According to some historians, the long line of three island countries on the west side of the Indian sub-continent were all classified anciently as one contiguous whole, and they were identified collectively back then as Lakshadweep. These days however, and beginning at the north, the three separate islandic units are identified as Lakshadweep, then to the south the Maldives, and then further south again Diego Garcia, all of which we collectively designate for our purposes as West Aquamontia.
The most southerly Indian island in the northern Lakshadweep Archipelago is identified as Minicoy, a name that has been translated with at least three different meanings. It is said that the original name for Minicoy Island, Maliku, can be interpreted as: Island of the King, or perhaps Island of Women, or perhaps Cannibal Kingdom, all of which may have been correct.
The island of Minicoy claims to be the second largest island in Lakshadweep, though geographers would suggest that this island by itself is actually the third largest, with 4.01 square miles of land. The current population on Minicoy is a little over 10,000.
A very small uninhabited island nearby with a total area of just .01 of a square mile is called Viringili, a name that is taken from the Divehi language of the Maldive Islands, not the Malayali language of the other islands in Lakshadweep. Viringili was known in the past as the Island of Lepers, and also as Small Pox Island.
Minicoy Island is just 75 miles across the open ocean from Thuraakunu Island in the Maldives. Way back in the dim distant past, it is said, there was just one family living on Minicoy. Then two princesses and their retinue from the Maldive Islands came and settled on Minicoy, and the original inhabitant family left and went to ancient Ceylon.
During the colonial days, the British ruled Minicoy from mainland India. Then in 1956, some time after India gained its independence from the British Raj, a referendum was held on Minicoy, and an absolute majority voted to remain with India. Thus the island was absorbed into the Lakshadweep archipelago.
Minicoy is famed for the longest racing canoe-boats in the world, and they are designed and built entirely of handcrafted local wood, without any metal nails, bolts nor screws. They race these Jahadhoni as they are called in the local Maliku language, on the waters of their large lagoon, with as many as 60 or more men seated in each and rowing at a remarkably fast speed. In fact their racing style is so well organized that it is difficult for a regular motor boat to keep up with them.
There are 10 villages on the island of Minicoy and each village has its own specific logo and color. The village identification is crafted onto the blade of each oar. These racing carnivals are staged usually twice each year, on two important Indian national days: Republic Day (January 26) and Independence Day (August 15). Then too, if an important visitor comes to the island, they will stage a another special event carnival which will be equally magnificent as on any other occasion.
Back during the 1980s, Indian archaeologists investigated an ancient nearly 1,000 year old Buddhist stupa on Minicoy, though their research discovered very little of real historic value.
Radio came to Minicoy Island in 1941 when a government communication station was installed in the middle of the island. Some 17 years later, this station was made available also to the general public for the transmission of communication messages back to mainland India.
Then in 1982, a Marine Radio Beacon was installed on the island with the tall transmission tower near the gleaming white lighthouse at the southern tip of the island. This facility was replaced in the year 2000 with modern equipment that radiated 500 watts on 306 kHz. However, the tall radio tower was felled during the devastating impact of Cyclone Ockhi two years ago in December 2017.
With the staging of more than half a dozen DXpeditions to the Lakshadweep Archipelago during the past more than half a century, amateur radio stations have been installed temporarily at more than a dozen different locations throughout these islands. The first of these radio adventures took place in 1961 on the island of Minicoy itself, just 5 years after the aforementioned referendum.
The well known international radio monitor Jose Jacob VU2JOS is an Assistant Director at NIAR, the National Institute of Amateur Radio in Hyderabad India and he has participated in two different amateur radio DXpeditions in the Lakshadweep Islands. On the second occasion, he was appointed with four other team members to Minicoy Island, where they operated under the special event callsign VU7MY. The callsign VU7MY is reminiscent of the callsign of the NIAR founder and current Chairman, Mr. S. Suri, whose home callsign is VU2MY.
A low power TV relay station was installed on Minicoy Island in 1989, and this was the first of many similar stations on the various islands in the Lakshadweep Archipelago.
That was our final topic regarding the Lakshadweep Islands, the Indian islands on the western side of the Indian sub-continent. On coming occasions, we plan to present a couple of topics regarding the Radio Scene in the Maldive Islands to the south.
(AWR/Wavescan-NWS 572)
