Who Was Archibald Blair, The Royal Navy Officer After Whom Port Blair Was Named

Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, will now be called Sri Vijaya Puram, announced the Central government on Friday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that it was done to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to ‘free the nation from the colonial imprints’. The name Port Blair carried a colonial legacy.

Announcing the move to rename Port Blair, Shah said, “Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the A&N Islands’ unique role in the same. The Andaman & Nicobar Islands have an unparalleled place in our freedom struggle and history. The island territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire is today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations.”

“It is also the place that hosted the first unfurling of our Tiranga by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Ji and also the Cellular Jail in which Veer Savarkar Ji and other freedom fighters struggled for an independent nation,” added Shah.

While the new name echoes the city’s involvement and leading role in the Indian Independence movement, the old name- Port Blair- was derived from a British naval officer from the 18th century, named Lieutenant Archibald Blair.

The Blair Of Port Blair: All You Need to Know

Port Blair was named after Lieutenant Archibald Blair, a British naval officer and surveyor in the Bombay Marine who served in the Royal Navy during the early 18th century. The then Government of Bengal established a penal colony on Chatham Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and named it in honour of Archibald Blair in 1789.

During his career, Blair considerably contributed to British colonial efforts as his presence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was a part of the border strategy to establish British control in the strategically key region.