There is nothing more humbling than standing in a scary corridor with tiny rooms devoid of light and sanitation; and thank people who suffered in them for the blessing of freedom you have today. If you have been to the Cellular Jail in Port Blair you know what I mean.
 |
| A dummy showing how people were punished. They would be tied, lashed and left to suffer in pain before the punishment would begin anew. |
 |
| Back breaking work, the output of which decided how their fate would go that day. Less than expected and you would go hungry. |
All it takes is half an hour and the pleasant sea breeze affects you not as you walk to the first corridor of doom. these rooms were designed for isolation, they were designed for torture and nobody was supposed to ever get out of these.
The men barely clad and sparingly fed were just hands, splitting coir, weaving the ropes and toiling to press oil out of coconuts. Their food and comfort depended on what their hands had achieved at the end of the day.
You would think if someone has been restricted food, made to work unbelievable hours doing strenuous activity and punished for any small mistake with lashes; they have been punished enough. Unfortunately the jailers did not think so, they stripped inmates of their dignity by providing clothes that barely covered the essentials and restricting their access to toilet.
Every inmate was provided an earthen pot which was to be used for urinating and defecating. If you were restricted to your cell for days that is all you would have for those days. Requesting wardens for a breaks during the night was a futile exercise and in case it was granted there would be repercussions the next day.
 |
| The gallows. though it has not been used for years there is something chilling when you see nooses hanging over a openable floor, meant to take away lives of people who seldom deserved it. I have never thought about my stand on death penalty but this got me thinking. |
 |
| A beautiful setting indeed, if only this was not a prison of torture but a school for children or even a housing. How would the prisoner's have felt when they heard waves lashing the shores not far from where they were; but they could not even wet their feet. |
Would I suggest you visit the monument?
Yes, it does not matter if you are an Indian or not as long as you are a decent human being you will come out touched and humbled. They do have sound and light show which we did not attend but I have been told it is good and to be true there is not much to do in Port Blair in the evening so you might want to pay a visit.
Is it really that horrible?
In my opinion yes, but that depends on you. I saw families and aunties (why do women do this) posing, shouting and talking in high pitch about anything but history. So you might not be as affected as I was, or you might feel way stronger about it.
If you do visit the jail or you have already been there let me know what your reaction was.
