Many years have passed since Roy Plomley first introduced Desert Island Discs on the BBC. The sound of breaking waves, with seagulls in the background, has always remained in my memory.
Imagine my surprise when Ann & I were invited by Ravi Mehotra CBE on his Indian Ocean cruise as a guest lecturer. It was a journey of a life-time, cruising to Lakshadweep islands which lie in the hub of the Arabian – African – Asian trade routes.
How many of us can identify the location of these islands on a map?
Most of us have heard of the Maldives but few realise that there are a series of islands in the Indian Ocean. They provide the quintessential uninhabited paradise with sun drenched coral sand beaches, coconut palms swaying in the wind, lapped by the gentle waters of naturally formed lagoons. These are the worlds most spectacular tropical island systems, tucked away about 180 miles off the Malabar Coast of India. There are 36 Islands and each one is fringed by white coral sands. The water is crystal clear and the rich marine life is a joy to watch.
The 14 day cruise began in Goa with stops at Mangalore, the island of Suheli, Cochin, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Trivandrum and the island of Cheriyam before finishing back in Goa. Suheli and Cheriyam are uninhabited islands in the Lakshadweep system. Darwin theorised that the base of the islands below the reef is volcanic over which the coral settled. In 1799 the islands were annexed to the British East India Company but they became Indian Union territory in 1956. The only commercial crop is coconuts. Slow-moving sea cucumbers, shelled molluscs, hermit crabs, shrimp and lobsters inhabit the reefs with dolphins, turtles, rays and even flying fish making occasional appearances.
The islands were a magnet for a care free life. Almost all the facilities including a beach barbecue and cold drink containers were transported from the ship to shore. It was a real treat to sit and drink and relax amongst this stunning and largely untouched splendour.
But then it wasn’t simply the islands. To and fro we went down India’s coastline touching wonderful places like Cochin in Kerala
Old Cochin centres around Mattancherry Palace, where the nearby fort lies in ruins. Mattancherry Palace was presented to the Raja of Kochi by the Portuguese in 1557 in exchange for trading rights and it served as a backdrop for coronations of the Cochin Rajas.
We stayed in Colombo, Sri Lanka for two days. It is a beautiful and diverse city. Rather than visiting the Elephant Orphanage, a wonderful tour that we have done before, we enjoyed the hospitality at the Mt Lavinia Hotel. Many cameras have clicked here to photograph the stunning sunset for which the hotel is famous.
The cruise was full of other activities. Visiting Captain Mirko Vranicic on the bridge and being guided into port by Dolphins will remain lasting memories.
Then there were Indian cooking classes, bridge playing and matinee movies, as well as the usual casino, spa and beauty salon and dancing to the ship’s band. On this day I sang for my supper, giving two speeches. The first, ‘From Pier to Peer’, was about my life in politics. The second, ‘An Audience with Lord Dholakia’ was a more general opportunity for guests to talk with me and ask any questions they had.
We very much enjoyed this opportunity to spend our recess in such a relaxing way. It was a pleasure to be on a ship with an informal atmosphere, no dress code, and a friendly, and relatively small, group of other guests. It was also a joy to be able to visit wonderful places with, unusually for us, the time to actually enjoy them.
The world is changing fast. Climate change may mean that some of these islands will disappear over a period of time. To see the vastness of the ocean with the abundance of marine life made me realise how important it is to protect what is left.
This is a legacy we must leave for our children.