Andaman 3 - The Cellular Jail In Port Blair Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

Listen! O Listen to the stories of
Heroes who fought with
Undying passion,
Unquenchable thirst,
Undeniable determination to attain freedom!

The infamous Cellular Jail
Constructed in 1906 with a long, lethal history,
Confining over six hundred prisoners,
In cells so small, with hardly any light or ventilation,
And treated worse than animals in a cage.

The Cellular Jail
Designed like a gigantic Star fish
With seven massive tentacles or
Wings that spread out like fangs,
Tethered to the central hub.

Three storeyed structure with long rows
Of dingy cells with no dormitories,
Only a small opening high above the floor
And a stern iron grilled door.
A sentry would guard the cells like an eagle.

No two cells faced each other,
The front of each wing faced the back of the other wing,
The lonely prisoner had no chance to glance or ever meet the other,
Such was the manipulation or segregation of the prisoners,
Such was the dreadful isolation of the freedom fighters!


Dread was the word for the Cellular Jail.
Once inside, there was never a hope of a release,
Yet, the brave freedom fighters remained steadfast
In their goal, to shed every drop of blood for their country,
To fight till the last breath to gain freedom from bondage.

By the end of nineteenth century,
The cellular Jail in Port Blair had
Twelve thousand inmates in different cells of the jail.
The flogging Triangle where the prisoners were tortured,
Still stands - A bitter reminder of a terrible past!

But Time never stands still,
It moves on and passes by like the roaring wind.
From 1942 to 1945, the Japanese took over,
It was another dark period of barbarism.
But that too passed and came to an end.

At last! The wheels of destiny turned.
In 1947, when India gained Independence,
A national flag was hoisted and prisoners freed.
Cellular Jail is no more, now, a dreaded destination,
But a sanctum sanctorum - a pilgrimage of a holy shrine!

Let us not forget the stories of great Martyr's
The undaunted heroes who sacrificed without a murmur,
Who fought tooth and nail to get freedom,
Who shed their blood with passion and conviction,
Who laid down their lives for the soil of India.