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introduction
Though the Lakshadweep archipelago may appear as a few insignificant dots on the map of India, |
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it is, in fact, a sparkling diamond- and emerald-studded jewel adorning India’s southwestern frontier.
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It is one of the few marvels left untouched by the encroaching hands of industrialization and progress.
The white beaches, the lagoons that wash its shores with the coral reefs which enclose it, and finally the deep blue sea-all these are symbiotically linked with each other. And, when all these are added up, Lakshadweep is no longer the tiniest of India’s territories but the largest!
Geographical Information
Topography
While the total area of the 35 islands is a mere 32 sq km and the area of the lagoons enclosed by the coral reef about 700 sq km, the extended sea zone is more than 7,00,000 sq km! This almost makes it the size of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh put together!
Out of the 12 atolls with 35 islands, only one island in each of them is inhabited. All the islands are shaped like a boat with their backs resting on the reef in the east and lagoons washing their shores on the west side. The lagoons are shallow, never more than a couple of meters deep. Just as the sands on the beaches are pure white and sugary, the waters of the lagoons are crystal clear and clean.
Flora and Fauna
Though the islands are lush green like coconut gardens, the calcareous soil of these islets permits only those vegetation species to survive that are able to draw nitrogen from the atmosphere. Moreover, only plants with roots long enough to reach the freshwater film on the saline water just a few meters below have any chance of survival.
Because of these environmental constraints, only a few hundred or so species of flora can survive in Lakshadweep as compared to thousands of species that one can find in volcanic islands like Andaman. Likewise, the fauna too is restricted to a few insects, scorpions, centipedes, and crabs as also a few kinds of skunks and geckos. These are the only species that were able to survive the spray of water during the long journey on rafts or logs.
Inside The Sea
It is obvious that land animals and plants have not made these islands popular with nature lovers; the real beauty and variety lies in the underwater zone, just as it is to be found in the changing color of the sky above.
The creator of all the underwater beauty is the polyp that is truly the architect and engineer of the coral reef. It secretes a cup-like calcareous skeleton into which it can withdraw. Multiplying by successive budding, an intricate structure of polyp cups is eventually formed and is attached to a submerged rock platform. The colony grows whenever the depth is short enough for light to pierce, a condition, which prevails in shallow lagoons.
Eventually reefs are formed and these enclose shallow saltwater lakes called lagoons. Soon the decayed and dead coral is broken into fragments and sediments of decaying organic matter, which, along with droppings of birds, combine with it on the reef to give a fertile soil.
Since the rate of nutrient turnover is high, the variety of animal life that establishes itself in the atoll environment is indeed vast. Coral reefs and lagoons shelter the most complex and organized community of living creatures of the sea.
It is impossible to forget the sight of the shoals of tiny but colorful fish darting in and out of coral branches or languid anemones. Lakshadweep reefs abound in more than a thousand species of fish, all dazzling in color and weird in pattern and shape.
To heighten the sense of adventure of a skin diver, deadly rays are often seen on the shallows of reef flats. These, along with the poisonous stonefish, camouflage themselves so effectively on coral ledges and rocks that they are almost impossible to make out.
Seashells are a constant source of delight for a visitor. The reef flats are almost totally exposed except for shallow tide pools at low tide. A trip to them is immediately rewarding: attached to rocks or stones are the hydroids, sponges, corals and sea anemones. Trapped between the tides, taking shelter under boulders or in shallow pools, are bottom dwelling marine invertebrates like sea stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers.
Society
Family
Lakshadweep is one of the few places where the matriarchal system still survives; and probably the only place where it survives in this form-where the husband visits his wife only in the night. And what is noteworthy is that it survives despite the fact that all the people are Muslims.
The right of residence and breakfast, though, does not come free; at the time of the wedding, a fairly steep bride price has to be followed by an annual payment in terms of bags of grain or cash, besides the customary gifts on certain ceremonial occasions.
This system only highlights the unique position that women enjoy in island life. Some early visitors have even written about ‘female’ islands; this comes from the presence of women everywhere, in the fields, on the roads and in the offices and mosques. Men are less visible, not least because most of them are away fishing out in the open sea.
Community
Every aspect of island life illustrates how closely knit the community is-nowhere more than in the rituals and ceremonies associated with the lifecycle. These start with birth, continue through childhood, marriage and, finally, death. If there is one thing common in all these ceremonies, it is the provision for expensive and lavish feasts.
In many cases, the burden of arranging the feast is that of the community, which also shares the cost in a unique system called bir. It is a remarkable system of cooperative borrowing, a system in which borrowings made now have to be repaid later.
Food
It is apparent that a community that has made feasting so much a part of their life would also have evolved a large number of dishes pleasing to the palate. In terms of exotic dishes, Minicoy Island leads; but there, too, the dishes reflect the paucity of raw materials.
Rice, tender coconut or copra, fish and jaggery made from toddy tapped from coconut-that about sums up the raw materials. However, despite this apparent lack of variety, the list of dishes runs into hundreds.
Games and Sports
As soon as the monsoon winds start blowing, small boys make little round balls with pieces of coconut leaves and let them roll on the sand; then, chest out in the breeze, chase it into the gently rolling water of the lagoon. Games on the sand are equally simple but exciting and any object is good enough, be it the cowry, a seed or a piece of coconut wood.
For the slightly older, there is a variation of the Chinese checkers, with lines drawn on the wet sand. In place of flat wooden pieces, small sticks are taken out of coconut leaves. Amongst the popular martial sports is Malpidutham, a kind of wrestling.
Behavior
The people in general are courteous and well-behaved and occasional visitors are welcome. The island world is a small one; group relationships naturally get to be clouded by small talk and gossip, but within this small, sometimes harsh and hostile world, the islander has etched out a niche of his own in which he has discovered the rarest and most valuable of all wealth satisfaction.
How To Reach
Cochin in the south Indian state of Kerala is the ideal point from where one ventures for Lakshadweep. The only mode of transportation is by means of ships, which have fixed departure dates and timings. Cochin is around 200 miles away from Lakshadweep.
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