale to anyone who cares to listen.

There was acute shortage of food. The Japanese soldiers suffered equally badly. The local people were put to hard work to raise sweet potato, tapioca and other edible crops. The local inhabitants were put to the ignominy of spraying human excreta as organic manure. They were producing for the Japanese soldiers but they themselves were going hungry. Clothes had become a luxury. People used gunny bags for clothes, had to eat yam and other leaves and barks. There was no sanctity of life.

As the weeks and months progressed the old and infirm became a liability on the new masters. They were rounded up, put in a vessel, taken to Havelock Island, and thrown overboard to drown and die. The lone survivor of the incident, who later came to be known as ‘Saudagar’ is reported to have eaten human flesh for survival.

Incidentally, he stayed for the rest of his life up to 1994 beside the mosque in the neighborhood of the quarter that we stayed in at Supply Line, Port Blair, while my father was operating as an Assistant Secretary in the A & N Administration. Hence, we children had ample opportunities to interact with him and hear the details of his ghastly experience from the horse’s mouth. I shall share the details in my ensuing posts.

Meanwhile, the British were targeting every ship that tried to approach the port with pin-pointed precision. The Japanese military administrators had a nagging feeling that somebody was spying for the British. They tried to catch hold of the spy. In the process, the old human weakness took its toll. Those who were close to the Japanese started naming those they had an account to settle with. It started a chain reaction. One would name the other to save his skin.

A shiver runs through the spines of those who underwent the torture in the hands of the Japanese just at the mention of those days. Their fingers do not grow normal nails till date. Red hot pins were forced under their nails. Knee, shoulder, elbow joints used to be hit with rods, testicles were crushed, penis burnt with cigarette butts.

Incidentally, one such victim of the Japanese’ inhuman treatment was Dr. Fred Meshack, my own grandfather-in-law, who was one of the very first veterinary surgeons of the Islands and a citizen of noble repute. He was also taken into their dreaded custody on suspicion of spying for the British and tortured atrociously by piercing his nails with red hot pins. Fortunately, my grandfather-in-law was soon released due to lack of any evidence against him, whatsoever.

The process went on and on and on. Public executions were held at Duggnabad and Humphreyganj.

Educated male members of the society had to suffer the most. Those who were the cream of the society became paupers. Their gold, ornaments, cash, cattle – everything was snatched away by the Japanese. No one has ever tried to fathom the pain, the agony, the sufferings, the deprivation and the sacrifice made by this small population of 11,000 people.

1945 – BRITISH RE-OCCUPATION

The Nuclear holocaust caused by atom bombs dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki crushed the Japanese dreams of a trans-national empire. The Japanese forces surrendered before the British on October 08, 1945 at Andaman Club near Gymkhana ground. When the British Government reclaimed the Islands in 1945, those lucky ones who survived the ordeal were only a shadow of their previous selves. A devastated lot of unfortunate people who had to start everything from scratch again! Like those in 1858.

1946 – 47 – INDIAN INDEPENDENCE

The British Government wanted to retain Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the Crown. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru strongly argued that the Islands should go to India as the inhabitants are almost all Indians. His counter argument was that the British had deported the English convicts to Australia and only Indian convicts were sent to the Andaman Islands.

Thus, the 11,000 odd famished, emaciated, devastated and hapless ex-convicts and their descendents won the argument in favour of the Indian Union.

Life limped back, slowly to normalcy again. The Indian Government declared the Andaman & Nicobar group of Islands a union territory administered directly by the central government at New Delhi. Chief Commissioner, an ICS (Indian Civil Services) and later IAS (Indian Administrative Services) officer, continued to be the head of the administration.