Chapter 3 - Land of Jarwas and North Andman

Nomad’s Nomadism reaches him in the land of Jarwas – Middle and further to North Andmans…

A long journey to other side of Andamans.

To take this long journey without a tour co-ordinator, you need to do your research beforehand. Find means and routes of travel. Rest you can explore on your way as and when it comes. Roads are in bad condition and under construction. Ferries are limited. Very few stay and food facilities. You need to go as basic as possible. 

   
In my last visit, I had just visited four popular diving spots of Andamans and left. The purpose of last visit was to duck for deep dives in Andaman seas. Never thought, this place will become one of my milestone and will settle for longer period in everyone’s dream destination. As I was posting pics on social websites, there were reactions from friends. All of them were positive reactions with hint of jealousy, but everyone knew, I had taken a right call after slogging my ass for years in corporate life. Looking at the reactions and to feed something more to my hungry friends, I had to explore beyond Havelock because doing nothing was getting slightly bored. Before that laziness sank in me, the urge or kida of exploring more took over. One day, one of the staff from resort said, ‘Tomorrow, I am going to Rangat to be with my family for a few days’. My mind jumped after seeing an opportunity to explore beyond explored and asked him about the location. He was very happy to provide more information to my hungry mind. He was faster than he used to provide me food everyday. Though this was supposed to be my last week of vacation, I contemplated on new plan. When I introspected my qualities - quality of making travel plans, not only for myself, but for others as well. In my last corporate job, my colleagues who know my travel enthusiasm and treks, always used to consult me for weekend or long vacation plans as if I have opened a travel desk.

Coming back to this new information and looking at the number of days, made a quick outer plan and started working towards. Informing the resort of my early wrap-up, dropped my diving gear and extra luggage at a friend’s place.

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After finishing wrap-up, realised the hurdle of all ferries and buses requires advance booking, right from travelling to Port Blair from Havelock by ferry. Next taking a long road journey of Port Blair to Digglipur which is in North Andaman. None had any clue about bus timings as travelers who come to Havelock, hardly leave Havelock as you get everything here, clean beaches, blue sea and relaxed time. They will go either to Neil and come back to Havelock, but will never visit Middle and North Andaman and leave for their home town.

Another hurdle for making a plan, needed data network to search Google, but here network speed is always at the speed of ‘G’. No sites work for information. Hell with this, like earlier I had mentioned, I make outer plan and give it a shape as per my need, desire to see and available time. Though my wish list was huge, but knew couldn’t manage all.

With the plan in hand reached Havelock jetty for taking early morning ferry. Sometimes, these Andaman ferries can make you sick, if you can’t hold your stomach, if there is a rough sea, but if I compare with British Raj and their infamous second most severe sentence below ‘hang till death’, was Saja-e-Kalapani. All the prisoners were ferried by boat which was a basic one in compare to today’s cruise liners from Kolkata. Many prisoners died on the way before serving sentence.

The Grand Andaman Trunk Road 
in its today's condition

Though I was warned by my well-wishers that the bus travel is long and no less torturous than boat journey and might take more than 10 hours. Also I might miss the first bus, but who cares. With a ‘Jo hoga, wo dekha jayega’, mindset and working on Mumbai’s Street Smart attitude reached Port Blair ST Stand. Expected first hurdle. There was no bus for Digglipur on that day as direct buses to Digglipur ply on certain days of the week, so asked which is the nearest place to which any other bus will reach. Mayabunder bus was the nearest possible option. If someone would like to take this journey, there are private and Government bus options available, but book bus ticket in advance as buses are always full and Government buses have morning 7 o’clock and alternate days 10 o’clock bus, but do not always rely on timings. You should go personally or use your contacts and book ticket.

In this journey, my belief in two things proved right. One is, luck favours those who take chances and if you look odd or your outlook odd, people remember you and go all out to help you when you need.

I took chance of going upto Mayabunder by booking a seat not knowing what lies ahead and got help on entire travel. Regarding second belief, as mentioned in earlier part, my odd outlook for which people remembers me and advise or come forward to help me even if I don’t ask.

It started with Port Blair bus stop itself. Decided to take a loo break as still there was some time for start of bus and oops.. my bus left without me boarding on it. Asked the bus controller with whom who had chatted earlier while reserving ticket. He immediately found another bus on the same route, but after some point going in other direction  and asked bus conductor of other bus to reach me to my original bus. I was completely doubtful about the plan but both of them were confident as both buses - my original and temporary were supposed to be in the same convoy.

Vehicles crossing point on a barge 

CONVOY… I was familiar with this term because, while riding in West Bengal in group, to protect tourists vehicles from frequent road blocks by political parties, we had rode in convoys where  security forces give protection to out of state vehicles by placing their vehicles at the lead and tail. I assimilate with the same. Earlier days, when jarwa tribe of Middle Andamans was not comfortable of civilised world had shot arrows on early vehicles from civilised world when the road network was getting built up to protect these islands from enemies like ever hungry China to occupy whichever island looks empty in the world. I won’t be surprised, if Chinese will claim some iceberg in Antarctica and settle some Chinese people on it because of ever increasing population and their needs and land mafias alike behaviour to grab as much land as possible.  

This convoy had the same purpose, but instead of wasting so much man power, cops are placed in leading and trail vehicles. They are protecting from the tribes. Jarwa tribe is more or less, socialised a lot unlike other couple of tribes who are still in their evolution stage of mankind, wear minimum or no clothes and resembles to Africans, perhaps travelled from that continent many centuries back and settled.

These are Aboriginals and Government Of India is trying their best to keep them at distance from so called progressive mankind i.e. us, so that our deceases are not spread in them. There are six known tribes – Great Andamanese, Nicobarese, Oongies, Jarwa and Sentinels. Not getting in details about them as Googlemata and her cousin Wikipedia is always at a fingertips away.

After the building of Andaman Grand Trunk Road, Jarwas are slowly coming in mainstream and nowadays socialized. They have started wearing clothes. One specialty of these tribes is they have vast knowledge about medicinal plants. Actually, our ancestors also had knowledge about these, but as the time passed by, we started relying more on today’s modern age medicines. Through their knowledge, Jarwas don’t require any medicines for any of their illness, even fractures.

By coming in mainstream, they got many bad habits of so called progressive human being. Also some anti-social elements got them addicted to beetle leaves and tobacco. These elements trade deer meat and crabs in exchange of tobacco. That’s a bad habit for the tribe.  

Coming back to Convoy. The formation is kept till Baarataang, a first ferry point. There are

two ferry points on the way and your vehicle, bus or car is carted from one end to another in a  barge like certain places in Goa on rivers. The whole journey is through jungle was like Amazon forest. You are transported to the past by imagining Jarwas are throwing arrows, deers are crossing road, fearless Jarwa people in their least modesty i.i.e. birthday suits, roaming on roads. They can be easily identified by their faces as round and dark skin. One precaution to be taken, if you see any tribesman on the road, do not click their pics. Even if you click, you cannot publish their pics anywhere. Government levies huge fines, if their pic is found on internet. Bringing you back to reality, the road right now is in a such a bad state that 250 kms takes about 10/12 hours due to apathy towards development of this region till now. The good news is, new government has started work of this highway's expansion to 4 lane. This work should get over in next couple of years. also Digglipur is getting a new airport, so overall Andaman's development is on a speed track.

Coming back to the present, I had last seat ticket in bus and bumpy ride literally flattened my butt like a burger Pattie and head like Magnificent Hulk formation. This road is good for off-roading and looks like vehicles goes through this circus every day. The bus driver was one hell of a driver, manoeuvring every crater of the non-existed road. At first impression, looks like it was Government wanted to keep this area also like Jarwas. Protected from luxuries of good road.

 Finally Mayabunder last stop of bus was in vicinity, but that last stop of bus was still 80 kms away from my destination, Diglipur. Like I mentioned before, I make friends everywhere because I like to mingle with locals in public transport and hate using cars. This serves couple of purposes like mixing with locals and saves cost for a backpacker which is a big boon for a budget travel. Also if you compare travelling alone with travelling 

in a group or comp

Got down at some absolutely obscured place called Nimbudora which had couple of highway hotels. Waited at the said hotel and as always, I had time to chat with locals. The owner of this hotel shared information of his origin and how he came to this place settled about 40 years back from West Bengal and now his sons are managing the business.

Finally after 4 hours of wait, The godsend bus arrived and my further journey started, but in a better way and not - flat butt and hulk like head.

Early morning could see landscape changing from rural to small town. Concrete structures replacing paddy fields next to the road.

Digglipur doesn’t have very long history, but has an interesting story of adaptability, survival and progression of humans to a new place. Post Bangladesh war, Bangladeshi immigrants arrived in Eastern India and requested then Prime Minister to provide them land to settle and they were bought by boats to A & N and given stretches of land in and around this very small village which now turned into a town.

Nomad Says 'Nomad loves his journeys for not reaching destination, but to explore the journey of life.'

Here ends third part of Andaman stories from Nomad’s Nomadism. 

Next part will cover how a mountaineer can never stay away from mountains and return journey to Havelock and further to Port Blair.  

If you like till here, do read more Nomad's exploration of one of the highest mountain in Andaman and Nicobar and another pristine beach in 4th part of Andaman's blog - 4 Highest mountain and Pristine Long Island beach of Andamans

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