Neduntheevu (Delft) and Mr Blogg's Bridge


Some thoughts on DBS Jeyaraj's blog of 19th July  about eco-tourism in Neduntheevu or Delft  (check out http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/2576).   I have been to Neduntheevu maybe once or twice when I was much younger and on holiday in the home of family friends in Tellipillai,  and  twice since the war ended. 

the morning ferry from Jaffna
kottakelengu
On my last visit   I spent almost twenty four hours on the island, arriving on the morning ferry from the mainland, and returning, not on the boat that returned visitors at 2 pm  but by the ferry that went out again the following morning.   We travelled around the island by truck and motor bike, had meals with Nelson and his family, drank palmyrah toddy,  bit  the kottakelangu,  and spent the night  in the home of Printha and her parents.

the ponies

In this time, I had a brief first hand experience of life as it is lived in Neduntheevu, while drinking  in the beauty of plains with their feral ponies, marvelling at the silent sea lapping gently on a pristine beach, fascinated by the stray baobab tree and intrigued by the legacy of the Dutch presence.  The conundrum of a community cut away from the mainstream, and the haunting beauty of nature preserved.
a glimpse of the beach
a calm sea

Ruins of the  Dutch Fort


Dutch pigeon house for courier pigeons

It would be easy to romanticise life on the island.  The people who live there seem to be happy enough, if acutely conscious of their isolation. Printha's father works on the ferry, and in the evening after school, Printha, dresses up prettily and goes on her bike to meet her friends.  The evening we were there there had been some altercation between two young boys, and Printha's parents were slightly anxious till she got back safely.   Printha's main worry is the limited opportunity to continue her education. Nelson's wife is a teacher and he works in local government,owns a truck and a couple of motor bicycles, sometimes acts as a tour guide but is also very much involved in youth activities.  His eldest son is schooling on the mainland. Fishing is a major occupation on Neduntheevu, there are some small retail shops, and of course a strong Navy presence.  Most people travel round the island on bicycles, the number of motor cycles is growing, but four wheeled vehicles are  limited.

children cycling from school
Printha's mother drying coconut

outside an island home
snake on typical coral boundary wall
priest on motor cycle


An ideal location, no doubt for eco tourism, which is defined in Wikipedia as " responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strive to be low impact and (often) small scale (as an alternative to mass tourism). Its purpose is to educate the traveler; provide funds for ecological conservation; directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and foster respect for different cultures and for human rights."  (my emphasis).

The people of Neduntheevu will benefit from a regular power supply, improved roads and better water supply.  It would be great if eco tourism means that they will be provided assistance so that they could improve their homes to provide rooms  and eating places for eco tourists, share their history and culture, and benefit directly from the visits.    Here we also have the opportunity to use renewable decentralised energy options such as solar power, construct gravel or earth roads using labour based technologies that provide jobs for local people, control waste and encourage non-polluting non-motorised transport.

The question is do the Sri Lankan authorities  have the imagination to take up the real challenge of eco tourism?  Forgive me if I shudder when I read  "a  small power plant will be set up to supply regular electricity. Infra-structure in Neduntheevu will be developed. The jetty will be deepened, Roads will be modernised. A water supply scheme will be set up" or "It is an ideal tourist spot with golden sandy beaches & sparkling shallow seas" .  It conjurs up visions of heavy equipment, macadamised roads criss-crossing the 50 square kilometres, cars and vans transporting visitors from the the jetty to their accommodation, outside contracters and labour brought in to 'expedite and efficiently execute the plan'  and  properties leased to and run by foreigners. 

For the people of  Neduntheevu, the story of their island could well become like the story of Mr Blogg's Bridge (thanks to Paul Starkey for this story written by Jane Andrews in 1972 and published by Collins)

On a little Island lived Mr Blogg. He had a house and a boat and his only friend was a seagull called Parkinson. Mr Blogg was very lonely

"It would be nice to meet some people," said Mr Blogg. Parkinson disagreed.

"If I were to build a bridge, people could come across and visit me," said Mr Blogg.
So he built a bridge.

And someone did come to visit him. It was Mr Turnover and his dog, Cash. Parkinson was displeased.

"I should like to buy a piece of your Island," said Mr Turnover. "All right," said Mr Blogg.

Mr Turnover built a factory on his piece of the Island. Every day his workers walked over the bridge to work in the factory.

"Wouldn't you like to live on the Island?" said Mr Blogg. "Yes," said the workers. So a big house was built on the Island.

Now Mr Turnover built a harbour on the Island so that ships could come alongside and take away the goods from the factory.

He also built a new bridge and more houses,
And still more houses.

Now Mr Blogg could see people all day long because the whole city had been built around his little house. There was traffic day and night, and an awful lot of noise.

And an awful lot of smoke. What with the smoke and the noise, there was only one thing for Mr Blogg and Parkinson to do.

They got into their little boat and sailed away as fast as they could.

To another little Island with no people and no traffic and no factory and no smoke, but plenty of fresh air, and peace and quiet.
I believe the families of Printha and of Nelson, and all their five to six thousand neighbours, deserve better!

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