– Dr. Dinesh
An early morning circumnavigation aboard MV Sindhu became a moment where sea, fire, sky, and more than 389 travellers, including 150 students from Government schools across Middle Andaman, North Andaman, and Hut Bay, came together in a rare collective encounter with wonder.
The sea has a way of drawing the spirit into contemplation, and that sense of awe accompanied us from the very beginning. MV Sindhu, a clean and well-maintained passenger vessel, carried us from Sri Vijaya Puram along with hundreds of fellow travellers, all united by the promise of witnessing something elemental and extraordinary, Barren Island, India’s only active volcano.
From the moment we stepped aboard, the voyage felt like a shared celebration. The decks were orderly yet lively, filled with music and laughter. Strangers spoke with the ease of old friends, bound by anticipation. Among them were myself, Dr. Snehesh, and Kanika, carrying not just curiosity, but a quiet pride in being part of this journey.
To help promote awareness of Barren Island tourism, we had printed special T-shirts, I Lava You and Just a Girl Who Loved Volcanoes. As we walked along the decks, we became cheerful moving billboards, sparking conversations and excitement among fellow travellers.
Hours into the voyage, the horizon shifted. The dark silhouette of Barren Island emerged, solitary, powerful, and mysterious. Smoke curled upward from its crater, faint at first, then thick and unmistakable. As the ship drew nearer, deep intermittent bursts, muted by the steady hum of the vessel’s engine, reached us, like distant gunshots echoing from the heart of the earth.
By early mid-morning, the spectacle unfolded in full force.
The crater glowed with a soft, pulsing orange light, the earth heated from within, alive and awake. The sea around us seemed to fall silent, as though listening. The air carried a subtle aroma of warm minerals and drifting ash, settling lightly on our clothing, the promenade deck, our hair, and our eyes, the scent of fire meeting ocean wind.
At dawn, we circumnavigated the island. The first rays of sunlight grazed the black volcanic slopes, tracing patterns of frozen lava, jagged ridges, and newly formed contours. It felt like watching history write itself in real time, a landscape both ancient and continuously reborn.
We remain deeply grateful to Andaman Tourism and the Directorate of Shipping Services for organizing this remarkable voyage with care, safety, and genuine hospitality.
A small suggestion may further enrich the experience, if the ship were to depart either slightly earlier or later than the current 9 p.m. schedule, a decision best left to the administration and the captain, travellers could enjoy the sunset at sea and arrive at Barren Island with renewed energy.
Another recommendation is to consider offering a small concession for islanders booking with their Islander card number. Such a gesture would encourage more local residents to experience this marvel, without significantly impacting the revenue of the Directorate of Shipping Services. Private educational establishment, senior citizens can also be given some concession on bunk beds. This will ensure full capacity.
Some journeys show you places.
This one let us witness the living breath of the earth.
The author can be contacted at dineshdentalclinic@gmail.com