What is Kala Pani or Black Waters?
One look at the Global Map makes us realize that the archipelago of the Andaman is far away from mainland India, surrounded on all four sides by miles and miles of crocodile-infested waters. No wonder the British Authorities considered these islands to be the most ideal place to condemn prisoners. In the days following the aftermath of the famous Indian Rebellion of 1857, the number of prisoners was on the rise. There was a need to isolate the prisoners of the independence movement from the mainland, India. The British also had a good understanding of India’s religious requirements and taboos. One of the most significant taboos was called “Kala Pani” which when literally translated means “Black Waters.” Hindu Vedic texts prohibited crossing the seas to foreign lands and anyone doing so would lose their social respectability, as well as it would mean the putrefaction of their cultural character and posterity. So the British Authorities plunged upon the opportunity and began using the Andaman Islands as a prison because they knew very well that a prisoner condemned to these Islands would not only be isolated but they will also be socially excluded by their own people. Hence, any prisoner condemned to the Andaman Islands would be technically condemned to Kala Pani or Black Waters, as they would have to cross a large body of water. Now that you know about the prisoners in Kala Pani, let me introduce you to their living arrangements and the amenities offered.
Cellular Jail – Living Arrangements and Amenities
As the independence struggle caught momentum towards the end of the 19th century, the number of prisoners condemned to Kala Pani, also kept increasing consistently. However, it was not until 1896 that the British started constructing a proper prison for the inmates. The bricks used to build this prison came from Burma, and the actual construction was completed by the chain gang prisoners themselves. The architectural design of the building was based on Jeremy Bentham’s idea of the Panopticon. Much like the spokes of a bicycle wheel or cartwheel, a central tower was constructed, from which radiated 7 wings, with each wing comprising of a 3 story building.
There were a total of 696 prison cells in the prison but there was not a single dormitory. The central tower served as the intersection and was used by guards to keep watch on all the inmates. Each prison cell was carefully designed to ensure total isolation and complete solitary confinement. The prison cell had no view of the outside world, as there was only one opening for the ventilation at about 3 meters high and the main door faced the back wall of the other wing. The lock was secured into the wall next to the door of each prison cell, which made it impossible for any prisoner to reach the lock, even if they put their hands outside the bar. There was absolutely no way for the prisoners to communicate with each other or even have a peek at the outside world. It was due to this extreme isolation and solitary confinement created by the design of each cell that the jail was eventually named the “Cellular Jail.” At the time it was built, the Cellular Jail was one of the largest jails in all of Asia.
What Happened In Andaman – Stayed In Andaman (For A Long Time, Until):
Several political prisoners and revolutionaries from India’s struggle for Independence were condemned to live in isolation from each other due to the walls, compounded by the isolation from the world due to the great body of water that separated Andaman from the mainland, India. Such intense disconnect from the world made the cellular jail a perfect place for the colonial Britishers to experiment with the inmates and it gave birth to several torturers like the famous, Dr. Edge a.k.a Horse Doctor. The experiments on the inmates involved different degrees of torture, forced labor, extreme living conditions, bad food, medical tests, and, for many, it eventually led to their death. No one in the mainland was aware of the intensity of these atrocities until many of the inmates started protesting these tortures, and ill-treatment by going on a hunger strike. These inmates included famous Indian Freedom Fighters like Bhagat Singh, Mahavir Singh, Mohan Kumar Namdas, Mohit Moitra, and several others. When the hunger strike was gaining attention, the authorities of the Cellular Jail increased their tortures upon the inmates and tried to force-feed them by inserting milk through the food tube in their nose. Unfortunately, this force-feeding resulted in the death of the last 3 freedom fighters mentioned above, as they drowned in that milk.
My Experience And What I learned:
The day I visited the Cellular Jail, was not a crowded day and I didn’t want to just see the place but I also wanted to get a realistic feel of the place. So, when I saw the prison cells of various freedom fighters like Vinayak Damodar “Veer” Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, etc. I literally self-confined myself in their cells for a good amount of time. In my mind, I imagined having traveled back in time, living day in and day out, as one of those inmates. I carefully observed the tools used to torture the prisoners, tried using the manual coconut oil pressing machines through which forced labor was imposed, I spent time in the rooms where one of the prisoners had committed suicide and even lingered around in the Condemned Prison Cell reserved for those on a death row. I spent the entire day at the Cellular Jail and in the evening, I attended the wonderful Light and Sound Show, where they use an amazing play of light and sound to narrate and recreate several historical events that took place within the 7 wings of this Cellular Jail.
I had watched several movies, read several books, and articles on the Kala Pani and the Cellular jail, but what I experienced that day was beyond my imagination. Although my experience can in no way be compared to the actual experience of the great Indian freedom fighters, I could now begin to fathom their struggles and the price paid for India’s Freedom. As I contemplated upon this, it made me realize the importance of Freedom for all of humanity.
The world we live in seems so broken and enslaved by the various passions, egos, and the empty void within all our hearts. It is at such times, that I often contemplate about the greatest Freedom Fighter of the entire human race, JESUS CHRIST. HIS entire mission was to deliver all of humanity and set us all free from all the enslavements of our extreme nature. Freedom of humanity had a fixed price set on it, and someone had to pay for it. Humans themselves being enslaved could not pay the price of their own Freedom. Just like those great freedom fighters of India, humanity needed a Savior to endure the harassment, torture, pain, humiliation and eventually, pay the full price of Freedom by sacrificing their own life. That Savior was JESUS CHRIST, who being the SON OF GOD, lived on earth as a human, experienced their struggles, experienced betrayal, underwent torture, pain, and suffering and eventually, through a horrible death on the cross, JESUS paid the full price for all of humanity’s Freedom. All we need to do is accept that JESUS CHRIST has already paid the price of our Freedom, and start living our lives for HIS Glory.
Conclusion:
Life in Free India, after 1947 took some time to get used to. After living under the slavery of the British Colonial System for several centuries, it was not easy for people to grasp the reality of their freedom. It was a challenge to learn to live without the fear of sudden unfair punishment from another, Dr. Edge, or any similar British Officials. Many years later, we are still shaking off some of the stigmas of the slave/servant mentality. On days like Independence Day or when we visit these amazing historical monuments, we are reminded of the great price paid by all our freedom fighters, which strengthens our faith and helps us appreciate the Freedom we enjoy today. So, we wish every other Indian around us to remind them that they are free and make them realize its importance.
Just like that it is only through reading the Bible, confessing, and putting our faith in the sacrifice and death of JESUS CHRIST that each one of us is able to appreciate and enjoy the true Freedom that HE has made available for us. Although not every person in the world realizes that Freedom is available for all of humanity, as we continue to live this new life of Independence from all slavery, we must constantly remind ourselves and learn to tell others that they too can be Free and begin to appreciate a life of true Freedom from the Saza – E – Kala Pani of this broken world.
On the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, I wish you all A Very Happy Independence Day, and I pray that each one of you finds the true joy of their Independence by living in the only Freedom made possible by JESUS CHRIST.