From 1971 to 1977, I worked in the Union Territory (UT) of Lakshadweep as a Police Inspector. Lakshadweep is the smallest U T in India and is an archipelago consisting of 11 inhabited and 17 uninhabited exquisite coral islands with untouched beaches and coconut grooves. It is scattered off the Kerala coast in the Arabian sea. No one other than the natives are allowed to enter or reside in the islands without a permit as laid down in the ‘Restriction on entry and Residence Rules 1967’, even though Lakshwadeep is a part of India. This is one of the most beautiful parts of India. The islands are popular for its white sandy beaches and clear lagoons, which attract tourists in fair season.
I had been visiting Kavaratti Island on an official duty and had to return to Amini Island by boat (Pablo boat, 25 feet tall) via Agatti island.. It takes about 7 hours to travel from Kavaratti to Agatti and from there to Amini is about 6 hours. The boats are allowed to sail only in fair season i.e., from August/Sept to April/May and that too in pairs only.
While travelling, in addition there was a Tahsildar, medical officer and few government officers in the boat with me. . We started at around 10PM and reached Agathi at 5 AM. After a brief rest, we resumed our journey towards Amini Island at about 11 AM. The sea was calm and weather was pleasant. The boatmen were using compass /maritime chronometer for navigation. After sailing for few hours the boat started to pitch and roll and frothy water formed en route. Suddenly the sea became violent and the boat started to swing sideways due to excessive rolling. As a result, the boatmen changed direction and resumed the route at a different angle. . Over the time, the situation with the sea was becoming worse and water was splashing into the boat while crossing the waves. The waves started getting bigger. To make situations worse, the engine suddenly stopped working. The boat started to swing and water continued to splash. Gradually, the engine room was flooded and we started removing the water with buckets. Meanwhile, the other accompanying boat could not be located.
The boat was on the verge of capsizing The Boat driver Aboobacker expressed helplessness on his face as he still struggled to start the engine. There were about 15 persons in the boat and only 5 life jackets. Due to sub surface current the boat was dragged towards the core of a whirlpool. Big vessels can survive such undercurrent. The islanders call such shallow places in the sea as “Bhaarni”. The small boat can get sucked in the whirlpool easily and in no time. Everyone was exhausted and losing hope. They were literally lying on the floor getting wet. 2 – 3 people continued to drain water from the engine room and the driver was making his effort to get the engine started. All were praying to God and Allah. Everyone including me took an oath in silence which was ”If we are saved, we will not do any undesirable acts hereafter, we will help others and will not harm, we will visit you daily and offer you ……….”
And, finally a miracle happened. Black smoke puffed out. The engine regained its life. The boat started coming back from the dangerous water into safety. It took half an hour to come out of the tentacles of the disturbed water. A sigh of relief!! God heard the prayers. After about an hour, we could trace out the route to Amini Island We were able to see the island in silhouette. When we reached the jetty, there were many people waiting anxiously. The accompanying boat had arrived one hour earlier and the mob was sure of some untoward incident. We all again thanked God again and disembarked. A grand reception followed by embraces and congratulations. The mob thinned out. We took our way to the quarters. We were thinking about the promises we made to Almighty God two hours ago Will we be able to maintain it?
While travelling, in addition there was a Tahsildar, medical officer and few government officers in the boat with me. . We started at around 10PM and reached Agathi at 5 AM. After a brief rest, we resumed our journey towards Amini Island at about 11 AM. The sea was calm and weather was pleasant. The boatmen were using compass /maritime chronometer for navigation. After sailing for few hours the boat started to pitch and roll and frothy water formed en route. Suddenly the sea became violent and the boat started to swing sideways due to excessive rolling. As a result, the boatmen changed direction and resumed the route at a different angle. . Over the time, the situation with the sea was becoming worse and water was splashing into the boat while crossing the waves. The waves started getting bigger. To make situations worse, the engine suddenly stopped working. The boat started to swing and water continued to splash. Gradually, the engine room was flooded and we started removing the water with buckets. Meanwhile, the other accompanying boat could not be located.
The boat was on the verge of capsizing The Boat driver Aboobacker expressed helplessness on his face as he still struggled to start the engine. There were about 15 persons in the boat and only 5 life jackets. Due to sub surface current the boat was dragged towards the core of a whirlpool. Big vessels can survive such undercurrent. The islanders call such shallow places in the sea as “Bhaarni”. The small boat can get sucked in the whirlpool easily and in no time. Everyone was exhausted and losing hope. They were literally lying on the floor getting wet. 2 – 3 people continued to drain water from the engine room and the driver was making his effort to get the engine started. All were praying to God and Allah. Everyone including me took an oath in silence which was ”If we are saved, we will not do any undesirable acts hereafter, we will help others and will not harm, we will visit you daily and offer you ……….”
And, finally a miracle happened. Black smoke puffed out. The engine regained its life. The boat started coming back from the dangerous water into safety. It took half an hour to come out of the tentacles of the disturbed water. A sigh of relief!! God heard the prayers. After about an hour, we could trace out the route to Amini Island We were able to see the island in silhouette. When we reached the jetty, there were many people waiting anxiously. The accompanying boat had arrived one hour earlier and the mob was sure of some untoward incident. We all again thanked God again and disembarked. A grand reception followed by embraces and congratulations. The mob thinned out. We took our way to the quarters. We were thinking about the promises we made to Almighty God two hours ago Will we be able to maintain it?
Interesting.
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