COLOURS unplugged....... A Passage to Kaalapani Part -I

COLOURS unplugged.......

A Passage to Kaalapani Part -I

------------SAJI S PILLAI------------

It was beyond expectations that to reach Andamans. I touched my foot in Islands just after Tsunami, which devastated gigantic part of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. People were not at all relieved from the shock gifted by the tedious waves and the massive earthquake. I never had been there in Islands before that. The entry into Port Blair threw pain rather than happiness because of the grief experienced by victims who were rehabilitated temporarily in various camps organized by administration. It was the time where many non-governmental organizations (both national and International) playing vital role over the islands for the remedial measures on these issues. Children were playing around the camp buildings. They were not even aware about the hazard happened over. These faces recalled me to go towards. It is happy to say that most of them got houses afterwards which reconstructed and handed over by various NGOs.

I joined Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana (BJS), a national NGO on 31st October 2005 as a part of their Educational Quality Improvement Project of 3 year duration. BJS is a professional NGO which is 25 years old and growing day by day under its Great Visionary Leader Shri. Shantilalji Muttha, who is the founder National President of the Organisation. BJS bagged WANGO award for Education in 2005. Job in BJS gifted the golden opportunity to travel throughout the Islands. Our objective was to implement different programs in Schools throughout the Islands pertaining to improve the quality of Education. It is proud to say that BJS also accepted the challenges of reconstruction of 11 Schools and 34 Primary Health Centers & Sub -Centres in different Islands after Tsunami. It was a herculean task to complete these rehabilitation processes in a year. But proud to say BJS completed all its reconstruction activities in a record time of one year by the great effort and dedication of Shri. Prafullaji Parakh, who is Trustee, National Secretary and CEO of Organisation with the blessings of Shri. SGM. BJS is headquartered in Pune and operations are going in different states such as Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra etc.

It was pleasure to realize that Andaman & Nicobar Islands is called as “Mini India” though people from all parts of India are residing over there. I could see Bengali, Tamil, Kerala, Telegu, Kannada, Punjabi, UP, Maharashtrian settlements across the Islands. Hindi is speaking commonly in the Islands even in tribal areas. The major tribe groups are Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, Sentinelese, Shompens and Nicobarese where Nicobarese are very much civilized and many of them are in government service. Numbers of other tribes are getting reduced year by year. We could see Jarawas while traveling between Jirketang and Baratang. They are Negroid and residing in deep forests. Earlier they used to attack passengers with sharp, poisoned arrows.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands are lying in the South Eastern Part of Bay of Bengal and consist of 572 Islands where only 38 are inhabited permanently. Topography is quite interesting and cool to eyes. Middle & North Andaman is found much more natural than Port Blair, the capital. Peoples from Middle and Northern Part of Andamans are depending agriculture. That is why cost of living is very less comparing to South Andaman. Shops from South Andaman, especially Port Blair is depending either Chennai or Kolkata for groceries.

to be contd...............