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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest go to to the Lakshadweep archipelago and his keep at Bangaram has turned the island, surrounded by turquoise blue waters, multicolored coral reefs and a wide range of sea life, right into a tourism hotspot.
Not simply Bangaram, the close by Thinnakara island can be benefiting from the eye generated following the PM’s go to and the following diplomatic row between India and Maldives over the derogatory feedback made by some Maldivian leaders on social media platforms in opposition to Modi and India.
The incident resulted in lots of calling for a boycott of Maldives as a tourism spot and pushing the island archipelago as an acceptable various.
The controversy has labored in favour of Bangaram and Thinnakara islands which other than their lovely seashores, giant lagoons with crystal clear water and tranquil environment, even have a narrative behind their names.
“The title Thinnakara got here from ‘Thinna Kara’ (Malayalam phrase which means the land the place somebody ate meals). The story is {that a} group of warriors of the Chera Kingdom on a ship met with a wreck and took refuge within the island.
“There they discovered numerous coconut timber and used the fruits to quench their thirst and starvation. Bangaram was derived from the phrase ‘Banna Kara’ (means a land to which individuals got here). These warriors then traveled to Bangaram hoping to seek out an escape path to the mainland,” Saifullah, an area resident of Agatti, who stays six months in Thinnakara island for tapping the coconut sap for making coconut jaggery, instructed PTI.
Saifullah, nonetheless, does not know what occurred to these warriors.
Aside from the lagoons and the crystal clear waters inhabited by a wide range of sea life, there are additionally stays of a shipwreck close to Bangaram, which is now a snorkeling hotspot.
“This shipwreck is alleged to have occurred greater than 200 years in the past,” Saifullah mentioned.
It may arguably be the one shipwreck ecosystem on this planet the place one can actually stroll by means of the ocean and see a plethora of sea life.
The water on this space, most occasions of the yr, is simply chest-deep and one can merely stroll to the spot and see a wide range of fish utilizing a snorkeling glass.
The fish even nibble on biscuits or bread from the palms of the individuals.
Saifullah mentioned that his father and his nice grandfather have talked in regards to the shipwreck throughout his childhood.
“Earlier, the stays have been removed from the coast. Now it has moved nearer to the shore,” he mentioned.
He additional mentioned that Bangaram has been a tourism vacation spot for a few years.
It had a on line casino on the island and resorts, however all of them have been closed down later, most likely as a result of connectivity problems with Lakshadweep, Saifullah mentioned.
Presently, solely Alliance Airways has a single every day flight to Agatti Island, with two journeys on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Aside from the flight, there is just one ship doing the service between Kochi and Kavaratti in every week.
All that’s set to alter in view of the plan to offer the island archipelago a serious makeover with quite a few massive tasks within the pipeline, beginning with enhancing the connectivity.
Each Bangaram and Thinnakara islands may be reached inside 45 minutes on a ship from Agatti, if there is no such thing as a sea turbulence, which has the only airport in Lakshadweep.
Moreover the proximity to the one airport within the archipelago, the 2 islands are additionally uninhabited, stuffed with coconut timber and there are solely 15 individuals residing on Thinnakara island for six months when they’re making coconut jaggery.
The Lakshadweep administration operates a five-star resort on Bangaram island and there may be nothing else, not even a store or people who find themselves outsiders.
The uninhabited nature of the islands can be an attraction and sometimes vacationers staying in Agatti, come to take a stroll on the resort property and return.
The friends staying there, in the meantime, get to benefit from the tranquility, with no exterior noise however simply the buzzing of the ocean breeze, as a result of lack of native residents.
“This place is one among the many most lovely locations on this planet. I used to be right here 8 years in the past and I needed to indicate this place to my associates. That is why I’ve come again,” Joanna Ambika, an Indian adopted lady who lives in Sweden instructed PTI.
Swapnil and Jyothi, a pair on their honeymoon journey to Bangaram, additionally shared an analogous view.
“I have no idea why Indians desire to journey to Maldives or Bali after they have probably the most lovely place like this in India,” Swapnil mentioned.
He opined that individuals ought to be travelling extra to Lakshadweep because it has higher services, individuals with nice hospitality and good meals.
“I want if they might add a number of flights for connectivity then it might be nice,” Jyothi mentioned.
Bangaram could quickly have extra properties and a 22-acre resort proposal at Thinnakara by a non-public group can also come up if it will get disentangled from the litigation it’s caught up in.
If extra such services are supplied on these seashores, the tourism panorama of Lakshadweep is unquestionably going to have a serious makeover.