I thought I would follow Dr. Carr’s attention-grabbing title with one of my own, except this one actually has to do with the topic of my post…….well, sort of. Last week, Boa Sr. of the Great Andamanese Tribe died at the age of 85, which marked the end of a tribe that survived for thousands of years on a remote island off of India (Click Here). Boa was the last speaker of an ancient tribal dialect called “Bo”, and to me, her death was a blessing in disguise to find a topic to write about. Boa spent her life on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are actually closer to Thailand than India, but they are territories of India. The islands intrigued me. So I tried to research them and all I found was grainy tourism videos, and vague descriptions of tourist destinations. It made me wonder why isn’t India capitalizing on this territory the way U.S is capitalizing on Hawai’i?

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are tropical islands with pristine beaches, and perfect weather for amazing fishing, and epic surfing opportunities. They are also home to some of the oldest tribes in the world, which leaves some of the islands and land off limits to visitors to preserve their culture. The land that is open to tourism is for the most part, rustic and undeveloped. I did find one resort that would be considered a five star resort, but the rest were small cabanas on the beaches that put the word resort on them to make them seem more appealing.

This makes me wonder why India is not pumping money into the Andaman Islands to develop parts of the island and make them more tourist friendly. Paving roads, distributing power, increasing electrical production, and providing drinking water could go a long way in making the islands a romantic getaway for the large middle and upper class Indian citizens or foreign tourists that have some time to vacation. When the US took over Hawai’i, the islands had few paved roads and little electrical distribution. Now, a person can rent a car and travel around an island in a few hours. This occurred because the US military needed a rapid transit system between bases in Hawai’i, and it made the islands more accessible, which acted as a catalyst to increase tourism.

Granted the Indian government has no need and no desire to make the Andaman and Nicobar Islands a military outpost, it could benefit from another tourist destination. The tourism from the islands could generate jobs and increase revenue from the islands. Its location could interest tourists in both India and Southeast Asia, due to its remote spot in the Indian Ocean. The islands could act as an alternative getaway that wealthy Indians and foreign tourists could use to relax and let loose.

Imagine the possibilities! Rather than the end of “Slumdog Millionaire” in which Jamal Malik wins a million dollars and gets the girl, think of this. Jamal wins a million dollars, gets the girl, and then goes to the Andaman Islands! Well, that doesn’t have as good of a ring to it as I thought, but I am sure it will, if there is advertising and further development to make it a destination. For a country that is emerging as a power in the world, do you think this a possibility or is the idea just a little too American for India?

-Fred Peemoeller