It’s hard to believe that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a part of the same crowded, teeming with millions India. It is pristine and it is untouched. It is sun-kissed and inviting. Lush on one hand and sandy on the other – I think it is India’s best kept secret. Even more, because of the juicy, chunky sea food that makes it to your plate every meal of the day but has clearly gone unnoticed by the discoverers of the world…
Here, it was a solo trip and a treat for the senses. Walking the long shorelines of such beautiful islands in solitude and taking a dip in the clear waters was liberating. For me, a vacation is incomplete if it’s not a staycation. Since childhood, I’ve traveled far and long and now, I am only keeping the family tradition alive! I checked into a hotel in Port Blair for 20 something days and hopped around to neighboring islands.
Havelock being one of them. I hired a bicycle and was out and about on my own. I even took a tourist bus to go see the Radha Beach, known for its longest shoreline in Asia. It was a sight to behold. The sunset was exceptionally beautiful across that lovely, long, calm beach.
In essence, I remember Andaman for its beauty and that’s the memory I wanted to capture. While pictures were many, a DIYer would always want more. So I had carried with me a small canvas board and a few acrylic colour tubes. I arranged for craft work glue and got going. On the day before leaving, I gathered some sand filled with shells and little rocks and pebbles (typical of Port Blair sand) and mixed it with glue. As I spread it all over the canvas board, I was moving closer to the idea I had envisioned. A 3-D artwork – Rock solid on the canvas. The glue really helped. After it took a final shape and dried out, I painted it in the colors I saw around me the most. And there it was, a piece of art that oozes out the Andaman aesthetic and brings back memories of my first solo vacation, every time I glance at it…
