Transparent Blue Islands

Lakshadweep8217;s a different world, a clutch of 10 islands and cultures with a lifeline to the mainland

The most pleasing, graphic and detailed images of the Lakshadweep islands the 8220;one lakh islands8217; known as the Laccadives under the British can be seen on Google Earth which I inspected before setting out on my voyage from Delhi. Lakshadweep and Minicoy comprise 10 major inhabited islands, covering a mere 32 sq km of total surface area but spread over 20,000 sq km of territorial waters. Crystal clear and surrounded by transparent blue waters, these islands, with just about 61,000 people, are far prettier and more unspoilt than even Mauritius, the Maldives or the other Indian Ocean islands. Even a slight increase in population will cause ecological difficulty. Each island is surrounded by a reef, creating dazzling natural lagoons around each island keeping the rough salty ocean waters out.

Monsoon. I picked the best and worst of times to visit these islands, which, in any case, are restricted and require a permit from the Lakshadweep Port Office. Best because I happened to be the only visitor, there were no tourists around. Worst, because weather here is unpredictable to say the least.

Even though there is a direct flight from Kochi to Agatti on a tiny Dornier aircraft operated by Indian Airlines, it was my aim to reach Lakshadweep by ship my first such journey ever and so one flew to Thiruvananthapuram from Delhi. From there to Kochi by train, and soon I was ready to board the Merchant Vessel Tipu Sultan, which can carry almost a thousand passengers. However, not without the requisite paperwork from the adjoining Lakshadweep Port Office, as a permit is required to visit these restricted Islands.

During the monsoons, the ships remain the only lifeline and the only source of transport and supply for the common man. Helicopters and the Dornier aircraft operate only emergency medical lifts. Effectively, the islands are cut off and all food, even poultry, bricks for building houses and fuel for running the diesel electricity generators has to come from the mainland. Scarcities discipline life.

We left Kochi in the afternoon and by night, we were in international waters, but still near India8217;s exclusive economic zone. The Lakshadweep Islands straddle the world8217;s busiest shipping route between Europe and SE Asia, Japan and Australia.

Fortunately, the weather was perfect and it was an incredible experience to watch a solitary ship appearing as a nest of lights on the night8217;s horizon and then speeding past you on 360 degrees of water, reflecting the speed of both ships. The entire course, I am told, is marked by undersea data buoys and submarine cables and the crew has to report to the Shipping Corporation of India Ltd8217;s headquarters in Mumbai every hour, reporting on the status.

By noon the next day, came my first view of the capital of Lakshadweep 8212; Kavaratti. Soon, little wooden boats drew alongside the ship and a large steel door at the surface level of the sea opened on the ship to allow us to time our jump with the rise and fall of the bobbing boats as we tried to dismount. So, this was how we reached Lakshadweep 8212; on rough wooden canoes on an open sea.

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Kavaratti is tiny as are all the Islands of the Laccadives 8212; Agatti the tiny airport, Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bangaram open only to foreign tourists, Bitra, Androtti the largest, Kalpeni exotic and Minicoy the farthest and most exotic. Here, two Maruti Omnis operate as taxis with petrol costing Rs 80 a litre. Barrels of diesel are piled against the only powerhouse on the Island 8212; a diesel generator. The National Institute of Oceanography operates a newly constructed desalination plant that supplies the only pure drinking water here. A charming network of roads connects the administrative headquarters and other buildings.

To live here in this remote little outpost of India, which looks to Delhi 8212; where all supplies and most food has to come by ship 8212; is a remarkable challenge. For me, the ship was home and hotel. I would dismount in the morning, tour the Islands by day and return in the evening to sleep on the ship while we spent the whole night sailing 200-300 km to the next island. Our following stop was the largest island of Androtti, where outsiders are generally not allowed.

Tradition attributes the first settlement on these islands to Cheraman Perumal, the last king of Kerala. After his voluntary conversion to Islam, he slipped out of Cranaganore to Mecca. One of the search boats, was wrecked at Bangaram, starting the first small settlements here. The original inhabitants were Hindus or Buddhists but in the 7th century AD, a St Ubaidullah arrived from Mecca to preach Islam in pursuit of a vision and got shipwrecked on the islands. Successful in his vision, he managed to convert the entire population to Islam. Today, the Laccadives is 100 per cent Muslim but Malayali speaking, except for Minicoy.

The rarest and most exotic island is Minicoy, the most distant of all islands and next to the Maldives. There are excellent tourist facilities here, but what is really worth seeing is the genuine traditional village life of the place with its unique customs. The island houses the most famous and largest lighthouse in Asia built in 1885 by the British 8212; shining its beacons miles out to distant ships at sea. Minicoy is matriarchal, Maldivian in character and the most interesting and civilised of the islands.