Havelock Island - ANI

This was the penultimate day of the tour and two very exciting activities had been planned - trip to Havelock Island during the day and the Awards Ceremony at night. The Group once again reached the Phoenix Boat Jetty and boarded a well equipped modern comfortable luxury liner. The sea was magical in colour when viewed from the window. The cruise was fine for a while after which the ship experienced severe pitching due to rough sea. Many of us enjoyed this unique experience but some unfortunates felt nauseus and rushed unbalanced to the wash rooms to throw up. The sea settled down after a while and the rest of cruise was smooth. We reached Havelock Island after about 75 minutes. Havelock Island is a very small Island and most of the population are Bengali settlers. The distance between Port Blair and Havelock Island is 54 kilometers. Havelock Island is famous for its pristine beaches, coral reefs and for a relaxing holiday.

At the boat jetty we were transported into buses & jeeps and we soon reached an exotic plush green resort with bamboo hut cottages, huge lawns and dotted with coconut palms. The crowd was once again treated to delicious refreshing tender coconut water. Some made a bee line towards a table laid out with choicest range of alcohol. While others went straight to the adjoining sparkling white beach where catamarans (also known as dugongs) carrying "Edge 2009" placards were waiting to take us to a faraway beach for snorkelling. The boat ride took around 30 minutes after which we arrived in one of the most magnificent and glorious beaches. We were in Paradise. The sky was clear and the weather perfect for snorkelling. Quite a few in the group changed to swimming costumes and ventured for snorkelling while others were content with taking rides in glass bottomed boats to view the most breathtaking view of corals at the sea bottom - such an amazing variety of colors, shapes & sizes. It was an awesome experience. The sea was so transparent and crystal clear.

We would have loved to linger on in this paradise for ever but we had deadlines to keep and we returned to base for a quick lunch and rushed back to the jetty to board the cruise for the return journey to Port Blair.

At night we were witness to a dazzling Awards Ceremony with plenty of entertainment in the form of crooners and comedy shows in between the Awards presentation.

The show was followed by dinner and that brought the curtains down on a very exciting and enjoyable day.

The Cellular Jail - ANI

From Ross Island we returned to Port Blair boat Jetty and immediately proceeded to the Cellular Jail(also known as Kala Pani), which is historically the most significant spot to visit in Port Blair. The prison was known to house many notable Indian activists during the struggle for India's independence. By the late 19th century the independence movement had picked up momentum. As a result, the number of prisoners being sent to the Andamans started growing and the need for a high-security prison was felt. The construction of the prison started in 1896 and was completed in 1906. The building had seven wings, at the centre of which a central tower served as the fulcrum 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 and a total of 698 cells. Each cell was 4.5 metres x 2.7 metres in size with a ventilator located at a height of three metres.

The Empire of Japan invaded the Andaman islands in 1942 and drove the British out. The Cellular Jail now became home to British prisoners. Two out of the seven wings of the Jail were demolished during the Japanese regime. In 1945, the British reoccupied the islands. Another two wings of the Jail were demolished after India achieved independence. The remaining three wings and the central tower were therefore converted into a National Memorial in 1969.

Ross Island - ANI

On day two Bosch had arranged two major activities - Visit to Ross Island in the forenoon and the Distrbutors meeting in the afternoon session.

Ross Island: After a sumptuous breakfast we left for the Phoenix Bay Jetty to board motorboats that ferried us to Ross Island. Ross Island is about 2 km east of Port Blair and can be reached by a short boat ride.The island is controlled by the Indian navy and presently houses the ruins of old buildings. Till a few decades ago, this island was the seat of "British power." Ross Island was the headquarters of the Indian Penal Settlement for nearly 80 years. It had everything — bazaar, bakery, stores, water treatment plant, church, tennis court, printing press, secretariat, hospital, cemetery and what have you. Today only the ruins of these dilapidated buildings remain. The Japanese too left their imprint on the island - they built bunkers which were used as watch points to safeguard the Island from any foreign invasion. About nine months before the Japanese take-over Ross Island witnessed an earthquake. There were rumors that the island was sinking. Gradually people left and it became a deserted area. What was called "Paris of East" at its peak became a haunted isle with widening cracks and crumbling masonry in the remains of the structures. In April 1979, the island was handed over to the Navy, which set up a small post, INS Jarawa, named after one of the indigenous tribes of the Andaman group of islands. A local tribal woman Anuradha Rao was our guide for the trip. She was extremely passionate and and a hard core fanatic Nationalist. She gave a wonderful tour of the Islands and shared a wealth of information. She had the audience spellbound with her mysterious tales about the happenings on the Island.

Some of the memorable moments included photography sessions, deer feeding, tender coconut water to quench our thirst, delicious kulfis, the lily pond with ducks and the ferry ride. Overall a great experience

A spellbinding view of the sea taken while departing Ross Island. To be continued......................

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

18-21 November'2009:
The A&N Islands is a Union territory of India, located in the Indian Ocean south of the Bay of Bengal and East of the Andaman sea. The capital is Port Blair and population around 400,000. Bosch India had organised their Annual Distributors meet in Port Blair on the above dates. A large group pf around 350 strong including distributor principals, their families & Bosch personnel descended on Port Blair's Veer Savarkar airport in specially chartered flights - some flew in via Chennai & while others from Kolkata. The airport appeared ancient and archaic. In fact as we drove into Port Blair I got the feeling of being transported back 50 years into the past - the town was so underdeveloped, there were so few people - both locals as well as tourists. But the environment was neat and spotlesslessly clean,there was a freshness in the air.
There are no five star hotels in Port Blair and accomodation had been arranged in seven different hotels. Two luxury buses and around 50 nos Tata Sumos & Toyota Quallis had been engaged and totally at the disposal of the group for the entire 4 days.
We stayed at the Peerless Sarovar Portico - situated right on the shores of an exquisite and secluded beach. We were greeted with a welcome drink - fresh tender coconut water. This was followed by check in, then lunch and a couple of hours of well deserved rest. Bosch had engaged an event management team to manage the stay, logistics and for arranging all the events, meeting, cruises, sight seeing & e
xploration. A grand gala entertainment had been arranged for 18th evening - there were two expert MC's to regale the crowd. Dipak Singh of Jhalak Dhikla Jaa fame & Sunanda had been specially flown from Mumbai in to provide some beautiful well choreographed dances. This was followed by an Andamanese tribal dance. The high point of the evening was a fire dance and acrobatics by an energetic athletic young man, who apart from his fantastic performances also had everyone in splits with his own style of "Kitna asaan hai" brand of wit and humour.
History: Isolation studies point to habitation in the Islands going back 30,000 to 60,000 years, well into the Middle Paleolithic. There were 5-6 distinct indigenous groups numbering around 7000 by 1850 when they first came into contact with outside groups - mostly prisoners, indentured labours and British Troops. Today only around 400-450 of such indigenous people remain. In 1858 the British set up a penal colony in these Islands mainly for dissenters and independence fighters from the Indian sub continent. The British continued their occupancy until the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Andaman Islands during World War II. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose visited the islands during the war and hoisted the Indian Tri Colour.
The islands were reoccupied by British and Indian troops of the 116 Indian Infantry Brigade on 7 October 1945, to whom the Japanese garrison surrendered. ANI became an Indian union territory in 1950.
Geography: There are 572 islands in the territory, of which only 38 are permanently inhabited. Most of the islands (about 550) are in the Andamans group.The smaller Nicobars comprise some 22 main islands. The total area of the Andaman Islands is some 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi); that of the Nicobar Islands approximately 1,841 km2 (711 sq mi) ( To be continued)................................

Hi ! I am back

Thanks for your kind comments, enquiries and patience. I had taken a long break to set up a business venture. The project has now been launched and operational. Some of you were anxious about my health. I am in the pink of health. Thanks for your concern.
Now I am resuming my favourite passion - Blogging. My next post will follow shortly.

Ram

On urgent project

Hi

I have been on an urgent project for the past two weeks. I will continue to be away for another 6-8 weeks. Please bear with me as I may not be in a position to add fresh posts. Meanwhile many thanks for the kind, gracious & appreciative comments on my last post: Historical Landmarks of Chennai".

All the best & do forgive me !

Ram

Historical Landmarks of Chennai

Chennai houses great many architectural, historical and religious attractions. Chennai (old name Madras), is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is India's fourth largest city. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 7.60 million (2006), the 369-year-old city is the 36th largest metropolitan area in the world. Chennai is a city which has grown over the centuries by merging numerous villages which are really ancient. The temples of Thiruvanmiyur, Thiruvotriyur, Thirvallikeni (Triplicane), Thirumyilai (Mylapore) have existed for more than 1000 years.Modern Chennai had its origins as a colonial city and its initial growth was closely tied to its importance as an artificial harbour and trading centre. The Portuguese arrived in 1522, It passed to the Dutch in1612. Next it was briefly under the Mughal Rulers before the British East India Company were granted trading rights. Chennai steadily progressed during the period of the East India Company. In 1746 Fort St.George and Chennai were captured by the French but quickly regained by British Forces in 1749. The East India Company administered Chennai for over 200 years before the British Crown, under Queen Victoria, directly took over rule in the mid 19th century. They ruled for a 100 years before India attained freedom in 1947. Picture above is that of the Chennai mounted police on an early morning march.
The Government Museum inaugurated on December 5, 1896, was named after the former Governor, Lord Connemara. Madras museum theatre (pictured above) is housed within the museum complex together with other distinguished structures like Old Public Library and the famous National Art Gallery. Constructed by the British in Indo-Saracenic style. It is surrounded by the cannons captured or used by the British during the wars.

The Chennai Egmore station is known in Tamil as "Ezhumbur". This station has a platform which allows vehicles to be driven up almost to the side of the train--to allow for easy loading/unloading of baggage and passengers.

The elegant building is built in the Gothic style of architecture with imposing domes and corridors.

St. Andrew's Church - a monument which represents the best Georgian architecture in South India and perhaps in Asia. Saint Andrew's Church is sometimes called as 'The Queen of Scottish Churches in the East'.

The church was consecrated in the year 1821. It was built for the Scottish Community that had settled in the Chennai city. The church interiors are covered with rich mahogany wood work. The floor is provided with an elegant check pattern marble.

There are 16 Corinthian circular pillars that support the dome. The circular dome, 52 feet in diameter, is painted with the blue shaded lapis lazuli.

Ripon Building is the seat of the Chennai Corporation, a fine example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, a combination of three types of architectural styles - Gothic, Ionic and Corinthian. Commissioned in 1913, Ripon building was named after Lord Ripon, Governor-General of British India.

One of the main attractions of the building is the Westminster Quarter chiming clock. This was installed by Oakes and Co. in 1913. The clock has a mechanical key system, which is wound every day. There are a total of 4 bells, which were cast by Gillet and Johnston in 1913.

A well maintained canon in the sprawling green lawns of the Ripon building campus

Pictured above: Statue of George Frederick Samvel, Marqvess of Ripon (1827-1909)

Built in the Gothic Revival style Chennai Central originally consisted of just four platforms. It was later modified with the addition of the central clock tower. The redesign was eventually completed in 1900.

Chennai Central, formerly known as Madras Central is the main railway terminus in Chennai. It is the home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India. Chennai Central has been greatly instrumental in earning Chennai the famous sobriquet "Gateway of the South." The Madras High Court, one of the landmarks of the metropolis of Chennai. It is believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world. Madras High Court was established on June 26, 1862 as one of the three High Courts of India (others at Bombay and Calcutta) established at Presidency Towns by Letters Patent granted by Queen Victoria. The building of the High Court, an exquisite example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, was built in 1892, under the guidance of the famed architect Henry Irwin.

In front of the High court building has been installed the statue of the legendary “Manu Needhi Chozhan”(ancient Hindu Ruler) shown dispensing justice to a cow whose calf had been killed under the wheels of a chariot.

The minarets or domes are atop the building represent architectural excellence and are exquistely beautiful........To be continued next week !