[Mistakenguy]

Amazing photography Dhanush !! I'm turning a fan !!


Your thread has reinvigorated my wish to travel to the islands soon, something which has been on the "to do" list for the past couple of years. Hope to do it soon.

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by Mistakenguy

Amazing photography Dhanush !! I'm turning a fan !!


Your thread has reinvigorated my wish to travel to the islands soon, something which has been on the "to do" list for the past couple of years. Hope to do it soon.

You are turning a fan for photography or for the beauty of the islands?

And for the visit to the islands, probably you can plan your soon upcoming honeymoon to this heaven on earth

[dhanushmenon]

Cellular Jail



• Location: Near to G.B. Pant Hospital, Port Blair.
• Timings: 09:00 to 12:00 hrs and 13:00 to 16:15 hrs [Note: Closed on Mondays and Public Holidays.]
• Ticket Details: Adult: Rs. 10/- per person. & Child: Below 5 years no ticket.
• Video Camera: Rs. 100/- Still Camera : Rs. 25/-
• How to Reach: Connected by road.
• There is a light and sound show which is a "must watch". The light and sound show covers the whole history of the cellular jail. The show has been recently revamped from the previous version.
The timings for the Light and Sound show is:
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (Hindi) and
6:45 pm – 7:45 pm (English).

The story of Cellular jail marks darkest and murkiest chapter of the Indian Freedom struggle and the colonial rule in India.
The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pāani (Black Water), was a colonial prison situated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. The prison was used by the British especially to exile political prisoners to the remote archipelago.



Although the prison complex itself was constructed between 1896 and 1906, the British had been using the Andaman islands as a prison since the days in the immediate aftermath of the first war of independence.

Many notable dissidents such as Batukeshwar Dutt andVeer Savarkar, among others, were imprisoned here during the struggle for India's independence. Today, the complex serves as a national memorial monument.



Shortly after the rebellion was crushed, the British sent thousands to the gallows, hung them up from trees, or tied them to cannons and blew them up. Those who survived were exiled for life to the Andamans to sever their connections with their families and their country. 200 mutineers were transported to the islands under the custody of the jailer David Barry and Major James Pattison Walker , a military doctor who had been warden of the prison at Agra. Another 733 from Karachi arrived in April, 1868. More prisoners arrived from India and Burma as the settlement grew.Anyone who belonged to the Mughal royal family, or who had sent a petition to Bahadur Shah Zafar during the Rebellion was liable to be deported to the islands.



The construction of the prison started in 1896 and was completed in 1906. The original building was a puce-colored brick building. The bricks used to build the building were brought from Burma, known today as Myanmar.



The building had seven wings, at the centre of which a tower served as the intersection and was used by guards to keep watch on the inmates. The wings radiated from the tower in straight lines, much like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. A large bell was kept in the tower to raise the alarm in any eventuality.



Each of the seven wings had three stories upon completion. There were no dormitories and a total of 698 cells. Each cell was 4.5 metres x 2.7 metres or 15x8 feet in size with a ventilator located at a height of three metres.



The name, "cellular jail", derived from the solitary cells which prevented any prisoner from communicating with any other. In order to minimize the chances of dialogue among the convict and to isolate them from each other, the construction of the Jail was so made that the front portion of each wing was to face the back side of the other wing. They were all in solitary confinement.



The Empire of Japan invaded the Andaman islands in 1942 and drove the British out. The Cellular Jail then became home to British prisoners. Two out of the seven wings of the Jail were demolished during the Japanese regime. In 1945, the British resumed control with the end of World War II

Another two wings of the jail were demolished after India achieved independence. However, this led to protests from several former prisoners and political leaders who saw it as a way of erasing the tangible evidence of their persecution. The remaining three wings and the central tower were therefore converted into a National Memorial in 1969.





The ever glowing torch







In memory of all those freedom fighters who laid their lives for the country



The seating place for the light and sound show. The light and sound show is a "must watch" for all those keen to know about the history of these islands and India's freedom struggle. The timings for the Light and Sound show is:
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (Hindi) and
6:45 pm – 7:45 pm (English).



Place for last rituals before execution



And immediately after this, the pathway led to...



There was an eerie silence about the place. And the air was so still...



And only silence met my silence....



For further elaboration about the jail life of convicts and prisoners, refer to:

http://www.andamanpleasure.com/cellu...ry-Andaman.php

http://www.andamanbeacon.com/cellularjail.html

and of course, wikipedia!!

[dhanushmenon]

Some depictions of the erstwhile activities in the jail.

The mustard oil mill



Coconut husking



Prisoner flogging



The bondage on the legs of the prisoner whilst being flogged



The jail had a dedicated flogging frame for the purpose



The dresses and fetters of the prisoners.





And some awesome views from atop the jail





After the heavy heart which the history and suffering stories gave me, some fooling around with my kids

[voyageur]

Oh good lord ! I can imagine the wretched condition of the prisoners. It's really saddening to know what they have been through for the good of our country. My salutes to those brave men.

By the way, the last picture of you with your hands up reminds me of a comic super hero called DINKAN. Hope you have come across this character. You resemble very much like him mate (pun intended).

Again thanks for sharing Andaman and I am sure people who went through your TL would want to go this place. At least I am definitely going.

Cheers.

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by voyageur

Oh good lord ! I can imagine the wretched condition of the prisoners. It's really saddening to know what they have been through for the good of our country. My salutes to those brave men.

Again thanks for sharing Andaman and I am sure people who went through your TL would want to go this place. At least I am definitely going.

Cheers.

Thanks voyageur.
I am happy that my snaps and whatever I had scratched along in the name of a 'write up' motivated you to visit these islands.

You should definitely visit these islands of untouched, unexplored and un paralleled beauty.
If there's a heaven on earth, then this would stand a strong competition to Kashmir.

To end my travelogue, I conclude with a parting shot.
This was not taken during this visit but was clicked when I was there in 2009.

Enroute to Baratang Islands



Bye Andamans... only with a promise to return sooner

[majumon]

Dhanush, what a beautiful travelogue and that too so detailed, Wow. Spent a lot of time savouring it. Milan must have been your bonus I guess or did you plan it that way. How easy is it for a civilian/ tourist to take part in Milan. Thourougly enjoyed reading, the photo at Joggers park above the airstrip is one of the best. Your time with the kids at the private beach is truly enviable. Had been to Lakshwadweep in 2001 as honeymoon, but Andamans has so much more. Sure will go.Cheers

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by majumon

Dhanush, what a beautiful travelogue and that too so detailed, Wow. Spent a lot of time savouring it. Milan must have been your bonus I guess or did you plan it that way. How easy is it for a civilian/ tourist to take part in Milan. Thourougly enjoyed reading, the photo at Joggers park above the airstrip is one of the best. Your time with the kids at the private beach is truly enviable. Had been to Lakshwadweep in 2001 as honeymoon, but Andamans has so much more. Sure will go.Cheers

Thanks majumon.
Milan in a way was partly bonus and partly planned.

Unless you know someone who is in the co ordinating team, it's difficult to get a ticket in the pavilion.
Otherwise, there is a public enclosure too which is a bit detached from the main pavilion.

The foreign ships were open to visitors anyway. Anyone could come after a brief security check on spot.

Glad that you liked it.
May be you can share your Lakshadweep photos and experience in a separate travelogue.

[jacs]

Oh my god! How can I miss this thread? Well I wasn't active recently.

A well deserved 5 star. Eye soothing clicks Dhanush. Your travelogues are getting better and better

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by jacs

Oh my god! How can I miss this thread? Well I wasn't active recently.

A well deserved 5 star. Eye soothing clicks Dhanush. Your travelogues are getting better and better

Thanks jacs.
As for clicks, we all know that I am nowhere close to what you do

[mpksuhas]

Great pics and narration Dhanush.

Read that boat trips to other islands were closed, does that government operated boats to other islands (Havelock, Neil) are closed suspended or only the tourist ones to Ross, Northbay etc?

Is the parade ceremony of Milan conducted in city roads or in tri-service area? Just curious since the boat jetty in pics looks like the ones from where boat departs to North & Ross island (Rajiv Gandhi water sports I guess the name).

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Great pics and narration Dhanush.

Read that boat trips to other islands were closed, does that government operated boats to other islands (Havelock, Neil) are closed suspended or only the tourist ones to Ross, Northbay etc?

Is the parade ceremony of Milan conducted in city roads or in tri-service area? Just curious since the boat jetty in pics looks like the ones from where boat departs to North & Ross island (Rajiv Gandhi water sports I guess the name).

The Makruzz ride to Havelock was still operating. However, no other boats used to ply. Not even the boats to the short trip to Ross Island.

The parade for Milan was conducted in city roads near the Netaji Park; Yes, near the Rajiv Gandhi water sports complex

[mallumowgli]

Dhanush - great trip and great snaps. Excellent composition for the snaps(Okay, we all know where the credit lies!) Time to upgrade your camera, right?

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Dhanush - great trip and great snaps. Excellent composition for the snaps(Okay, we all know where the credit lies!) Time to upgrade your camera, right?

Thanks mallumowgli.
Ahem... you found out the secret behind the snaps composition

[shady_lawyer]

@dhanushmenon-I am new member of this forum. Hence I am unable to PM you as would be etiquette. I was planning on making a trip to the Andamans (after having read your thread I might add). Would you be kind enough to drop me a PM (seems I can receive them) so I that I may drop you a few lines off-thread. Thank you in advance and apologies for derailing this beautiful thread