Once
the
administrative
headquarters
of
the
British,
Ross
Island
is
deserted
today.
Where
once
manicured
lawns
occupied
space
and
umbrellas
adorned
the
poolside,
when
daily
services
were
held
in
the
Church,
now
forests
and
undergrowths
have
taken
over.
The
place
is
in
pathetic
ruins
but
it
is
worth
giving
a
look.
On
getting
down
at
the
Jetty,
one
has
to
sign
the
visitor's
book
as
the
island
is
under
the
Navy.
Important
ruins
include
a
church,
cemetery,
swimming
pool,
and
chief
commissioner's
residence.A
small
museum
of
the
Indian
Navy,
Smritika,
has
a
good
collection
of
old
records.
The
languages
spoken
here
are
Hindi,
Bengali,
Tamil,
and
other
tribal
languages.
To
access
the
island
from
the
mainland,
one
has
to
arrive
at
the
capital
Port
Blair
first
and
then
take
a
local
transport
to
reach
Phoenix
Bay
Jetty.
From
here,
a
short
boat
ride
takes
the
tourist
to
Ross
Island.
