#Rahasya Part 9 ( Sentinelese )... Vinit Vartak ©
When we think of India, we think of it from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari. We often forget the fact that India exists beyond that. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are an integral part of India and strategically very important, are not included in our calculations. Andaman is a group of islands and the entire group is known as a part of India on the world stage. About 572 islands are part of this group and all these islands together have an area of 6408 square kilometers. This area is twice the size of our Goa. The Andaman group of islands consists of several parts and the 'North Sentinelese' island with an area of 59.67 square kilometers (14,700 acres) is the most dangerous and mysterious island in the world. Indians who belong to India know nothing about this island which is a curiosity to the whole world. What is it that nobody in the world knows anything about this island? What is hidden here? Even today, no one can say anything with certainty about what exactly exists here.
In the Sentinelese there still lives a tribe that is cut off from the rest of the world. This tribe, which has a history of almost 60,000 years, is still a curiosity to the whole world. Because today there is no reliable information about how many people live on the island where they live. About 50 to 500 people are still in the very primitive state of man. They are far removed from the basic needs of man who live on hunting, fishing and the natural resources available there. Their language is still a mystery. His knowledge of hunting with arrows and spears is still very rudimentary. Their customs, society and the entire island of 'Sentinelese' are a mystery to India and the world.
The island of 'Sentinelese' has remained hidden from the world due to the misconception that the island is inhabited by a tribe that eats human flesh. In 1880, British Colonel Maurice Portman interned a family consisting of a husband and wife and their four children. He brought them to Port Blair but they were people who were not used to the world of advanced men. So they were not used to diseases that humans are used to. Both the elderly couple died instantly of contact diseases. After giving some gifts to those children, the British released them back to the same island. After this once again this island and its people remained completely unknown to the world.
In the year 1967 then the Government of India under the leadership of TN Pandit undertook a campaign called "Sampark". In which an attempt was made to contact these people and connect them with the world. With the help of the Indian Navy, they approached the island and then with the help of small boats, they were released some aid and vital items close to the shore. But the people there attacked this team with the help of their weapons. This contact campaign failed. In 1974, the National Geographic team tried to contact these people. This time some aluminum pots, coconuts, some toys and a pig were sent to them. But without welcoming him, these people attacked the team with arrows. In which the director of this team was also injured.
Pandit and his team had not given up hope of contacting those people. Around 1991 Pandit and his team once again went to 'Sentinelese' island for contact. This time, however, these people approached them without any weapons, touched them, and looked at everything with curiosity. TN Pandit says about his experience,
But there was this feeling of sadness also—I did feel it. And there was the feeling that at a larger scale of human history, these people who were holding back, holding on, ultimately had to yield. It’s like an era in history gone. The islands have gone. Until the other day, the Sentinelese were holding the flag, unknown to themselves. They were being heroes. But they have also given up.
These people of 'Sentinelese' island did not allow new people to spend much time there. Then the Government of India in 1996 banned all such contact campaigns in order to preserve the independent existence of these people and in view of the many attacks taking place here. On the third day after the 2004 tsunami, the Indian Navy conducted an aerial tour by helicopter to provide medical aid and to see if the people were safe. In which once again arrows rained on this helicopter. But at least this confirmed to the Indian government that these people had protected themselves from the tsunami. In 2006, a fishing boat accidentally approached this island. Then the boat was attacked and the people in it were killed. The Indian Coast Guard tried unsuccessfully to retrieve the body with the help of a helicopter. This helicopter was also attacked with arrows and spears. Government of India has not booked anyone for this murder. The Government of India has accorded sovereign status to 'Sentinelese' Island and its people and they have the right to kill anyone who trespasses there as a matter of self-defense and sovereignty. Therefore, killing an intruder does not constitute a crime.
Even in the 21st century, these people, who represent the very primitive age of man, have been surviving on their own for more than 60,000 years. But today the so called pioneers are visiting this area to become tourists to see these people like they see animals in a zoo. Because of this, people often pay for hotels and tourism here, killing a generation of people far removed from such a world but equally mysterious. A representative example is the plight of the people of Jarawa Island, which is close to this island. These people, who have been away from the mainstream for centuries, are suddenly on the verge of extinction due to the so-called tourist. No one has the right to go there and destroy the life and culture of people who live in nature and preserve their culture. Till date, India has protected the 'Sentinelese' island by giving it the status of sovereignty. But this area is being turned into a tourist destination for money by the back door. Every Indian should take care that it does not become and that we do not become part of this destructive process. 'Sentinelese' is an integral part of India and its culture, people are a part of India. As an Indian we can fulfill our duty to protect all these by letting them live happily in their world. If we start making money by bringing outsiders here, we will surely destroy this noble culture like many other cultures of India.
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