Variety

Lakshadweep:

Emerald islands in the blue sea

"An emerald green necklace set in the blue waters of the Arabian sea." That's how a journalist described these islands in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Kerala in South India.

If you are using an English atlas you'll find these islands marked as Laccadive Islands. Does Lakshadweep mean 1,000 islands? If so, whoever gave the islands that name, must have seen, from some great height, the Maldive Islands as well to declare the islands as "Lakshadweep." (This is only my surmise as this group of islands is not far from the Maldives.)

There are about 36 islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago, lying about 192 km to 320 km off the Kerala coast. Of these only 10 are inhabited. Every island has a lagoon on its western side and a beach on its eastern side. The lagoons protect the islands from the fury of the south west monsoon. The islands are small; not one is wider than a mile. The total area of the inhabited islands is 32 sq.m. or 7 sq. miles. The population, according to the 1981 census was 40,237.

Lakshadweep was declared a Union Territory in 1956. A territory is distinct from a state which has its own government viz Tamil Nadu; a territory is governed by the Central Government.

Chetlat is the northernmost island. The islanders are good navigators and boat builders; in fishing they are surpassed only by the Minicoy islanders. Kiltan being on the international trade route, ships plying between Colombo and Aden pass this island. Amini was one of the first islands to be inhabited. Vasco da Gama visited Amini in 1498.

Kavaratti the most centrally situated island in the group is therefore the headquarters of the Union Territory. It is bustling with activity. It is a beautiful island with a lake. The northern end of the lagoon is shallow making it a beautiful swimming pool.

Minicoy, the most southerly island is unique in many ways. I shall talk about Minicoy later.

Malayalam, the language spoken in Kerala, is the mother tongue of the people of Lakshadweep except the Minicoyans; but here the language is written in the Arabic script. The islanders dress like the Muslims of Malabar in India.

Many or most women of Lakshadweep have never been to the mainland (India). So, they have never seen a car or train. They are very good housekeepers. The chairman of the Central Social Welfare Board of India who visited the islands sometime ago made these comments. "A visit to their homes is an exhilarating experience. Women love not only gold jewellery, but also to keep their homes beautiful. The premises are kept well. Practically every house has a swing with nice brocade coverings."

Nobody knows when exactly the Lakshadweep islands were colonised. There is a story that an expedition set out from the Malabar Coast in search of the Kerala King, Cheramam Perumal who, after embracing Islam, had gone to Mecca. This ship was wrecked and the sailors and others in the expedition settled down in one of the islands. Later others came with their families and settled down in the islands.

The migrants were Hindus and they brought the caste system with them. Today though 100 percent of Lakshadweep is Muslim, the caste hierarchy is still observed. The landlords are known as Koya; The sailors are Malmi and the cultivators are Melachery. The people are known as Moplas and are of Hindu and Arab descent. The men are mainly sea-farers.

The people are known to be honest and law-abiding. Seldom is a major crime reported. There was no police until 1959 - that is three years after Lakshadweep became a Union Territory. The people were converted to Islam by an Arab saint named Ubeidulla.

His sacred tomb and the Mosque named after him, is the most revered place in all Lakshadweep. It is said that the tomb and mosque in the island of Androth, commands deep respect even among Muslims in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Myanmar.

Every island has mosques, but not just one or two. Amin an island with an area of 2.6 sq. km, and a population of 4,542 has 40 mosques. The Ujjara mosque in Kavarathi is architecturally superior to mosques in other islands. This mosque built in 1670, has a finely carved wooden ceiling supported on a row of equally graceful pillars.

It is said that a 'Mukri' an attendant of the mosque, received divine orders and guidance in his sleep to build this mosque. The beautiful wood work was carved out of drift wood.The holy water in the adjacent well is believed to have curative powers.

The islanders cultivate pulses, vegetables and bananas for their own use. It is the coconut palm that gives them their income. The abundance of coconuts has made coir-making the main industry. Vasco da Gama who visited Amini island in 1498 was full of praise for the coir produced there. The coir is bought by the Government of India in exchange for rice. Because of this barter system, there is neither starvation nor begging on the islands. Copra is also exported.

Fishing is also a lucrative industry. The catch of the tuna has trebled after the introduction of mechanised boats for fishing. There are two canning factories; one in Agathi and the other in Minicoy. Lakshadweep canned tuna is now available in the world market. The progress made in education is remarkable. Children and teenagers attend co-educational classes.

According to the 1981 census, the literacy rate was 54.7 percent of the population, making Lakshadweep islanders the sixth most literate, after Kerala, Chandigarh, Delhi, Mizoram and Goa.The natural beauty of the islands has attracted many tourists.

They explore the shell strewn beaches and the coral filled lagoons and bathe in the azure blue or turquoise green water. The tourist huts under coconut groves are cool and comfortable, equipped with electricity, running water and sanitary toilets.

Minicoy

Minicoy is in many ways different to all the other islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago.

The people of Lakshadweep speak Malayalam. In Minicoy the language of the people is Mahl; it is the language spoken in the neighbouring Maldive Islands. Minicoy is closer to the Maldives than to the rest of Lakshadweep - 71 km from the nearest point in the Maldives and 110 km from the nearest point in Lakshadweep in the north.

Minicoy women dress like Maldivian women while the rest dress like the women in Malabar, India. Here the women outnumber the men. Women have an important place in Minicoy society. According to their system of inheritance, the man has no claim to a house. Men stay in their homes until they marry. After marriage the man moves into his wife's home, and what is more, takes his wife's family name. In our society it is the other way about.

Marco Polo in the account of his travels, refers to Minicoy as 'the island of females.'

A Minicoy girl has the right to choose the man she will marry. Their life-style gives ample opportunities for young men and women to meet and mix, resulting in love marriage. The bridegroom has to meet the expenses of the marriage. Parents are not present at the marriage. The bride is accompanied by two or three elderly women while the bridegroom generally is accompanied by friends. Men are employed in various shipping companies; so they are more out of Minicoy than in the island. They are seen in merchant ships all around the world. When men go out to sea for months or even years, the villagers take care of the womenfolk. Even boats that return after fishing set aside a share for the weak and the whole village as a community, looks after the old, the weak and the injured. This system of social welfare is common to Lakshadweep but is very strong in Minicoy.

Boat races are very popular in Minicoy. Most villagers have their own racing-boats.

The boats are beautifully painted and decorated. They paint their houses too in bright colours, and as in the other islands, in Minicoy also, every house has a cosy decorated swing - the honoured seat for guests.

The boat races are conducted on the lagoon on days of merry-making or on special occasions like festivals.

Boat-racing is the most popular sport in all Lakshadweep.

Minicoy with its lighthouse is a familiar sight to seafarers.

-Sumana Saparamadu