Soon after assuming office on 12th of November, 1982 as the first Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar N Islands, ML Kampani embarked on a exploratory tour of these mesmerizing seascaped islands.
The flagship of his maritime odyssey was MV Tarmugli, the touring vessel of the erstwhile Chief Commissioner of these strategic, Bay of Bengal Islands.
After journeying through the South, Middle and North Andaman, he proceeded for an extensive cruise of the Nicobar Islands.
I was nominated as the, ”Master of ceremonies”.
While exploring these islands LG expressed profound desire to visit a tiny Bompuka Island. This island was inhabited by about 125 persons, living in a small cluster of few stilted huts sprouting amidst lush green stately coconut and betel nut plantation.Our ship had to anchor about 2 km. from this small island (area.5 sq. km) due to spiky coral reef. Couple of Nicobar policemen were sent as scouts in a scull boat for fetching a dugout canoe (horey) out of half a dozen lying on the sandy beach, for ferrying the high officials.
The tribal chief was of short statue, lean built man in his early forties, unable to communicate, since the Nicobar dialect varied from island to island. Even our robust Nicobar counselor Aberdeen Blair hailing from Car Nicobar expressed his helplessness. Chief’s 13 years old son who had studied for few years at HQ. Car Nicobar, volunteered to be our interpreter. This proved to be a very slow process.
We gathered that these islanders had long been living in a state of isolated desolation. For supply of essentials, during fair weather they traversed in their dugouts to nearby island of Teresa, a full day’s journey. For medical emergencies they notified Police Lookout Post (LOP), at Teresa Island, who got them help from Primary Health Center (PHC) at Nancowry, relying on services of Navy/ Air Force or Shipping department.These isolated homo sapiens remained totally blank about existence of the Nicobar Islands, Andaman Sea or the Indian Nation.
The source of their subsistence was barter exchange of their coconut and betel nut produce with rice, salt, sugar, kerosene oil etc. They reared poultry and pigs for their own consumption. A stony waterhole catered for quenching their aquatic needs. FOR smoking the rolled dry leaves of a wild plant, which provided them a quite comfortable kick.
Visitors had to be ferried back to the anchored vessel. Upon completion of our task, Inspector Kuldeep Sharma (SHO of Nancowry), one constable and myself were last passengers awaiting our turn to return back to ship.
Suddenly the Chief’s son came sprinting like an express train entreating me to meet his father. The Chief clutched in his rough weather beaten palms a small multicolored hen, which he gestured me to accept, “To be presented to the great personality, who visited their Island in the white ship”.
Expressing my profound gratitude on behalf of LG, carefully brought the precious gift back to the ship. Keeping it in the protective custody of SHO, dashed to LG’s suite notifying, “Chief of Bampuka Island had sent a highly valuable gift as a token of his respect”.
All officials were hastily summoned in the lounge for a presentation ceremony. Everyone was impatiently anxious about the nature of such event. Soon they burst into a moment of applause, when the LG officially received the little hen from my hands. Respecting sentiments of the ‘Tribal Chief of Bampuka Island’, he ordered for its braising for the dinner.
The subservient Sun kept on fast receding towards the western horizon, preparing the residents for another night’s retirement, after a day’s painstaking toiling. We also set sail for our next destination, the highly flourishing Island of Katchal.
Just a few knots away modern Ocean Liners were speedily cruising, connecting the East with the West. While the sophisticated jets were droning in the high skies above, reducing the World to a Global village. Whereas these tribal still lingered in the medieval ages. No electricity, no portable water, no communication connectivity, no recreational entertainment facility etc, for these lonely persons, who also happened to be ‘the respected members’ of own society.
Why were they destined to lead such aloof lives. We absolutely had no answers to such glaring ambiguous riddle?
Are we individuals confined to remain entangled within the warp and weft of circumstances, woven around us by the decisive forces of nature. For keeping us confined us within the bounded restrictive domains of our predestined existence. Or was it merely coincidental for which no one ever had found any categorical answer.
No doubt it certainly was a eye opening experience. Even the richest person in our Universe could not have been able to avail such an exceptional thrill.
Who could have been more richer than me during that moment?
( True experience of the author HPS Virk when he was Chief of Police at Nicobar Islands in 1982 . He retired as Deputy Commissioner of Police )
