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🇮🇳Andaman and Nicobar Islands🇮🇳

Andaman and Nicobar Islands
By- riyaguha95

A union territory in the Bay of Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of 572 islands, out of which only 38 are inhabited. The narrow Andaman Sea separates the archipelago from Thailand and Myanmar. The group consists of the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, with the two of them separated by a 150 km wide channel. Though disjointed from the rest of the country, it is very much a part of India and is a popular tourist destination among even international tourists.

The capital city of this UT is Port Blair, which is connected to mainland India by land and sea. In fact, cruises from Kolkata to this city promise breathtaking views of the ocean all around and are a popular choice among tourists.

Being a union territory, it comes directly under the control of the Central government, and all the major decisions are taken from the central seat of power in Delhi. Though Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a Lieutenant-Governor, Admiral (Retd.) Devendra Kumar Joshi, who is a representative of the President of India, people to this post are appointed by the Central government itself.

Talking about languages, the official language of this UT is Hindi, while English is also an additional official language. However, the most widely spoken language here is Bengali. But Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam are spoken here as well by a large population of people, with the local language of Nicobarese also spoken by a small number of people.

This UT boasts of a fusion of its own culture and the Indian culture with respect to food and cuisine. Being an island, it's but natural that seafood is prominent here. The people love their fish curries with a side of rice. But what is really different is a hot and spicy curry, the chili curry, which has too many flavors and spices swirling on one's taste buds. Not to forget the scrumptious prawns, lobsters and crabs they serve at their beaches. They love their fruits such as guavas, mangoes, and pineapples and can concoct the best fruit juices within the span of a few moments.

The festivals here are heavily influenced by Bengal, with being situated close to the populous state of West Bengal apart from the presence of many Bengalis on the island who settled here way back before the independence of the country. So, they celebrate Kali Puja and Durga Puja with much vigor. Deepavali, the festival of lights, is also celebrated wholeheartedly.

Although, one festival that's unique here is the Island Tourism Festival, which is organized in the month of January every year to mark the arrival of a new year. The 10-day carnival is meant to boost tourism in the city of Port Blair as well as the other regions of the UT. Musicians and artists are brought in to perform and showcase their talents at the festival while the food served during this time is out of the world. It takes months to prepare for the festival wherein locally manufactured items are put up for sale, which adds to the commercial aspect of tourism, generating much profit for the local populace.

The culture here is an amalgamation of the indigenous people of the state and the settlers who came in later. The most striking local dance these people are proud of is the Nicobari dance, which is performed during the Ossuary Feast, otherwise known as Pig Festival, where people pay respect to the departed souls of their families' heads.

There is no dearth of places to visit here. Port Blair is the most famous tourist attraction with pristine and clean beaches, sandy shores and clear waters of the sea. Multiple activities are undertaken, such as scuba diving, paragliding, snorkeling, and other water sports, taking the tourists on a different kind of experience altogether. The other popular spots are the islands of Ross, Neil, and Havelock, which are sure to take the visitor by surprise because of their alluring natural beauty.

The most interesting feature about these islands is the presence of the Sentinelese, an indigenous group of people who are considered to be the original inhabitants of the islands. To date, they are one of the only few tribes across the world who are uncontacted and are hostile towards the modern world. They prefer to live amongst themselves rather than mingling with others or allowing anyone on their island. In fact, there have been multiple instances of tourists and government officials going closer to the island, hoping to interact with them. But they have ended up getting injured or worse because of the tribals there attacking the newcomers, considering the others to be intruders on their land.

They live a life of hunter-gatherers and use bow and arrows to defend themselves and hunt for food. Except for images taken in via drones, we know next to nothing about them and their culture. They are considered a vulnerable group of people. Hence, the government has prohibited any kind of contact with them since 1997 to help them avoid the deadly diseases we might take with us, given they are not immune to the germs of the day.

The recorded history of this UT dates back to 2200 years ago, though cultural and genetic studies suggest that the indigenous people might have settled here around 30,000 years back.

Here's to hoping that these islands would progress from the consistent increase in tourism as more and more people find the views here enticing and serene!

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We hope you learned something about this beautiful island of Andaman and Nicobar and will definitely spread a word about it to others.

Swagatam!
#ind_legion