Prisoner of Historic Elegance at
Kaala Paani

chillibreeze writer — Melisha Noronha

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A trip to a jail is never exciting. But mine was fun! Jump not to any conclusions – my trip was to the most dreaded jails known to Indians – Kaala Paani. Those who reach Port Blair are definitely bound to visit the Cellular Jail or Kaala Paani as it is more commonly known as. Situated atop a hill a little away from the main town of Aberdeen, this prison echoes the silent screams of the freedom fighters of India who laid their lives for the country.

The genesis of the Cellular Jail in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman Islands can be traced back to the British efforts for suppressing criminals and was later used for deporting political prisoners of India.

I was fortunate to visit the prison twice - once in the evening for the Light and Sound Show and once in the morning for a tour around the place. As I entered the gates of the prison, both sadness and awe took the better of me. Sadness listening to the tales of prisoners as narrated during the show and awe because of the way the monument is still preserved.

The Architecture

The construction of the Cellular Jail which is infamous throughout the world for the inhuman treatment meted out to the inmates by the jail officials began in 1896 and has a large influence of Colonial architecture, a combination of the British-European style and the Indo-Islamic style. The original building was a seven pronged, puce-colored brick building with a central bell tower as the fulcrum. Each wing was four-storied, with cells on the first three and a watchtower on the fourth. These spanned out in straight lines from the central tower, rather like the spokes of a bicycle.

When completed in 1910, the Cellular Jail had 698 cells each measuring 4.5 meters x 2.7 meters with a solitary ventilator located three meters off the ground. Thus, a prisoner could neither see anything nor communicate with other inmates. Even now, as one walks around the Jail Complex, the execution room where prisoners were hanged, the shed where they worked at the oil press, the walls with hooks from which the prisoners were tied as punishment, and the eerie silence in the long corridors are enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

Life in the prison

The Andamans made for a logical choice when the British looked for ways in which prominent rebels of the Indian freedom movement could be isolated. Hence, hence political prisoners and journalists convicted of seditious writing were deported to the island and kept in solitary confinement. The most famous among the prisoners was Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who was convicted in the Nasik Conspiracy Case.

In the confines of the prison, the inmates were incarcerated, tortured and subjected to most inhuman living conditions by the British officers. The food if given was not fit for human consumption with worms in the bread and wild grass boiled and served instead of vegetables. Rainwater infested with insects and worms was used as drinking water. The cells were dark and damp and dingy thickly coated with moss. There were no toilets and thus the prisoners had to relieve themselves in their cells.

The revolt by the prisoners

In retaliation to the atrocities meted, the prisoners resorted to a hunger strike in 1933. Bodies of those who died during this hunger strike were thrown out to sea. After 46 days the British Raj had to accept the demands of the prisoners. The hunger strike ended on 26 June 1933. The result proved beneficial for the future. There was light provided in the cells. The prisoners started getting newspapers, books and periodicals. The opportunity to play sports and organize cultural events was given and the jail work was reduced to minimal. Above all there was respect for the freedom fighters from the prison officials and a marked improvement in their behavior.

World War II

In 1942, during World War II, the Japanese imperial forces captured the island and freed the Indian prisoners. The Cellular Jail now became home to British prisoners. Two out of the seven wings of the Jail were demolished during the Japanese regime. In 1945, the British reoccupied the islands after World War II ended.

On August 15, 1947, the day India became independent, the penal settlement was closed down. On public demand, the central tower of the Cellular Jail has been declared a protected monument with plaques put up to commemorate the famous occupants of these dreadful cells. Not surprisingly then, to many the Andaman Islands stand haloed by the sacrifices of martyred freedom fighters. For them it is a place of pilgrimage.

The Present Structure

Another two wings of the Jail were demolished after independence much against the protests of several former prisoners as it was a way of erasing the tangible evidence of their persecution. The other three wings and the central tower were therefore converted into a National Memorial in 1969. It was strongly felt that this symbol of tyranny needed to be preserved as a National Memorial to remind future generations of the tremendous cost that was paid in Indian blood for the freedom of the country.

The Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital with 500 beds was set up in one of the wings in 1963. Nature too had its way and along with other parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Cellular Jail was also heavily damaged by the 2004 Tsunami.

This monument stands and reflects the tenacity of the Indians, who were struggling to attain freedom from the shackles of the British rule. The Light and Sound Show is a must-watch show and is an excellent narrative of the life in the prison. The tales of struggles are told as seen by a tree which still stands in the premises. The visual and audio effects bring life to the characters that once lived here. This presentation definitely moves the audience and brings about a sense of patriotism.

 

 

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in July, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

 

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—About our writer: Melisha writes for chillibreeze.

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