Andaman 4 - The Notorious Jailor Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon

David Barrie, the notorious Jailor,
Created a record of atrocious crimes,
On the innocent Indian prisoners, whose
Only fault was that they relentlessly strived,
To attain freedom for their motherland.

When Barrie took over as the Chief of the Cellular Jail,
He let hell loose on the earth of Port Blair!
He hated being confronted, challenged or answered back,
His dictatorial rule and orders were harsh and horrible,
The place earned the name "Kalapani"- The black water!

His punishments became notoriously infamous
He beat, hammered and tortured the freedom fighters,
He starved them and hung them upside down,
He refused to allow them even to attend nature's calls,
David Barrie was merciless, brutal, and dreadful!

Physical torture was inflicted on the prisoners
Those who disobeyed or defied David Barrie.
A thirty pound weight was hung over the neck,
A bag full of coconut chaff was placed on the back,
Then, ordered to extract oil on the grinding mill.

Ullaskar Dutta, was tortured so severely
Till he became insane and sent to a lunatic asylum;
Indu Bhusan Roy committed suicide
As he could not tolerate further humiliation;
Sardar Bhan Singh was beaten to death in a fit of anger.



Pandit Ram Raksha resorted to fast unto death
Likewise, many prisoners died unnaturally,
Many sent to the gallows or thrown into the sea,
The diabolical tyranny continued for years on end,
The reign of terror thrusting out its ugliest claws.

God and Nature had enough of the sadistic Barrie,
He had to pay for all his horrendous deeds,
The curse of the freedom fighters followed him
Like a virulent serpent out to take revenge,
Soon, Barrie became very sick and was paralysed,

Though he was carried back from Andaman to Calcutta,
Barrie never boarded the ship or reached his home in England,
He died in Calcutta leaving behind him a history of crimes on Indian prisoners,
That even a history book would shudder and shiver to tell the tale of ‘Kalapani'
O No! Let no man so wicked, like this, be born on earth once again!