My Dreamland Andaman is an enchanting description of the beauties of the character and culture of the prehistoric Onge tribe once known to attack whoever came within their reach. The Author, a former member of the Anthropological Survey of India, had worked during 1952-1954 with Dr. Lidio Cipriani, a renowned Anthropologist, when he had occasion to live with the Onge tribe in the thick forests of little Andaman Island then entirely belonging to the ferocious Onge tribe. History of contacts shows the process of winning over ferocity. My Dreamland Andaman is memoir based on his contacts over three months and more with the tribe. Though a sort of personal memoir, it contains good research material pertaining to daily life, homestead, food, settlements etc as existed then . The book vividly describes the land, the tribe and gives a pleasant reading as travelogue.
Partly based on his short revisit in 2006 the Author has also provided certain development related observations. It is a work done with some meticulous details. he has also dealt with the present marginalized status of the tribe, unfit to fight with the expanding needs of civilization and awaiting natural extinction. The book also depicts the pathetic process of decadence of the tribe, once the free owners of the entire Little Andaman Island, now lamentably cabined and dependant on rations and doles in lieu of daily labor plantations.
The book is unputdownable.
About the Author
Born in 1932 in Khulna (now in Bangladesh) the eldest son of a gallant Police Officer with highest decoration, the Author had hard experience of partition that uprooted him and thrown into the unkind city at Calcutta. Pushed to penury, he eked out an existence by running a way-side tea stall. Undaunted he continued with his struggle and entered into civil service. Gradually he advanced in his career and retired as a Gazetted Officer of the Central Government. It is during these days that he had met the Onge tribe of Little Andaman, described in this book.
A graduate in Commerce and in Law of the University of Calcutta the Author was called to the Bar after his retirement from civil service and attained success as a Senior Counsel of the Government. He also authored law books published by a renowned publishing house at Calcutta. |