Ruins of Ross Island Andamans

Do ruins tell a story?
Of course yes, if there is a story teller around. With an experienced guide like Ms Anuradha Rao our visit to Ross Island, 2 kms east of Port Blair, turned out to be an exciting experience. It was the administrative HQ under the British rule till 1941 when the earthquake caused widespread destruction. From 1942 to 1945 it was under Japanese occupation. After three decades of neglect, it was handed over to Indian Navy in 1979. Thereafter, it became a tourist attraction in Andamans.

Ghumakkad along with other Naval veterans, visited Ross island in September 2016. Here is a short picture story for you.

On the day of our planned visit to Ross Island, the island was declared closed  for public. Reason: Official visit by 150+ officers from DSSC Wellington. Thanks to Commodore Govindan's excellent liaison, we were accommodated in the same ferry.

We were so ably conducted by Ms Anuradha Rao, a private guide at Ross Island.

For her devotion to duty, she has been commended by the C-in-C, Andaman and Nicobar Command. You can see her proudly wearing her commendation badge.

Water borne diseases had claimed many lives in the island in 19th century. Therefore, a water distillation and treatment plans was installed. Dating back to 1740, remains of the boiler can still be seen.

Here is a short video about the water treatment plant.

We continued the walk around the island. Those who can not walk, a battery operated cart is available. 

To enable the visitors to catch their breath on a hilly track, our guide gave a short pep talk on the importance of caring for aged parents. A short video which also shows the resident spotted deer and their stroll with us:

 Visitors are not allowed to feed the animals or birds in the island. Our guide however was feeding them as we walked past. When questioned, she explained that she gets special bread baked in a bakery at Port Blair which does not use any harmful chemicals like yeast etc. A dedicated environmentalist indeed!

As the Sun was about to go down, we had to complete our walk around and take our seats for the sound and light show. We had already seen the show at the Cellular Jail. But friends had recommended not to miss the show at Ross Island. It had to be better. It certainly is a class apart.

 With photography prohibited during the show, Ghumakkad had to borrow few pictures from Google images to convey the multi-media impact.

Those planning to visit Andamans, please do not miss the sound and light show at Ross Island. You can skip the show at the Cellular Jail but not at Ross Island.

It was time to return to Port Blair whose skyline was well lit by then. A picture.

 Being our last night in Port Blair, we all had a ball on the roof top lounge of our hotel. Apart from deciding the team for the next bash of FFA (what is FFA? scroll down), it was also time to say thanks to Commodore and Mrs Govindan for their selfless service in organising the Andamans trip so well.

Veterans in formals on a vacation? Yes, since we were going to visit the Ross Island along with Defence Services Staff College student officers, we all decided to shed our jeans and tees. The veterans look dashing, isn't it? Not only do they look dashing they also rock!

 And their charming spouses rock harder!

 Here is the complete gang which made it to Andamans together for a week! Simply unforgettable.

We started with our tour logo reproduced below:

This story, 10th in the series, marks the curtains on Andamans. Ghumakkad enjoyed creating and sharing this ten-part story with inputs from all the buddies. Thanks are also due to all the blog readers for their encouragement and feedback. In case you missed browsing any of the the earlier stories, here are the links:

1. What is FFA?
2. Port Blair: Kala Paani and beyond
3. Sailing to Havelock
4. Havelock- A Fun Place
5. Scuba Diving@65
6. Snorkeling at Elephant Beach
7. Radhanagar Beach where voice of the sea speaks to your soul
8. Kalapathar Beach where you discover yourself
9. Chidiyatapu- Where the birds find you 

Although it has already been three months since our visit to the Andamans, we keep dreaming about it.

This story also marks the end of 2016. Ghumakkad wishes you a very happy new year. May 2017 take you to newer places with renewed vigour.

God bless and love
  -Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 30th Dec 2016

Kala Paani A place which gives you chills

India’s Andaman Islands attract tourists not only because of beautiful beaches but its rich history. 

Our 5N/6D tour had a mix of both. Here are twenty-six 'FFA' buddies and spouses looking excited even though they had been up since 2 AM to catch the 5 AM flight from Chennai. Just in case you missed what is "FFA", read the story here.

The arrival lounge of Veer Savarkar airport at Port Blair has cautionary sign boards to warn the tourists not to buy or collect sea shells etc. See the boards.

We stayed at Hotel Sea Shell, recommended by Ghumakkad's naval course mate Mathew George who had visited Andamans last year. Thanks much Georgy.

 
For those who haven’t been to Port Blair, here is a guide map showing places of interest. Map courtesy Barefoot Holidays. 

The second map shows nearby islands courtesy MapsofIndia.com.

Our program for six days is summarised in the boxes below.

	20th September, Port Blair 8am       Check-in, B’fast Seashell Lunch    Seashell 3pm       Cellular Jail 4pm       Corbin’s Cove Beach 6pm       Light-n-Sound Show Dinner   TBD- To be decided 21st September, Havelock 8am       Ferry to Havelock Is FN        Fisheries Museum Lunch    Seashell AN       Radhanagar Beach Dinner  Seashell 22nd September, Havelock FN         Snorkeling/Scuba Diving Lunch    Seashell AN        Snorkeling/Scuba Diving Dinner   Seashell		23rd September, Havelock-PB FN        Kalapathar Beach Lunch    Seashell 3pm       Ferry dep to Port Blair 5pm       Arr PB, Check-in hotel 6pm       Visit FDN/Navy Dinner   Navy 24th September, Port Blair 9am       Boat to Ross Is Lunch    Seashell 3-7pm   Sound-n-light show               Ross Is Dinner   TBD 25th September, PB-Chennai 6am       Check out Seashell 8.05am  Dep PB 10.15     Arr Chennai FN/AN  Dispersal

 

We had time in the morning before our organised tour commenced after lunch. So we ventured out on foot on that wet morning. After ten minutes of walk down a steep slope, we hired an auto-rickshaw.
The driver Swapan, a Bengali settler knew the town backwards. He took us to two temples besides showing us the best eateries in Port Blair. Pictures:

 

 From our hotel as well as cellular jail, we had a clear view of the harbour. North point lighthouse stands as a sentinel.

In the afternoon, we started off with the Cellular Jail—a place which gives you goose bumps. The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī काला पानी, was a colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (A&N). The prison was used by the British especially to exile political prisoners to the remote archipelago. The jail took ten years to build and was opened in 1906. According to the A&N tourism department, it got its name ‘Cellular’ because it is entirely made up of individual cells for the solitary confinement. Where every cell has its own tale. Tale of torture, struggle and freedom!

Veer Savarkar's cell on 2nd floor attracts maximum visitors.

Tourists jump at the opportunity of being 'imprisoned' for a picture.

The jail originally was a seven pronged, puce-coloured building with central-tower acting as its fulcrum and a massive structure comprising honeycomb like corridors. The building was subsequently damaged and presently three out of the seven prongs are intact. See the picture below.

The Jail, now a place of pilgrimage for all freedom loving people, was declared a National Memorial in 1979. The jail museum draws your memories back to those years of freedom struggle.

Swatantrya Jyot  -- Eternal Flame of Freedom has been installed in the vicinity of the Jail in memory of all freedom fighters and martyrs. Picture.

The Jail and museum are open on all days except national holidays from 09:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 01:30 PM to 04:45 PM. An Entry Fee (INR) of Rs 30/- per person, Camera: 200/-, Video Camera:1000/- is charged. Contact Ph.03192- 230117 for film shooting.

It was time to thank our brilliant guide Mustafa.

We also made a quick trip to Port Blair's only beach-- Corbyn's Cove beach. Significance of the beach are the Japanese bunkers of WW-II days.

At Corbyn's Cove beach we observed unique sand patterns. Similar patterns we had observed on east coast of Andhra Pradesh. Story on Sand Bubbler Crabs came rushing to the mind (click here to browse the picture story). Picture below.

Son-et-Lumiere (Sound and Light show)

The saga of the heroic freedom struggle, brought alive in a moving Son-et-Lumiere, in the Cellular Jail, is very popular among the tourists. Two Hindi shows are held on all days at 6:00 pm and at 7:15 pm except on Monday, Wednesday & Friday when second show is in English at 7:15 pm. Entry fee for Adult is 50/- (INR). Another sound and light show is held in Ross island nearby which is far superior.

That's all for now.
Next story on Havelock Island will follow. Preview picture for you.

Thanks for browsing.

More picture stories will follow.

Postscript: Links to all the ten stories of our visit to the Andamans in 2016 are given below. Just click to browse.

Who were the travellers? - FFA Friends forever asli
Port Blair and its attractions- Kaala Paani, Corvyn's Beach
Sailing to Havelock - weather permitting
Havelock- Never too old for splashing in the sea
Scuba Diving at 65!
Thrill of Snorkeling- Elephant Beach
Kalapathar Beach- Where you discover yourself
Radhanagar Beach- Where the Sun goes down in a blink
Ross Island- Ruins with a story and incredible sound and light show
Chidiyatapu- Where the birds find you

Thanks again.


     Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 30th Dec 2016

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