The Hindu Business Line : Far from the madding crowd

IT is likely to be a very quiet New Year dawn for Priyanka Vadhra and Rahul Gandhi, and their family and friends who are on a visit to the Bangaram island resort in Lakshadweep.

"They are far away from the jangle of telephones, invasive publicity, newspapers headlines and the constant pester of television news and channels," sources at cgh earth, the group company of the Bangaram island resort said.

The island resort is unique in that it is connected to the outside world only through couple of old-world wireless telephone connections and it does not even have a post office. There are no telephone connections in the cottages, no television sets, no newspapers, no hot water, no air-conditioners and not even room service.

And what the important guests will enjoy at the resort are white sands, gentle surf, soothing breeze and nature at its most pristine and unadulterated best, the sources said. "The grandchildren and great grandchildren of the former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, are likely to wake up to the soft murmur of the gentle surf tomorrow morning," the sources added. And the visitors have shown great consideration to the resort and other guests. The security has been very low-key affair. They have pitched a tent on the island and merged unobtrusively into the background.

The Lakshadweep islands are perceived as a low security risk zone and the tension of the usual VIP visit is quite conspicuous by its absence, the sources said. But for the resort, there are no other inhabitants on the island and the only approaches are by air or sea. This has reduced the risk factor considerably, since both these approaches can be very easily watched and guarded.

The only alien sound that one hears other than the wind and the surf on these island these days are the occasional jangle of mobile phones, ever since BSNL introduced CellOne facility in the islands and erected some towers in the neighbouring island of Agatty.