DAY 1-CELLULAR JAIL
Upon the arrival at the islands, the Pathwazians welcomed the cool wind and favourably shining sun. Without much ado, we visited the Cellular jail in Andaman and Nicobar as our first destination.
The tour guide informed us of the ill treatment of the prisoners there as we were shown the gallows and their prison cells, acquainting ourselves with the rich history of this soon-to-be explored exotic land. We then visited the tsunami memorial in close proximity to the jail, acknowledging the disaster that had wreaked havoc here on 26th December 2004, a decade ago, before returning to the prison grounds for a light and sound show.
This proved to be quite spectacular as we heard the story of how the cellular jail was constructed to imprison the men who had fought for political freedom, narrated by the walls and the trees that had stood witness to the horrendous injustice suffered by the prisoners at the hands of the jailors and still stood to this day, to tell the tale. The entire field seemed converted into a theatre as individual prison cells lit up in perfect harmony and life-like sound effects were produced supporting the engaging voice overs.
Later this evening, we even had the honour of meeting Ms. Ratna Kanan, Chairperson of RWA of Andaman & Niicobar Islands.This encounter was extremely educative as she enlightened us regarding the current social issues in Andaman, as well as the measures taken to create awareness about them.
The students were delighted to have acquired so much knowledge in just a day and now eagerly anticipate the next day which begins at the crack of dawn at 4 a.m. with a road journey of 160 kma Rangat.
Text : Shivangi Sikri ,Grade 11