An unintended digital detox, family time in the Andamans gave mountain-loving Smriti Madhana a new outlook on beach life

Cricketer Smriti Madhana loves the mountains, but a family holiday to the Andaman Islands changed her view about beaches.

Going offline
“I just went for a vacation to the Andamans and my phone was not working for five days since there was no network. I felt peace there, and the unadulterated time I spent with my family, [which] I do not spend otherwise.


It was a discovery for me that life without my phone is possible and fun too. I have decided to keep a day off from my phone and mobile data.”

My paradise
The amazing Andamans “I went to Port Blair, Havelock and Neill Island. I enjoyed the beaches and the water sport activities there. I am not a beach person, I am more of a mountain person. I love doing adventure sports — that is why I selected Andamans.

It was the first time I had been to the islands. Amazing Andamans, with even more amazing people, was the highlight, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to be refreshed than this. I took a boat ride, saw some amazing underwater corals and fishes. It was paradise.”