Who was Archibald Blair after whom Port Blair was named?

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Sep 14, 2024, 12:31 PM IST

The Indian government has renamed Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to Sri Vijaya Puram. This decision aims to shed colonial imprints and honor India's triumph in the fight for freedom.

Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has long carried the name of Captain Archibald Blair, a British naval officer of the East India Company after whom the gateway to the island was named after. On Friday, the Indian government said that Port Blair would henceforth be known as "Sri Vijaya Puram" in an effort to "free the nation from colonial imprints," marking a dramatic change in this chapter of history.

In a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that the new name represents the triumph we have gained in our fight for freedom, whereas the old name had a "colonial legacy."

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Who was Captain Archibald Blair?

British naval officer Captain Archibald Blair enlisted in the British East India Company's Bombay Marine as a Lieutenant in 1771. His first assignment, according to Stephen Luscombe, who runs a website on British colonial history, was in 1772 as a midshipman, where he embarked on a survey mission along the coasts of India, Iran, and Arabia.

During an expedition to the Cape of Good Hope in 1780, Blair's path took an unforeseen diversion. A French Navy took him prisoner, and he remained in captivity until 1784. After being given over to the Dutch, he was eventually brought back to the Bombay Marines and awarded a substantial £200 compensation for his hardship.

Upon his return, Blair continued his naval voyages, conducting surveys across the Indian Ocean. He conducted surveys in the Chagos islands (south of the Maldives), Diamond Harbour, which is close to Calcutta, and the Hooghly River between 1786 and 1788.

Blair's survey of the Andaman Islands, which he conducted from December 1788 to April 1789, was one of his biggest projects. He sent his thorough findings to the British governor-general in Calcutta on June 12, 1789.

His thorough study served as impetus for the British Empire's colonisation of the Andaman Islands. The islands were to be used by the British as a naval base in the event of wars with foreign countries, as well as a safe harbour to combat Malayan pirates, a watering station, a haven from storms for all commerce, and a haven for shipwrecked individuals.

During his expedition, Archibald Blair discovered a natural harbour in the southern part of Great Andaman Island, which he initially named Port Cornwallis, in honour of Commodore William Cornwallis, Commander-in-Chief of the British-Indian Navy. This port was later renamed Port Blair in his honour.

His significance for the British colonial advance in the eastern Bay of Bengal was demonstrated by the naming of Port Blair in his honour. Subsequently, the port developed into a key location for commercial, government, and military operations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It functioned as the British operations hub, giving them better authority and management over the neighbouring islands.

Blair oversaw the port's growth, which contributed to the region's transformation into a significant hub in the British marine network.

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