It is difficult to imagine ourselves located in a secluded place for several years without being able to establish any contact with the world outside. The three years of the ravaging coronavirus pandemic have made us understand how difficult it was to live without being social with our friends and families. Human beings, being social animals, cannot even imagine in their wildest of dreams being completely secluded from any contact with the outside world, especially, in this era of globalization, when the world has been reduced to a global village, when we are a click away from each other and can have access to anything we want with just a click of the phone. However, full of wonders and miracles as it is, this world never fails to surprise us with its hidden mysteries. Nested in the heart of the Bay of Bengal and belonging to the archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar, North Sentinel Island is probably one of the most untouched and secluded islands in the world that has remained independent of the encroachment of modern humans. With its secretiveness and unique beauty, this place has never failed to surprise and attract humans towards it. However, to date the only thing that has kept us content is that the island shares the same planet as us but no one has ever been able to undertake any successful exploration of the place as of now. Though it comes under the legal territory of the government of India, one must not take the liberty of imagining that they would be allowed in that place as the inhabitants of the island have remained hostile to every one of them, who has ever tried to breach their peaceful existence.

The History of the Island and Its Isolation

The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago has always been a point of interest for lovers of history and anthropology as remains of ancient human civilization have been discovered in that region that dates back at least thousands of years. The discovery of pottery and other artefacts has further cemented this claim. However, what makes it unique is the North Sentinel Island. The island has been housing the Sentinels tribe which has accepted voluntary seclusion from the modern life of the rest of the world. Reports that have been published recently have estimated that there may be somewhat around 150 inhabitants of the tribe. However, there was no way this estimation could have been verified. It has been estimated that they have been living here for more than 60,000 years and might have been part of the ancient Gondwana Land. It is believed that their predecessors were from the continent of Africa. Unlike their Orengo and Jarawa counterparts, they have fiercely resisted the intrusion of any outsiders in their territory, earning the island the sobriquet ‘The Forbidden Island’.  The government of India protects the island and its inhabitants under the ‘Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act 1956’. As per this act, this area remains heavily guarded by the coast guards of India and the Indian Navy. Any form of travelling to the island, without obtaining prior legal permission from the Indian Navy and the coast guards, will be dealt with the strictest form of punishment. Boats are allowed to travel up to an area of 5 nautical miles. As per the government, this measure has been taken to protect the islanders as well as the visitors. Even with researchers, this same legislation applies also. There is also an intention of the government to protect the inhabitants as they are not immune to the diseases of the modern world, with their primitive immunity.

Unique Culture and Language

The Sentinels people have successfully managed to protect their culture and identity and their traditional ways of life so far without being affected by contact from the outside civilization. Their languages and customs have always remained a point of doubt for the outside civilization. It has been superficially guessed that they are relying on primitive methods of hunting and fishing and mostly eat tubers and fruits. Their resilience and efforts to remain attached to their homeland show their love and respect for their indigenous identities.

Attempts at Contacts with the Sentinels Tribe

Though the tribes have been resistant to any influence of modern civilization, there have been several attempts made to establish contact with them and to unravel the secrets that are lying in the dark forests of North Sentinel Island. Though successful attempts at contact could be made with the other tribes from the other parts of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, these people have been a hard nut to crack as they have remained stuck to their opinion of not letting any outsiders enter their territory. In the year 1757, a ship called ‘Nineveh’ was washed ashore. The crew of the ship had met with a shipwreck but they were attacked by a group of Sentinels when they overstayed on the island. However, the crew saved themselves with the help of sticks and stones. The second attempt at meeting them was carried out by British Captain Maurice Vidal Portman, who entered the forests forcefully with an entire contingent just to find that the forests have been left empty by the tribes in fear. However, he could capture an elderly person and a few children, who fell seriously ill in captivity. With the death of the elderly and the abandoning of the children by the British, no one knew, what had happened to them.

After India acquired independence, a team of anthropologists under the guidance of Triloknath Pandit, undertook an excavation of the forest, where they were reported to have made the first peaceful communication with the tribal people. They gifted the tribal people with coconuts and baskets that they had happily accepted. Sometimes, even this peaceful gesture met with bows and arrows from the side of the Sentinels. A foiled attempt at exploring the island by a National Geographic team was met with bows and arrows that got one of the team members injured. Even survey helicopters that are being flown by the Indian Navy are sometimes being attacked without casualties on either side.

Preacher Got Killed

Last year, when a Biblical preacher from the United States of America decided to secretly travel to the island to meet up with the tribes and preach Christianity to them in an attempt to proselytize them, he had reportedly been killed by the tribes. The body of the Biblical preacher from the United States of North America, John Allen Chau, could not be discovered yet. The government of India has lifted the search operation to avoid harm to the tribal as well as the search party.

With this secrecy and uniqueness in it, it will not be a mistake to say that this place is a mysterious paradise on Earth.