My
Life at Amini, Lakshadweep
After my return from Amini,
Lakshadweep i thought of writing down about Lakshadweep life, since only a very
few people get such an opportunity, which, I feel shud be shared with others.
Even though i went thru some adverse conditions, overall I rate the life at
Amini as one of the best experiences which taught me many good, positive
things, the primary lesson being how to deal with the co-inhabitants of this
globe. I have met and interacted with many senior citizens of the island, some
of them, not even gone anywhere out of the island, whose words about life and
about co-existing can’t be found in any books. Dedicating this writing, if its
worth for anyone, to all the islanders of Lakshadweep, particularly the people
of Amini, the Aminites.
Lakshadweep: A group of
beautiful islands where its almost in “as is where is condition” since years,
created by HIM, as the islands remained untouched without any kind of development, unlike in
other places across the world where, developments happen in the name of
promoting tourism and thereby earning huge revenue. All Lakshadweep islands
both inhabited and otherwise have lagoons around them where coral life exists.
These lagoons protect the islands from the rough sea conditions. Lagoons can be
identified from their greenish color and the sea is seen in blue color. Lagoons
are crystal clear.
Lakshadweep has 10 inhabited
islands – Androth, Kalpeni, Minicoy, Agatti. Kavaratti, Amini, Kadmath,
Chetlath, Kiltan and Bitra.
Kavaratti is the headquarter
of Lakshadweep Administration and Agathi has the airport. Only small flights
similar to Cessna make to and fro flights from Kochi.
The only connectivity to
Lakshadweep is either by flight from kochi or by ship from Kochi/Beypore/Mangalore.
From Beypore and Mangalore, only small ships ply and during monsoon the voyages
from Beypore/Mangalore will b held up. i.e., from May 15th to
October. Inter island connectivity during the fair season is by way of speed
vessels and during monsoon hav to fully depend on ships. Cargo vessels (known
as “Uru” in Malayalam and the islanders call it “Manju”) ply from Beypore and
Mangalore during fair season only, with vegetables, fruits, provisions,
construction materials, vehicles including tempo travellers. Lakshadweep
islands are fully dependent on the mainland for everything and anything. Cargo
vessels are not the like one, seen in international sea routes. These vessels
made of timber are constructed mostly at Beypore, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin etc. These
are mostly run by tamilians and these vessels cant withstand the rough weathers
during monsoon. Even in fair season if the weather turns rough, mainly strong
winds, these vessels are at risk and during the month of Dec-Jan 216-17, i
heard that a couple of cargo vessels sank in rough sea. Since it was near to
mainland, the crew were saved, but cargo worth lakhs were lost and there is no
insurance and on an understanding, half the loss amount will b shared between
the merchants of mainland the individuals of the island who ordered it for
commercial purposes.
The things available in plenty in Lakshadweep
islands are. Tuna fishes and coconut. During my tenure at Amini, i have seen
variety of fishes, (during my evenings at the harbour, where people will b
lined across with fishing rods) but the islanders, catch only Tuna and they
like to consume it daily. May be bcos they get a good catch of Tuna without
much effort. With just a small fish shaped metal hook attached to the fishing
rod, people catch the Tuna and they say its the fish which doesn’t hav any
intelligence so it can b caught just by showing a fake prey. From my island
experience, I came to know that there 3-4 varieties of tuna, some specifically
caught for making Achar. Recently on some initiative taken by some political
leaders, dry tuna is sold to mainland markets thru the societies of Lakshadweep
Administration which are situated in all the islands of Lakshadweep. So wats
the Achar made for? For their self consumption only. Bcos during monsoon, their
wont b the service of any cargo vessels from mainland. The only source for
availing vegetables, fruits and provisions for the merchants of the islands are
to procure them thru the passenger ships, which permit only limited quantities.
So, the islanders at their home stock provisions before the start of the
monsoon and tuna achar will be stocked. The schedule of ships are published in
the site name “WEBSTAR”, which stands for Web based Ship Ticket Advance
Reservation.
At the end of February 2015, i started with my first
voyage in MV Arabian Sea to Amini Island where I was posted in the Ministry of
Shipping’s “Andaman Lakshadweep Harbour Works” Department. Amini has a
population of around 9500 and an area of 3sq.km, one of the smallest islands.
The smallest inhabited being Bitra, which is hardly 800 sq.meters with a
population of around 400 and round in shape.
Amini is an oval shaped island with the
western side having more lagoon area. The only island in Lakshadweep where the ship
berths at the harbour more frequently, almost 99% . The berthing harbour is
constructed at the Eastern side of Amini. Apart from Amini, ship berthing
facilitiy is available only at Minicoy, Agathi and Kavaratti. Since, the
monsoon is from South West, the harbours are constructed at the Eastern side.
Only small fishing boats and speed vessels use the western side harbour and
during monsoon, the boats will be taken to shore and speed vessels stop plying.
Even if there are strong winds during fair season, the speed vessels cancel
their schedules. Speed Vessels are based at Kavaratti and its schedule starts
at 7:30 AM and after connecting all islands, it will be back at Kavaratti not
later than 6 in the evening. During monsoon, these speed vessels will b brought
to Kochi for maintenance and will be docked at Cochin ship yard.
I boarded the ship at 10 AM, the schedule boarding time
being from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM on tat day. As per my eligibility (a Govt
Servant is compelled to travel within his eligible limits as prescribed by Govt
of India in its Rules for claiming reimbursement) i had booked for Ist class
cabin, which is of two bed cabin, well furnished within the limited space, with
a tv, well maintained cup boards, table, chairs and a sofa set and is bath
attached. I always preferred cabins, bcos of the facility of bath attached. 2nd
class cabin consists of 4 bed in two rows, one above the other Barring the tv,
it has all other facilities. Bunk class is like a dormitory with rows of beds
(2 storey). One hall will be having 25 beds and bunk class will b consisting of
4-5 halls depending on the passenger capacity of the ships. The biggest ship in
the fleet of Lakshadweep Administration is M V Kavaratti which has a passenger
capacity of around 1200 and which has more first class and second class cabin
and which is used mainly for tourist voyages during the fair season. But being
the biggest in Lakshadweep fleet, it doesn’t berth in any of the islands. About
embarkation and disembarkation where berthing facility is not available, will
be mentioned in later parts of my story).
After the boarding time, Marine Surveyor will inspect the
ship, during the time, the passengers will have to be at their seats. Once the
inspection is over, will have to wait for the pilot to take the ship to the
sea. Since Kochi has a natural harbour, from the backwaters to the open sea and
from the open sea to the harbour, pilots of Cochin Port Trust will take over
the ships. Across the globe at all harbour/docks, pilots of the respective
places take over the ships for bringing alongside the harbour or to cast away
from harbour.
So my first voyage after all
the procedures started by 5PM. Once v r into the deep sea (during fair season),
the sea is seen, like blue thick water spread across. When the ship cuts thru
the foam due to the salty presence in water is seen going over the thick sheet
of blue water. At times, dolphins give
company, flying fishes can be seen flying away from the front of the ship, as
if not to get hit by the ship. The most beautiful sunrise and sunsets are seen
from the sea. It was a smooth sailing and by next mrng at 6, Amini island was
visible. As there are no pilots, the captain himself has to be careful in
berthing the ship. Depending on the experiences of captains, it takes 30
minutes to an hour to berth the ship. Many factors like wind speed and its
direction, the water current, the swells (ie., the push of waves) etc are taken
into consideration before berthing. Once its near to harbour, the ropes are
thrown to the Port Staff at the harbour who will tie to the piles erected on
top of the harbour. Once the ropes at the front, middle and back end are tied,
the ship will be slowly neared to the harbour using the side propellers and the
ropes will be fastened as it nears. As soon as it is felt safe for the
passengers to disembark, the gangway will be placed using a crane from the
harbour.
On the excitement of a my
first voyage and cing the berthing and other procedures, i forgot tat its a new
place for me. After getting down i was received by my “Wud be” colleagues. The
most surprising element was tat many of the islanders also came to receive me
as the Asstt. Accounts Officer post was lying vacant since years and many came
and i was very much surprised that many of them invited to their houses for lunch,
dinner, tea etc etc for the coming days. Apart from the Sub Divisional Officer
(Tehsildar) who is in charge of the island, one Lakshadweep PWD office and my
office, there are no Offices which has Gazetted Officers and the whole
islanders come for attestation of their documents to these offices. During my
tenure at the island, i can say tat on an average i wud have attested atleast 5
person’s documents a day. This has helped to get in touch with islanders.
I stayed in Govt Quarters
and office was 0.75 kms away. I was given a new bicycle for my conveyance. In
Kerala, during late 70s and early 80s in villages i hav seen between
properties, there were no barriers, likewise in Amini, its all open land thickly
populated with coconut trees. Hardly 6ft wide concrete roads, one from north
end to south end and another in circle is the official road of Amini. Since its
all open land, if we have the sense of direction, v can go to any part of the
island taking any way as we like only on one condition tat don’t step into
anybody’s house. All islands have the similar conditions, except for the shapes
of the islands.
Next day i started my life at Amini by a mrng
walk around the island thru the beach and it took 45 minutes to make a round
trip of the whole island. The most welcoming sign was the smile on the faces of
the people whoever i met on the way, whether it was on my mrng walk or on my
way to office and back. Later i came to know, tat Aminites among the
Lakshadweep people are the ones who show their hospitality the most. Everyone
after the smile, ask who i am and from where and then the next thing they say
is, “Sir varu chaya kudichitu pokaam”. Till i arrived at the harbour for my
last return voyage, i have heard this sentence. It was overwhelming. And i can
say with my full heart tat all thru these two years of my tenure at Amini or
even during my visits to other islands on official duty, i didn’t feel tat i am
away from my home. Once u go for tea, u will be surprised to see the variety of
snacks u r served with. Atleast 5 different types of snacks will b there with
tea. Some of the local delicacies include the one made out of the toddy of
coconut tree, which is almost like the jaggery made from palm tree. Lakshadweep
is strictly alcohol prohibited area and the toddy they get from coconut trees
are converted to vinegar. The toddy is collected by the Lakshadweep
Administration’s Agriculture Department and after converting it to vinegar,
sold thru societies only to the islanders and not to outsiders like me. All
over the island only 10-15 people will be outsiders. Twice or thrice i got the
chance to get the toddy fresh one. The soda effect, is so amazing, tat no soft
drinks can match with it. Even the tender coconut i had from the island is so
tasty and refreshing. The crispness it gives to our tongues due to the soda
effect cant be explained in words. Mrng i used to go to a small health club for
a warm up and then to continue with badminton. The islanders used to pluck
coconuts in early mrng. So on the way or back i used to get tender coconuts and
if its being carried out anywhere near my quarters, 3-4 tender coconuts will
certainly be given to me also. Its the way they show respect, luv and affection
towards us.
So with all the excitement i
started Amini life. People during evenings, including ladies sit on beaches for
chit chats. At the same time, i will b hurrying from office to qrts to hear the
6PM news. Islanders were not at all interested in watching televisions and many
houses even though rich, didn’t hav a TV. Only Dish Antenna helps to get news
from other parts of the world. Near to my Office, there is one Public Library,
where newspapers come in bunches when ship arrives. So the day when ship
arrives i will be covering 5-6 day’s newspapers at a go. And only a very few
came to Library to read newspapers. And during monsoon, when its rough climate,
dish antenna doesn’t work, the lone BSNL mobile 2G network also fails. So we
will b cut off from rest of the world. Leave WA and FB, even making calls over
mobile are difficult. Later on some interaction with the islanders i put up
this question of how the people are least interested in tv news or reading
newspapers and how they manage without proper mobile or landline connectivity.
The reply was stunning. They asked, wats there in TV news?? After hearing news
abt crimes, suicides, accidents theft, strikes, harassments, harthals, politics,
v r getting negative energy. Here there are no harthals, no bandhs, no strikes,
no crimes, no suicides, no theft, no harassments etc. V r happy with wat we
have. No air pollution, no sound pollution. Only prob is with basic medical
facility. Island have only Primary Health centres. Serious patients will be
evacuated either to Kavaratti or to Kochi by helicopters. S, nowhere in
Lakshadweep island there are suicides or crimes or even petty criminal cases.
4-5 years back, people didn’t bother to lock their houses while gng out. Ladies
can go out even during odd hours. During the month of Ramadan, night life is
more and even late into night after 12 midnight hav seen ladies gng for
shopping. (Ramadan days at Amini will be detailed later)
The best part is tat
wherever i go, i didn’t feel tat i am on a diff land. Bcos even the face i saw
for the first time, greeted me with a
smile, irrespective of age and sex. Many of them advanced to enquire abt me and
my family and their well being. Each time i return after proceeding on leave,
from every corner the question arise – where u not here? where have u been? Wen i answer i had gone
home, the next enquiry will be abt my family, how they are and when they are coming. This
question will continue for the first week after my return.
Since i had lot of free
time, from the beginning itself with the help of Sub Divisional Officer (who is
in charge of the island), i was indulged in social activities like Swaccha
Bharat Abhiyaan (maintaining cleanliness in island), conducting elections in
society, panchayat, employees society, as an official in inter island school
competitions, inter island sports
tournaments etc. This helped a lot in maintaining a good relationship with the
islanders.
Amini Easter Side Harbour
