Barren Island

The unforgettable incident in January 2013 and 27 Rohingya people died, while 75 others miraculously survived after reaching to this Baren Island. I have spent 12 days on this volcanic island without any food after getting lost at sea while migrating from Myanmar to Malaysia, and it has become one of the islands closest to my heart. On the fifth day of our journey in the Andaman Sea, there was a huge storm and we got totally lost. Our captain, a fisherman, had no GPS or compass and only used the stars for orientation. But because of the storm, the skies were constantly cloudy and the stars were not visible. Our engine also stopped working. On the seventh day, we ran out of noodles and on the tenth day we ran out of water. There was still no land in sight and we were just floating aimlessly. All we could see was the sea, the moon and the sun. When the water finished, some people started drinking seawater but immediately got sick. Two men died on the 12th day and five more died three days later. When you are so thirsty, it is impossible to control yourself from drinking the seawater, so for this reason a friend of mine tied my hands together so that I couldn’t drink it and get poisoned. Some men started eating the wood of the boat, while another man tried eating his own finger. Some of the passengers were discussing whether to eat one of the deceased bodies, but our captain said that was unthinkable, so we just threw all of the dead overboard. After the 12th day, we lost hope that we would survive. I tied a heavy jacket to my legs, thinking that if I fell in the water, at least I could drown quicker, instead of fighting and struggling to stay afloat, as I could not swim. This was my last consolation. My only other consolation was the few occasions where I drank the little diesel that remained on the fishing boat. I don’t know how it didn’t poison me, I only remember that it made me feel really good drinking it and I felt full for a couple of hours. On the 14th day, we saw a little island in the distance and start using some wooden blocks to paddle our way to the island. This was the volcanic island Beren and it was completely uninhabited. Out the 103 passengers who departed with the boat, 75 made it to the island. There was absolutely no one and nothing on the island. We immediately started eating the leaves of the coconut trees by the beach. Happily, there were hundreds and hundreds of crabs on the island so we ate them, cooking them on the fire of a lighter. The stronger ones got to eat the crab’s body, while the weak ones, which included me, were given the legs. We stayed on the island for 12 days. Everything on the island was just volcanic ash, soil, and crabs. Nevertheless, we built a shelter, cared for each other, especially the weak ones, and no one died there. We found some dry bamboo and lit a huge fire on the top of the island. On the 12th day, a jet flew right over the island. A few hours later we saw a coastguard ship on the horizon. It couldn’t come to the shore because of the rocks, so they sent some people on rubber jet skis to pick us up. They were Indian and, as I could speak Hindi, I could help with translation and explain that we were Rohingya refugees who had been stranded at sea for two weeks. They saved us from the island and took us to a detention centre in Port Blair in Andaman, where we were placed with 700 other Rohingya who had experienced similar journeys to ours. My regards to Inspector Naushad Sir, Vijay Sir from immigration department and special thanks to Rathore saab for your kind hearted conversation with me for months during my stay in that detention. And also a big thanks to Samsuddin sir for buying foods during departure from detention which detention is located opposite Mahatma Gandhi international school in Brookshabad Post, Chakargaon, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744112, India

The only active volcano in the Indian subcontinent. It is a restricted zone and needs special permission to go there. Got an opportunity to visit this beautiful place in 2018, thanks to DSS Port Blair. The volcano is located in a small island in the Andaman sea. Even though the place is uninhabited by humans, there are animals like goats, rats, bats and some birds in the island. It is a wonderful experience to watch the volcano spitting out lava and flames. The heat from the volcano can be felt even before reaching near it. The sea around the island is said to be one of the world's best scuba diving destinations as it is very clear. It is a region of high geological importance and also helps to maintain the continental climate stable.