Leopard Moray Eels, frogfish,
manyan, octopus and the turtle as they swim by you. Tinnakara,
Parali-I and Parali-II make excellent excursion options
from Bangaram.An uninhabited island, Bangaram is the only
one open to foreign tourists. The teardrop-shaped island
has superb beaches and beautiful lagoons. The wealth of
coral formation (incl black coral) attracts a variety
of tropical fish-angel, clown, butterfly, surgeon, sweetlip,
snappers and groupers. There are also manta and sting
rays, harmless sharks and green and hawkbill turtles.
Windsurfing, scuba diving, parasailing, water skiing and
snorkeling. Deep sea fishing is possible on local boats
with crew.
There is something indescribably romantic about the very
notion of an uninhabited island and Bangaram justifies
that feeling. Tear-drop shaped, it is encircled by a continuous
halo of creamy sand. Like all the other islands of Lakshadweep,
luxuriant plantations of coconut provide coolness even
during the hottest part of the day. There are three uninhabited
islands in the same atoll consisting of Tinnakara, Parali-l,
Parali-ll, perfect for a day's outing. All the islands
share the same lagoon, an enormous bowl of turquoise blue.
At twilight, the setting sun, a ball of crimson in a flaming
sky, casts its reflection on the water, and with the ever
present coconut palms as a black silhouette, Bangaram
is at the height of its allure. That is the hour when
every visitor promises himself another visit someday.
If one were to cut the poetry, eulogising the beauty
of the island of Bangaram, then one would still be left
with the essential fact that it is a breathtakingly
beautiful island quite out of this world. Surrounded
by one of the largest and safest lagoons with its calm,
unimaginable blue- green waters, lie the white coral
sands and the half-a-square kilometer rise of Bangaram.
And yet the lagoon is born out of a long coral reef
that rings around three other islands as well, each
easily accessible by out boarding, sailing, rowing and
for the athletic, by kayaking or wind-surfing from Bangaram.
But that is not all. The warm, clear, deep waters of
the Indian Ocean with its myriad marine flora and fauna
are an irresistible invitation to the scuba diving fraternity
of the world. The exquisite coral formations including
the black coral formations, the large variety and number
of coral fish-the angel, the clown, the butterfly, the
surgeon, the groupers, not to mention the abundance
of the awesome, but harmless sharks, mantarays, sting
rays, moray eels (morena) and turtles, make diving here
an addictive experience, enough to make impressive any
diver's logbook with the stamp of the Diving School
at Bangaram.
And quite important too is the philosophy of preservation
of marine life in its state of indigenous purity, where
the coral and the shell are left undisturbed and the
fish merely observed. The more venturesome, however
may espy a sleeping nurse-shark, as commonly seen as
the gray and the white tipped or play with a friendly
turtle.
Bangaram is also an experience of yet another kind.
Of matchless peace and tranquility, of a sense of severance
from; the 'civilized' world, of the visit of the muses
that compel contemplation. To the sensitive and the
romantic, embroiled in the cacophony of crowded cities,
it offers a memorable escape into isolation, a moment
of harmony with nature, an experience quite beyond anything
similar on the mainland.
For those who think they know India, either by travel
or reading, the islands of Lakshadweep and Bangaram
in particular, beckon.
The Bangaram Island Resort is fast becoming a by -
word among the island hoppers of the world. Opened only
recently to foreign tourists the resort with its simple,
but attractive housing has already become a circled
spot in the brochures of tour operators and travel agencies
all over. There are attractive package terms for the
domestic tourists too.
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