|
A clear history of the Andaman &
Nicobar Islands can be had only from a British Survey of
these islands conducted in 1777. The Andaman & Nicobar
Islands remained the abode of the Negritos and the
Mongoloids respectively, who occupied the Islands for
centuries. These islands remained secluded from the
mainland till the end of the 18th Century when people
from the outside world first arrived. The history of
these islands could be divided into four broad periods
the period of seclusion and piratical disturbances
a) the British regime - a period of foreign intrusion
and settlement
b) the Japanese regime
c) and the Post-Independence period.
In the Second Century, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
were located in the maps prepared by the great Greek
astronomer, mathematician and geographer, Claudius
Ptolemaeus, which possibly is the earliest reference to
these islands. The early history of Nicobar is not well
known although these islands were familiar to traders in
ancient times, the islands being situated close to the
trade route to the Far East. Though little is known
about Portuguese activities in these islands, it is
evident that the Portuguese missionaries started
preaching Christianity among the islanders. The
Nicobarese language also reflects a few Portuguese
words.
The
British Regime
The history of the British in the Andaman and Nicobar
islands began in 1788 when Lord Cornwallis, the then
Governor General of India, thought of colonizing the
islands and instructed Lt. Archibald Blair and Lt.
R.H.Colebrook of the Royal Navy to Survey the islands
and submit a report on their suitability for a British
Colony. According to the recommendation of these two
officers the first British settlement was founded in
1789 on Chatham Island, near Port Cornwallis (Now Port
Blair). After the Great Revolt in 1857, the British
Government thought of establishing a penal settlement
here. In March 1858, the first penal settlement was
established, with 200 prisoners, mostly rebels from the
Indian Army. Initially the convicts were kept in a jail
at Viper island, which is about 15 minutes boat ride
from Port Blair. The island had a jail, gallows,
Kutcheri, Doctor's residence, etc. Subsequently, this
Jail was abandoned and the Cellular Jail at Port Blair
was constructed. During the time of successive
Superintendents, E.H.Man, General Steward, and Col.
Cadell, the number of convicts increased and they were
subjected to inhuman tortures at the hands of the
British jailors. The foundation of the famous Cellular
Jail was laid in 1896. The building was completed in
1906. Many changes, both in policy and practice, took
place during Colonel Ferrar's time, which, inter alia,
included concession to the convicts, mainland visit,
etc.
The Japanese Regime
World War II brought another series of changes in the
life of the Andamans. During the War, the Japanese
occupied Andamans on March 21, 1942 and kept the region
under their effective control till October 8,1945.
Initially the Japanese behaved cordially towards the
locals, but became harsh and suspicious after instances
came to their notice of some locals maintaining contacts
with the British. As a result a large number of innocent
people were killed. One such place where the massacre
occured is Humfreygunj. But one good result of the
Japanese occupation was making the Andamans
self-sufficient, at least in food production. The naval
blockade created an acute food crisis and the Japanese
compelled the local people to bring more land under
cultivation. They also constructed roads. Netaji Subash
Chandra Bose arrived in Port Blair on December 29, 1943
and was given a ceremonial welcome. He hoisted the
National Flag at Port Blair on 30th Dec. 1943 for the
first time during the British regime in India. On
October 8, 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the South
East Asia Command at Port Blair. The Government quickly
restored normalcy in the area and started rehabilitation
work.
The Post
Independence Regime
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands together with the rest
of India, became Independent on August 15th, 1947. The
Bengalis are the major population group which came to
the Andamans after Independence. They came as 'settlers'
under the Government rehabilitaion scheme, whcih started
as early as 1949 and continued till the 1970s. All these
groups migrated to the Andamans from different districts
of East Pakistan ( now Bangladesh). The Bengalis are
primarily distributed in the different villages of
North, Middle and South Andamans. The rehabilitated
settlers of Great Nicobar are the Ex-servicemen.
Ex-servicemen were rehabilated according to the rules of
the District Soldier, Sailor, Airmen Board, formerly
known as the Ex-servemen Association and the Indian
Ex-servicemen League. The first batch of Ex-servicemen
came to the island in 1969. Others, from different parts
of the mainland followed in 1970,1974,1977,1979 and
1980. These settlers include among others, Punjabis,
Marathis, Malyalis and Tamilians. New rules and
legislation were enacted and a Chief Commissioner
directly nominated by the President of India headed the
islands. On November 12, 1982, the post of Chief
Commissioner was elevated to the rank of Lt. Governor.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands now send one elected
representative to the Lok Sabha. |
