A far-off place

I believe that nature and environment of the place where one grows up, have the biggest influence on his physiology as well as psychology. I grew up in the majestically beautiful islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It was an enchanting experience. No matter how far I travel, my umbilical cord will always remain tied up to those backwaters.

Often I am complemented for being able to multitask so efficiently. I have a quite a fan-following that includes mostly parents of my friends who say they are amazed by my expertise in “juto selai theke Chandipath” (a Bengali phrase that means a person who can do everything from stitching shoes to handle religious chores). Though it makes me proud at times, I know that the credit goes to the islands.

My parents were among the lots of teachers who were lured to teach in Andamans with highest salaries in those days and lucrative perks. It was in the late 70s, when my dad saw an employment advertisement inserted by the A& N administration in the Anandbazar Patrika. For my Dad, a school teacher commuting 95 kms (59 miles) daily from Burdwan to Howrah to earn Rs 90 per month, the opportunity to earn around Rs 1,100 pm was dream come true. His wanderlust took care of whatever misgivings he might be having about going to the infamous ‘Kala Paani’. He left his home, family (which included my mom and a toddler me) and friends to

embark upon what was to be a life-long romance with the mysterious islands of A & N. The stories from his early days were my bedtime stories for as long as till my college days. They were so much imbibed into my persona, that I feel I had lived through the initial days of struggle in a one-room hut-cum-school with mostly absent students.

My mom and I joined dad about two years later. I survived through the days of recurrent malaria, sun-flies (an obnoxious insect that mostly bit kids and caused pus-filled wounds that left ghastly dark spots) and paan-chewing primary school teachers who had unshakeable faith on corporal punishment. But then, Mother Nature became my greatest teacher (after my mom, who took care of my studies three-hours a day). I grew up tough, strong and able to handle any kind of pressure. The most important characteristic that the islands taught me was having a very positive attitude. There was nothing that could made us (people of the islands) feel under-priviledged. Nature was the great leveler. All my friends, from different financial background walked 3-5 kms to school every day, because there was only one bus in the entire island of HutBay, where we stayed from 1982 till 1989.

The one bus was used as a school vehicle taking teachers and students to a Senior Secondary School 17 km away. First stop for the bus was 8 km away, a village called Netaji Nagar. So, we going to school in bus was a funny idea. We never minded the distance. Only other vehicles in the island were jeeps of government offices. There was no dealer for four-wheelers in Port Blair. It was almost impossible to book a vehicle from mainland and get it shipped 1200 miles to Port Blair and then ship it further to the remote islands. Later, my father was among the first few who had the luxury of buying a Bajaj Super scooter and getting that shipped to Hut Bay. Many of my friends, who did not come to mainland, had never even seen a train!

A hundred percent of the people were from affluent families, thanks to the generosity of Central Government. That means we did not have anyone to stitch our clothes or mend our shoes. Morning chores for me included giving a mirror-polish to dad’s and my shoes. On Sunday’s when I was younger, my dad would taught me to nail broken soles of sandals, or glue straps together. Later, Sunday mornings were dedicated to servicing his scooter. Sunday chores for dad were grueling— he, like all other heads of family, would chop down weeds and till the garden in front of our quarters. As I attained expertise in dad’s department of jobs, mom took me under her tutelage and I learned to stitch entire wardrobe for my family of dolls.

As mom and dad got transferred from one island to the other, my knowledge-book of experiences got richer. I learned fishing, rowing dingis (small wooden boats used for fishing), and got better in dress-designing.

The islands remoteness also helped my intellectual growth. As there was no cable-TV till late 90s (there are still places where cable TV is yet to reach it’s network, even in 2009!), I had enough time and reason to get hooked to books. We had cultural sessions every Saturday in the colony where elders discussed everything: latest news, issues, science and literature. They sang Tagore songs till late night. We children presented classical as well as folk dances. Most of could sing, dance or recite poems because they consisted an essential part of extra curricular activities in the school. We learned with dedication because there was no cable TV, videogame or hang-outs available to distract us.
There would be many who grew up in a world uninhibited by cable TV or modern gadgets. But they would not be in the age group of 28- 36. My peers from Andamans are lucky to grow up in a pollution-free, trouble-free, yet a very modern world.
Some of my classmates even walked 10 kms, some had to swim overflowing rivers to reach school. They worked in paddy-fields in the wee hours, came to school and helped their moms in the evening and yet did well in their exams. Navigating in dingis through crocodile-filled creeks, watching out for scorpions or snakes as we sat in the verandah during a power-cut or carrying an 8 kg bag of groceries from market to home were not adventures, they were simply part of everyday life. Those days taught me to expect everything as a part of life and never to complain. The Islands taught me to be mysterious, to keep secrets, to be ready for everything and above all, taught me that nothing in life can be free and easy. Life there presented new challenges everyday. As I emerged through those small troubles, my faith on God became firmer. The ultimate winner might be me, but the victory stand is provided by those beautiful Islands.