Below are the excerpts of a free-flowing conversation with a much-travelled armed forces officer - Shri Mihir Bhattacharjee, who is also one of Bharat's "Star Sewak" or " Viksit Bharat Ambassador".

In the Tourism circle, there has always been a perception that Lakshadweep Islands is one of India’s precious gems, which was never brought to the limelight. How do you perceive the emergence of this stunningly beautiful Island in South Asia’s tourism landscape?

Lakshadweep – one of Bharat’s precious tourism treasures is on the brink of global tourism recognition as a hideaway island with mesmerizing tropical ambience. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, himself Bharat’s all-time-great “Brand Ambassador” visited the emerald island on the first week of January 2024 and was swept by its beauty. In his words, "Visiting Lakshadweep was an enriching journey of learning and growing".

The Central Government through its nodal agency – the Ministry of Tourism, has come up with an ambitious tourism and infrastructure upgradation plan, worth a whooping Rs.3,600 crore, aimed at transforming the island into a tourist hub. The ports, road connectivity and amenities at the beachside will be at par with international tropical destination standards.

A vast majority of the tourists belonging to mainland India do not even have a clue as to where the emerald island of Lakshadweep is located. It is ideally located at 8° and 12° North Latitude and 71° and 74° East Longitude. The word Lakshadweep literally means “One Lakh Islands” but in reality, Lakshadweep is a cluster of 36 islands covering an area of 32 sq. Kilometres.

Apart from travelling by air, one of the most enchanting ways of travelling to the island of Lakshadweep is by cruise ships that depart from the port city of Kochi in Kerala. The sea voyage is unique and believe me, to embark on a sea cruise to the island is in itself an other-worldly experience.

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You have visited Lakshadweep personally. Can you share your route map while traversing through this beautiful speck of paradise?

The picturesque capital Kavaratti is your point of entry to Lakshadweep and the impeccably maintained Kavaratti Tourist Complex is replete with hutments that are every bit ethnic and offers all the amenities that a modern-day traveller would ask for. The “Taratashi Holiday Package” offers a plethora of island holiday options ranging from exciting water sports to visits to the spectacular Marine Aquarium. You will be startled by the sheer richness of marine life as viewed from the see-through glass-bottomed boats.

Lakshadweep is in the record books as well, being the smallest Union Territory of India comprising just 12 atolls, 3 exclusive reefs and 5 inundated banks. Amongst the 36 islands, only ten are inhabited like Agatti, Amini, Andrott, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmat, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Kiltan and Minicoy.

With Kavaratti as your base, you can easily explore the various islands and get a first-hand feel of the exceptionally fragile ecosystem and culture. Due to the rather delicate ecosystem, the island of Lakshadweep has not been promoted as aggressively as the other beach destinations like Goa and Kovalam.

What according to you is the USP of Lakshadweep?

Although tourism is very much encouraged by the government, it is kept under control from the harmful effects of mass tourism. With a view to protecting the sensitive ecological balance of the islands, Eco-Tourism is promoted and that too with all the proper checks and balances so as to be consistent in terms of the ecological situation of the island.

What is so appealing is the sheer synchronization of the tourist product – “Lakshadweep” into a truly exotic Island hideaway. At times it feels rather difficult to assimilate that you are actually holidaying in beaches that are integral parts of the Indian Republic!

Visitors from the Western world, particularly those from the affluent countries in Europe, North America and Australia who have a penchant for visiting tropical destinations like Bali and Maldives are now showing greater interest in Lakshadweep, due to its “Restricted Tourism Policy” ensures one fact – No overcrowding, any time of the year.

On my recent trip to Lakshadweep, I met a couple from far away Oslo (Norway) who brought out in the open their utter amazement about their one-week rendezvous in Lakshadweep thus - “As a couple, we have travelled to exotic places like Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka as well as Bali in Indonesia. However, in terms of Sustainable Island Tourism, Lakshadweep is a fine example of what an Eco-Friendly and Sustainable tourist destination should be all about - bio-toilets, rainwater harvesting, minimal use of pump sets, stress on the use of bio-degradable items, plantation of trees, maintaining the carrying capacity of the islands etc…which are being meticulously observed by the resorts, hotels and tourist lodges”.

Lakshadweep is remotely located from mainland India, how is the connectivity like?

Well, what is amazing is the fact that most of the islands are isolated and small in size, which means that, some amount of constraints on the physical growth of the islands is inevitable. Yet, in spite of the constraints, the government has successfully managed to promote tourism, which is high in quality. A visit to Lakshadweep is like an eye-opener when it comes to “low volume and high-value tourism”. In fact, Lakshadweep’s tourism module can be a great learning process for other beach tourism destinations of Bharat.

By far the best way to explore the varied charms of the Lakshadweep islands is by embarking on an island hopping spree. Apart from the administrative headquarters of Kavaratti, island-hopping tours to Agatti, Bangaram, Kadmat, Minicoy and Kalpeni can be very rewarding.

Can you take us through the unique socio-cultural milieu of the Islands you visited? The world is eager to know Lakshadweep’s historical past.

From the picture-perfect setting of Kavaratti as you venture to the fascinating island of Kalpeni, renowned for being home to the largest lagoon of Lakshadweep Island, the unusual atoll, which is conspicuous by its exclusive “storm bank” that is a repository of coral wreckages is simply awe-inspiring.

An impromptu talk with a local guide revealed that the island came under the influence of Islam way back in the 7th century. According to legends, small settlements started in the islands of Amini, Kavaratti, Andrott and Kalpeni first and later people from these islands moved to other islands of Agatti, Kiltan, Chetlat and Kadmat.

Apart from its unique charm, Kalpeni is the educational hub of Lakshadweep and in terms of “Education of the Girl Child”, Kalpeni has played a pioneering role. Other places worth visiting on Kalpeni Island are the picturesque islets of Pitti, Tilakkam as well as the gorgeous lagoon at Cheriyam Isle.

Many visitors decide to halt for a day or two at Kalpeni’s exclusive Tourist Complex at Koomel, which is a spectacular curved bay with facilities for a plethora of exciting water sports ranging from Kayaks to sailboats.

Many visitors to Lakshadweep find a lot of similarities with Maldives. Is there a whiff of Maldives as well?

A: I recommend a visit to the rather isolated Minicoy Island, which is strategically located at the southernmost tip of Lakshadweep. Anybody who takes the trouble of reaching to Minicoy can rest assured of a slice of Maldives, that fascinating island nation of south Asia. Here the inhabitants indeed speak the “Mahl” dialect, which is spoken on the island of Maldives.

The numerous villages dotting the Island landscape of Minicoy were exposed to democratic ways of life from times immemorial! A visit to neighbouring villages can be very rewarding, where the well-organized system of village administration with the lion’s share of responsibilities bestowed upon the – “Bodukaka”.

In terms of culture and heritage too, the Minicoy Island villages are much elevated and it was simply fascinating to watch the rhythmic “Lava” dance performed by the village folks.

While womenfolk of Minicoy Island have a dignified existence, the men folks are mostly involved in maritime trade and a lot of them work in foreign merchant shipping companies. They are also expert carpenters and have carved a niche for themselves in the competitive world of carpentry.

What is the water sports infrastructure like in Lakshadweep? Is it up to the global benchmarks?

A: In terms of foreign tourist traffic to Lakshadweep, the Island of Kadmat is a hot favourite and believe me, the island has the capacity to cater to just 48 tourists at a time, which might sound funny and even incredible, but such is the stringent tourism rules set forth by the island’s tourism mandarins; perhaps in the best interest of preserving the Island’s fragile ecosystem. It is here that one of Bharat’s finest diving spots is located and there is also an exclusive Water Sports Institute that offers Diving lessons for a fee.

The bewitchingly beautiful Islands of Agatti and Bangaram, each possessing unique tourism attributes to lure the discerning world traveller and very exciting to explore - Agatti, with its only airport in the whole of Lakshadweep and a gorgeous lagoon that never ceases to amaze you with its sheer beauty; and, Bangaram is the stuff of “Romance in the High Seas” – the kind eulogized in James Hadley Chase Thrillers.

Bangaram is the Mecca of Scuba Diving and is renowned for its scenic charm and exclusive coral formations as well as diverse tropical flora and fauna. Here you can have a date with creatures as diverse as Sharks and rare varieties of Sea Turtles, all of which have already catapulted Bangaram into the big league of international Scuba Diving sites.

Needless to say, the immaculately maintained Bangaram Island Resort is the hub of all tourist activity in this secluded island and apart from high-quality accommodation, the resort also offers an array of first-rate water sports equipment.

Given the fact that Lakshadweep has emerged as a top-end water sports destination, there is an exclusive Department of Water Sports catering to the exacting needs of water sports enthusiasts who converge to Lakshadweep from all over the world.

The Coral Reefs of Lakshadweep are rated among the best in the world. Is the government ready with the infrastructure?

No other Island destination offers the kind of variety in terms of Coral Reefs as Lakshadweep does. For those Coral Reef aficionados, the government has launched an exclusive onboard cruise package covering the bewitching Islands of Minicoy, Kavaratti and Kalpeni. Visitors board the vessel M.V. Tipusulatn from Kochi (Cochin) in Kerala and are taken along the trail of the three Islands in the all-inclusive 5-Day Coral Reef Package Tour.

Apart from the Coral Reef Tour, there is also an exclusive Marine Wealth Awareness Programme on offer for those interested in exploring the myriad charms of underwater sea life. An all-inclusive voyage by ship (6-Day Package) starts from the city of Kochi in Kerala and halts at Kadmat Beach Resort where the ship is anchored for 3 days so as to enable guests to explore the stunning array of marine life in and around Kadmat. Activities include Snorkeling, Kayaking, Scuba Diving, Deep Sea Diving etc…

Traveller’s fact file

Getting there

Lakshadweep is accessible by both air and ship from Kerala’s port city of Cochin or Kochi. There are regular flights operated by Indian Airlines from Kochi to Lakshadweep and vice versa.

As far as the sea voyage is concerned, ships like M.V. Tipusultan, M.V. Bharat Seema, M.V. Amindivi M.V. Minicoy etc… operate regular shipping services from Kochi to Lakshadweep and vice versa. The sea voyage is around 15-20 hours in duration depending on the weather conditions.

Visitors have the option to choose from a range of options like A/C Deluxe, A/C First Class and Tourist Class.

Students travelling in a group of 15 pax or above are given discounted tickets for the Tourist Class.

Accommodation

A range of accommodations is available for discerning tourists to Lakshadweep. Quality accommodations are available courtesy resorts and eco-friendly ethnic hutments at key Island destinations like Kavaratti, Kalpeni, Minicoy, Kadmat and Bangaram. Apart from being guests of resorts, one unique way of seeking shelter in Lakshadweep is on board shipping vessels like M.V. Tipusultan that offers all the modern amenities that a discerning traveller would ask for ranging from spacious cabins, cafeteria, snack bar, video shows, entertainment lounge, exclusive Upper Deck as well as a doctor on call.