I have wonderful memories of taking the steam ship S.S.Maharaja from Madras to Port Blair, that took four days. My favourite spot on the ship was the stern standing and watching the waves and flying fish and get all excited on seeing another ship far away in the horizon.
To the hand rails was fixed a meter like a speedometer which in turn was connected to a lang cable that went into the water like a fishing line being dragged by a boat. I have no clue even today as to what it was, it was fascinated by it and stood there for hours watching it spin and the needle move.
My Dad being a Govt executive we were allotted posh cabins and I being the only boy was given the upper berth. Little did my parents know that I wanted the upper berth more than anything unlike my sisters who were scared of falling off.
On one such voyage from Madras to Port Blair the ship was stuck in a storm and it was so severe that the captain turned the engines off and allowed the ship to drift aimlessly as opposed to wasting valuable fuel. Every one was told to stay indoors to avoid going over board in the storm. Was pretty scary. The strong hurricane force winds made the ship list badly from starboard to port side and the waves were much bigger tan the ship and we could hardly see the decks. Stuck in the cabin I was there looking through the port hole windows and watching the ferocity of the sea and the waves as they battered the poor ship.
My favourite food item on the ship was baked potatoes not common at home as we did not have ovens then.
S.S.Maharaja (Steam Ship )
Standing on the deck also meant being hit by smoke and soot from the ship every time she belched depending on the direction of the wind and splashes of sea water from the big waves from time to time.
On the third day there was a lot of excitement on board the ship as the Nicobar Islands came into view. There was no jetty for the ship to moor so the ship was anchored, may be a mile away and crew unloaded all cargo destined for Nicobar into paddle boats.
Nicobarese people looked different. Now I know they were Islanders or Polynesian as we say in Australia for Tongans and Samoans. Yet do not remember Nicobarese as Big people like the Polynesians. Only set foot on Nicobar once and I can never forget the houses on stilts, circular in shape like the igloo.
We arrived at Port Blairs Chattam Jetty the next day and Dad's official Jeep what he called a 15 hundred weight army vehicle would be waiting to take us home.
I still remember the climb from the jetty was soo steep that the vehicle would start to roll backwards. I was scared but the drivers were not. The back had a steel frame to hold a tarpaulin and the seats were two long wooden benches screwed firm to the truck body. Our school bus was similar but a bigger army lorry. But my Dads official Jeep was the one as shown below
When we got to Aberdeen Bazaar and saw the clock tower we knew home was close by.
Home sweet home with a huge garden full of red Rose's and our beloved four legged in the verandah Jani and later Tippu barking with joy and tails wagging endlessly.
On my bucket list is a visit to Andaman's by sea. What a dose of nostalgia it would be to return for the first time since 1955, 54 years later.
I am thinking of what I will do when I set foot on Andaman soil at Chattam assuming this is where the ships dock even now.
Just the very thought is making me cry needing a hanky. I might need a large face towel and a few hugs from loved ones who will be there with me to share my past; God Willing.
I did not own a camera until I came to Sydney in 1976.
Wish we had Samsung phones with their super duper cameras then
