Dr.Dinesh
The British made the Nicobar Islands to be included State of A & N Islands under Chief Commissioner of A & N Islands, Port Blair. They were interested only at the administration of the Island only keep a government agent at Car Nicobar to keep law and order between natives and the Indian traders. Car Nicobar was selected the seat of agent for it is more populated than the other island. There were taxes and the attitude of the British was non-interference in the life of people. The contact with the mainland grew with the occupation of the Islands by the British. So many traders came especially from Sumatra’s and Indian traders from Laccadives and Minicoy islands to exploit the natives to trade in coconut and betelnuts. They brought in many kind of merchandise with them to the island and the natives adopted the use of many articles such as making of fishing nets and fishing lines and making lines from the Minicoyan and painting of mats for walling houses from Burmese. They exploited the simple and trusting Nicobarese at their utmost. So they remain in poverty with heavy debt, till the end of second world war, when all the traders left the island in poverty in turn.
Before Currency /money was not in use in Nicobar. They used to buy things from one another or from traders from India, Burma & Malaya by exchanging coconuts. “You cannot put many coconuts in your pocket especially if you only wear a loin cloth, but money is small you can collect a lot of it in a small bag. You can hide it and that has made it greedy and dishonest”. People never used to steal, now they do so. They began to tell lies and to cheat.
Nicobarese wore little clothing. The women wore skirts made of coconut leaves and men wore loin cloths round the waist with a tail hanging down behind. This tail reminded them of the story of the flood which had been handed down from father to son for many generations.
Second world war
All Nicobarese were under Japanese from 1942-45. This was the first time they saw 3000 army Japanese, they came without any resistance and were carriers by the thought that were second to none in field of war and so inflicted extreme torture and cruelty on the people of car Nicobar. They made Nicobarese forced labour and 2000 were taken to Port Blair.
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