Who Was Archibald Blair, The Royal Navy Officer Behind Port Blair’s Name?

The Central government announced on Friday that Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, will be henceforth named Sri Vijaya Puram. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the renaming befits PM Narendra Modi's dream to discard all imprints of colonialism from India. The name "Port Blair" represented British colonialism and was dated back to a British naval officer named Lieutenant Archibald Blair, who participated in establishing British power in the region.

Inspired by the vision of PM @narendramodi Ji, to free the nation from the colonial imprints, today we have decided to rename Port Blair as "Sri Vijaya Puram."

While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 13, 2024

Symbol of India's Freedom Struggle

Sri Vijaya Puram, Shah says, symbolizes the victories earned during India's independence struggle and, specifically, the privileged position of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in that history. He pointed out that these islands were not only a critical base for the Chola Empire but also acted as a backdrop to some poignant moments in the freedom movement of India. From the first unfurling of the National Flag by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the infamous Cellular Jail in which Veer Savarkar and other freedom fighters were imprisoned.

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Legacy of Port Blair Colony

Until recently, the old name, Port Blair, was a tribute to Lieutenant Archibald Blair, who, in the late 18th century, was serving as a British naval officer and surveyor in the Royal Navy. In 1789, the Government of Bengal established a penal colony on Chatham Island and called it after the name of Blair. His stay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was part of the British moves to firm up their control over this strategic region. Surveys and administrative actions by Blair were of immense help to the British colonial expansion in the eastern Bay of Bengal.

As years passed, Port Blair emerged as an important support center for the British military, administrative, and commercial ventures in the area. Under the directions of Blair, the isolated fishing village emerged into a key port in the British maritime establishment.

New Name, New Vision

While the colonial history of Port Blair reflected its erstwhile importance to British imperial ambitions, its renaming as Sri Vijaya Puram is symbolic of its place in independent India. The name identifies with honoring the rich heritage of the region and the contribution it has made toward India's Freedom Movement-a look towards post-colonial identity.

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