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Minicoy,
locally known as Maliku, is the southern most island
in the Indian Union Territory of Lakshadweep, formerly known
as the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands. Minicoy is further
most from the territorial capital of Kavaratti island, which
is 200 km away to the north of Minicoy.
The
closest land to Minicoy is Thuraakunu Island in the Republic
of the Maldives about 100 km to the south across the Vangaaru
Channel.
Minicoy
has a lighthouse built by the British in 1885. Visitors are
allowed up, right to the very top. The lagoon of Minicoy is
one of the largest in Lakshadweep
Minicoy
Lighthouse |
Minicoy
has a culture very different from any other island in the Union
Territory- dress, language and food are similar to the non-Indian
islands to the South.
Minicoy
has a cluster of 10 villages, which are called avarh,
each presided over by a Moopan.
The
main language spoken in Lakshadweep is Malayalam, a Dravidian
language spoken in the southern parts of mainland India. The
language spoken on Minicoy is very different. It is an Indo-European
language called Mahl-bas, which is written in a script called
Thaana-akuru. This language is spoken by the Maldive islanders
to the south, who call it Divehi-bas. It is the national and
official language of the Maldives.
The
population of Minicoy is 9779.
Fishing is one of the chief occupations of Minicoy men. Many
Minicoy islanders serve in the merchant navies of India and
many other countries. There is a tuna canning factory - signifying
the importance of tuna fishing in Minicoy. Privately managed
cottages have been built on the isolated beaches and are available
for tourists. Visitors to Lakshadweep, including Minicoy are
required to obtain a special visa from the Federal Ministry
of Home Affairs in New Delhi.
A
Minicoy Mahl song encouraging
pupils to rise up early
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Before
the advent of passport requirements in the 20th century, Minicoy
islanders travelled frequently to the Kingdom of the Maldives
to the south and had established many family ties there. A very
prominent Maldive noble family from Male, the Kakaageys
had settled in Minicoy in the 19th century. Their descendants
are still in both Minicoy and the Maldives. Some of them married
into the Divehi-ganduvaru, Serikkal, Landran-awgothi and Oludu-gothi
families.
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Click
logo to view the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights in Malayalam, the official language of
Lakshadweep. Mahl, also known as Divehi, is not
an official language of India, but the official
language of the Maldives. Although the Maldives
has been a member of the United Nations since
1965, there is no official Divehi translation
of the Declaration.
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It
must be remembered that Minicoy is not a part of the Maldives
and there is no evidence that it ever was. In the early 1980's
a senior official of the Maldive regime made a public comment
claiming Minicoy for the Maldives, and that landed quite a bit
of egg on a few faces. Even today many Maldivians privately
harbour such sentiments.
We
need to remember that what determines international borders
is neither geographic proximity nor cultural affinity. In historic
times, as far as can be ascertained, Minicoy has always been
within the jurisdiction of various states on the Indian subcontinent.
From 1905 Minicoy was under the jurisdiction of the Emperors
of India (The Raj).
Public
performance of lava dance |
The
status of Minicoy appeared to be in limbo between 1947 and 1956.
Right now it is an integral part of the Indian Republic. In
the civilised world we live in, sovereignty of states must be
respected. People have a right to self determination and to
live under the rule of law.
A
walk through the winding lanes of the villages gives an indication
of the culture. Minicoy is renowned for its dance tradition:
the lava dance is performed on festive occasions.
A
traditional Minicoy-Maldive women's costume. According
to ibn Batuta, only the feyli wrap-around used
to be worn from the waist down. The gown was a compromise
with Islam evolved a few centuries after the conversion.
There was much resistance to imported foreign concepts
of modesty.
Click
to read more. |
Within
the status group system of Minicoy, the Bodun or Manikfans are
considered to be of the highest class. They alone owned private
property and were the leisured class. The Malimin or Thakurufans
were the sailors who mainly piloted sailing vessels.
Medukembin
or Takurus worked in the boats during voyages while the Raveris
were the labourers. Women of the four status groups are known
as Manikka, Beefan, Beebee and Kambilo respectively. In between
Thakurufan and Thakuru , there is a sub-caste known as Bebe.
According
to local oral tradition, the four status groups correspond to
those among the passengers and crew of a ship carrying two Maldive
princesses Kamboranin and Kohoratukamana that came to Minicoy
sometime in antiquity. Those who sailed in the ship displaced
the previous inhabitants of the island and became the ancestors
of modern Minicoy islanders.
Marco
Polo referred to Minicoy as the "female island"
because of its matrilineal society. Until recently real estate
was retained by women and passed in the female line. Both men
and women took on their mothers' surnames (house names). Upon
marriage, the husband took the wife's surname. All affairs of
the household were managed by the senior female member.
Member of Parliament for Minicoy (Lakshadweep-ST)
P.M. Sayeed |
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Born
10 May 1941, Mr Sayeed is the son of A.B. Atta
Koya Thangal and Umma Bi. He is a native of Androth
Island in the Laccadive group. Married to Rahmath,
Mr Sayeed has seven daughters and a son.He is
a lawyer by profession. He was first elected to
the Lok Sabha (lower house) in 1967. Mr Sayeed
is a member of the Indian National Congress party.
Email:
sayeedpm@sansad.nic.in
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A
Minicoy Web site by Goboli Husenko
Maldivian
Internet Task Force
CAPART
doing its bit to help rural projects
.............
has sanctioned Rs 3.77 crore to 170 projects in Karnataka, Kerala,
Goa and Lakshadweep.|Details|
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Minicoy
