LAKSHADWEEP DREAM ISLANDS (Vol-2‪)‬

Lakshadweep, the group of 36 islands is known for its exotic and sun-kissed beaches and lush green landscapes. The name Lakshadweep in Malayalam and Sanskrit means a hundred thousand islands.

India’s smallest Union Territory Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands with a total area of 32 sq km only. The capital of Lakshadweep is Kavaratti. These Islands are 220 to 440 km west of the coastal city of Kochi in Kerala in the emerald Arabian Sea.

Being here is like a dream walking.

I had the good fortune to serve as a DANICS Officer for two years in Lakshadweep Islands having my Head Quarters in Kavaratti Island. While coming over from Delhi to join my posting in Lakshadweep, I boarded my flight from Kochi to the gateway to Lakshadweep i.e. Agatti island which has a small airstrip. From there I travelled in a helicopter to Kavaratti Island. It was like floating in a dreamland. There were clouds around and looking down I saw a thin stretch of land with swaying palm and coconut trees, beaches with stretches of white sand surrounded by the lagoon which was changing its color every few meters from blue to green to turquoise. While the helicopter was negotiating on the lagoon to land at the Kavaratti helipad I could see the dim shades of reefs and coral stones through crystal clear waters. I realized that this was a miracle of nature and can only be seen or felt and cannot be explained in words. That was the moment my passion for photography urged me to make a photobook.

I took excursions outside Kavaratti Island to Agatti, Kadmat, Bangaram, Kalpeni, Cheriyam, Kalpitti, and Thinnakara Islands to photograph the beauty of these places to make this book.

I have divided this book into two separate volumes. The previous Volume-1 covers photography of Kavaratti Island and this separate Volume-2 covers photography of the remaining Islands.

- HARJEET CHOUDHARY -