Catamaran, bus and then an auto took us to what I can say was the smallest and the most serene village I have ever been to. You can count the number of houses (or huts) on your finger tips. It was a small, winding road which led us to Shree resort. The road was soo narrow, it could not accommodate two vehicles side by side. The houses looked much like those in my native place. Huts, with a very soothing earthen look and feel. They had a front porch, with trees all around.
Shree resort wasn't really a resort. It was a bungalow owned by a couple which they converted into a resort of sorts by furnishing each room like a hotel room. They were funnily done. The walls of the rooms were coloured in bright colours and the rooms were named after these colours. Green room, Blue room, Orange room :) We went for the orange room, coz it was the most spacious. We hurriedly dumped our bags in the room, freshened up, wore slippers, sparing the shoes the plight of being wet for the rest of the week and left the room.
"The beach is rocky. Mind your footing." cautioned a board outside the room. It contained 10 other precautions that it urged us to take. With that in mind, we went up to the terrace. We could see the beach from there. It was calling me. I guess I was not the only one impatient to meet the ocean. It was calling out to us too. It was getting louder. Without wasting anymore time, fearing we would miss the sunset, we rushed down.
I hate coffee and tea. And that day I hated other coffee and tea drinkers too. All the others in the gang sat down at the nearest and only hotel in kihim to have a cup of tea. TEA??? When you are a few feet away from the beautiful beach, with the sun threatening to disappear? I was getting restless. I raised my apprehension before others, telling them we would miss the sunset. After a loooooong wait, we were up again.
I felt the sand beneath my feet; slightly wet, little coarse. Few more steps and I felt the water. WOW!!! It was the most beautiful feeling. The ocean seemed happy to see us....So happy it wanted to share that happiness with me by splashing water all over us. It was dancing around in joy, singing a happy song, making everyone there wet, soaked in joy.
The sun began to set faster and faster by the second. Slowly the day turned into night. The moon came out. Most of the people there went back to their rooms. We sat there on the beach, staring at nothing. It was pitch dark. The only company which we had was the beach, which continued singing its song and the moon, royally standing there in the sky, it seemed like the king of the night sky.
The ocean teased the moon with its song. The moon flashed light at it praising its beauty. The ocean blushed; its waves shimmered in the moon light. It hummed a pleasant song and splashed its waves all over the beach happily. What a romantic couple, never leaving each others side, playing all through the night, with the little stars watching them in awe!! But this night would have come to an end, giving way to the day ahead and they should part ways; but only with the promise to see each other again the next night.
We sat there singing songs as loudly as possible, trying to be louder than the ocean, but in vain. Time seemed to have stopped. I felt blissful, with no worries what so ever. It was the feeling of pure happiness. It was when our stomachs started grumbling in hunger that we were brought back to the real world. Oh! We were so hungry after all the traveling and playing around on the beach.
We came back to the resort, had dinner and went up to the terrace. By now all the stars had come on to the skyline. There were so many of them, they seemed to be fighting for space. I have never seen such a wonderfully start studded skyline since kalpakkam. This was a clear indication of how pollution free, untouched and natural this place was. It was just like what god created; original and untampered.
As I gazed the sky and got lost in it, I saw sriram, saurabh and nandu discussing some strange head shake that they had come up with. My guess is it was some kind of acknowledgement for the most 'silly and smart' PJs or TJs they come up with. They had gone crazy or should I say craziER? I showed off the miniscule amount of constellation knowledge that I had. Slowly people started dozing off. Nandu slept off in no time. I had other plans.
I looked at the most extraordinary sky, with all its jewels for as long as I could. It was a spectacle to watch. Well the sky was showing off its assets too!! The pristine beauty of the sky could make any model or actress look ordinary. God has created such wonders for us to explore and relish; and what have we done to them!! In mumbai, you can never see more than a dozen stars in the sky at night. All you can see is the pink sky(because of the SO2 emissions), polluted by all sort of pollutants. That day I realized what mumbaikars were missing each day of their lives.
It was 12 in the night. Saurabh suddenly gets up, goes down and brings a music system and starts fiddling with the wires, trying to fix the FM radio. These hardware people cannot go too long without getting their hands on something. Well, the enormous silence of the night was broken with a song of HIMESH!!! After tuning all possible channels, we settled to some old melodies of kishore da and lata mangeshkar. I used to think saurabh was a man of few (wise) words. But that day he was determined to prove me wrong. Boy! Once he gets going, it is difficult to stop him. We spoke for more than an hour about a wide range of topics, none of which I remember now :-) Then I felt tired, forced saurabh to switch the radio off and sleep. I gazed at the night sky for some more time, and slowly dozing off into the dream world.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
A final Dash (Part II)
The catamaran swayed from one side to the other and cruised forward at the same time. We checked on each other for motion sickness. This problem heightens in boats since it moves in almost all directions possible. DG was ready with Polo for all of us. We popped one in our mouths and leaned back to enjoy the ride.
It is a beautiful feeling to move on water. It's not as if you feel like a fish or anything, but just the feeling of water all around you is pretty good. Nandu as usual was guessing the speed of the catamaran. After a few estimations, we all agreed it would not be more than 15 to 20 kmph. We were told it would take around 45 mins to reach Mandwa. Yes, Mandwa jetty was where we were headed. That was not the place of visit actually, but it was the connecting place. We had to take a bus from there and then an auto. 10 minutes might have passed and the Mumbai horizon started fading away. It was a nice sight. Going away from the noise, pollution and the crowd. We could see nothing but vague outlines of the skyscrapers. I must look forward, literally and also look forward for what is in store for us in the trip and told myself not to look behind.
I was silent from then on. I wanted to enjoy the ride and i can enjoy it the most when i am silent and just looking at the beauty around me. Many small and big ships passed by - some looked brand new, some were so old and so horribly rusted, that we wondered why on earth were they left anchored in the middle of the sea. They looked abandoned to us. Moreover, there was no kind of equipment too on deck. Well Nandu and Saurabh had theories reagarding this too. But i was too lazy to listen to them. But i should say this; I have always wondered how nandu has all the information that he keeping giving us poor souls. U take a topic and he knows about it. I have rarely heard him replying with an "I dont know". He talks about ships, boats, catamarans (when many of us had never heard of it before in our lives), software, hardware, new gadgets, mobile phones...and ya when it comes to mobile phones, he seems to know everything inside out. His is a typical inquisitive mind. Such people will never grow old; mentally atleast. They always have something or the other they are interested in and keep learning new things whenever they find an opportunity to do so. You are a great chap nandu!
The time was now around 4 : 15 i think. Again i was too lazy to even lift my hand and look at my watch. I guessed it would be 4 : 15, coz it was quite some time since we left from Gateway. The horizon now looked most beautiful - endless. The sun was a bright orange red; just like the way I used to paint it in my younger days. And yes there was also this black streak accross it - again like the paintings. Andy felt it looked like a highway had been built accross the sun. Well that was an interesting imagination. I stared at the sun for as long as i could. It was the evening time and the sun got milder and started dipping. It was 'five inches' above the horizon. I remember i used to wonder where the sun went from down under each day after sunset when i was a kid. I never bothered to ask anyone about this, I just wondered. At that moment i somehow caught myself kiddishly wondering about the same thing. Well i do have my science in place and i know the 'concepts' of rotations and revolutions. But it was not about knowing or not knowing. It was something different. May be my mind was too tired of logic. It wanted to wander, it wanted to be free and i let it be that way. I was relaxed. 2 more mins and I would have slept off. Suddenly someone pointed in a direction and said it was looking like a beach. I sat upright to look. There was lot of green and blue to see. And a thin yellowish golden patch connecting the two(palm trees and the sea). Within seconds i woke up from the slumber and was wide awake. Yes! that was the beach, we all agreed unanimously.
We could see the beach approaching us. I didnt bother to look back. Mumbai was out of my mind. 10 more minutes and we anchored. It was Mandwajetty. It was very breezy there. There was a narrow but long walk way built on to the water body. It stood on huge and seemingly strong pillars. We could see beaches on both sides of the walk way. Everything except the wind was calm. The breeze was too strong to go unnoticed. It hit me hard from one side as i tried to walk across it. The wind was too loud. It was saying something for sure. But i am not 'The Alchemist' to understand the language of the wind. But i assumed it was welcoming us there and wishing us a pleasant journey ahead. I thanked it and hoped it would really be wonderful.
It is a beautiful feeling to move on water. It's not as if you feel like a fish or anything, but just the feeling of water all around you is pretty good. Nandu as usual was guessing the speed of the catamaran. After a few estimations, we all agreed it would not be more than 15 to 20 kmph. We were told it would take around 45 mins to reach Mandwa. Yes, Mandwa jetty was where we were headed. That was not the place of visit actually, but it was the connecting place. We had to take a bus from there and then an auto. 10 minutes might have passed and the Mumbai horizon started fading away. It was a nice sight. Going away from the noise, pollution and the crowd. We could see nothing but vague outlines of the skyscrapers. I must look forward, literally and also look forward for what is in store for us in the trip and told myself not to look behind.
I was silent from then on. I wanted to enjoy the ride and i can enjoy it the most when i am silent and just looking at the beauty around me. Many small and big ships passed by - some looked brand new, some were so old and so horribly rusted, that we wondered why on earth were they left anchored in the middle of the sea. They looked abandoned to us. Moreover, there was no kind of equipment too on deck. Well Nandu and Saurabh had theories reagarding this too. But i was too lazy to listen to them. But i should say this; I have always wondered how nandu has all the information that he keeping giving us poor souls. U take a topic and he knows about it. I have rarely heard him replying with an "I dont know". He talks about ships, boats, catamarans (when many of us had never heard of it before in our lives), software, hardware, new gadgets, mobile phones...and ya when it comes to mobile phones, he seems to know everything inside out. His is a typical inquisitive mind. Such people will never grow old; mentally atleast. They always have something or the other they are interested in and keep learning new things whenever they find an opportunity to do so. You are a great chap nandu!
The time was now around 4 : 15 i think. Again i was too lazy to even lift my hand and look at my watch. I guessed it would be 4 : 15, coz it was quite some time since we left from Gateway. The horizon now looked most beautiful - endless. The sun was a bright orange red; just like the way I used to paint it in my younger days. And yes there was also this black streak accross it - again like the paintings. Andy felt it looked like a highway had been built accross the sun. Well that was an interesting imagination. I stared at the sun for as long as i could. It was the evening time and the sun got milder and started dipping. It was 'five inches' above the horizon. I remember i used to wonder where the sun went from down under each day after sunset when i was a kid. I never bothered to ask anyone about this, I just wondered. At that moment i somehow caught myself kiddishly wondering about the same thing. Well i do have my science in place and i know the 'concepts' of rotations and revolutions. But it was not about knowing or not knowing. It was something different. May be my mind was too tired of logic. It wanted to wander, it wanted to be free and i let it be that way. I was relaxed. 2 more mins and I would have slept off. Suddenly someone pointed in a direction and said it was looking like a beach. I sat upright to look. There was lot of green and blue to see. And a thin yellowish golden patch connecting the two(palm trees and the sea). Within seconds i woke up from the slumber and was wide awake. Yes! that was the beach, we all agreed unanimously.
We could see the beach approaching us. I didnt bother to look back. Mumbai was out of my mind. 10 more minutes and we anchored. It was Mandwajetty. It was very breezy there. There was a narrow but long walk way built on to the water body. It stood on huge and seemingly strong pillars. We could see beaches on both sides of the walk way. Everything except the wind was calm. The breeze was too strong to go unnoticed. It hit me hard from one side as i tried to walk across it. The wind was too loud. It was saying something for sure. But i am not 'The Alchemist' to understand the language of the wind. But i assumed it was welcoming us there and wishing us a pleasant journey ahead. I thanked it and hoped it would really be wonderful.
A final Dash...
Three months after college reopened...a month after we had gone out with friends on an outing...a week after the symposia got over.......
A week to the start of submission...a month to vivas...two months to the final exams.......
At this juncture, drained out of all the work we had done (most out of force and some out of sheer passion) it was time for a retreat...we all felt the need for it. A final dash before the rigorous drill for the exams start. We had to go out of the hustle bustle of mumbai, the frustrations of college and the monotony day to day work.
During the "free" hours of practicals, we all roped in people with a similar mindset, a similar need to give oneself a break, into the idea of going to some peaceful place outside mumbai for a day and have fun with friends. Two hours later there were six people sitting at the table in the canteen carelessly putting down the baggage that we carry to the college daily to 'plan' the trip.
We started by going through the various options, the funds that each of the possibilities will attract from each one of us, the convenience of travel and the willingness of the people involved. All the organising skills that we learnt through the four years of engineering and society work came of good use here. An hour and few calls later, a tentative paln was in place. We were to finalise after i spoke to vishy about a place that he calls 'a home away from home'.
As if this were the most important meeting of the year, 9 o clock sharp, all of us were online. Not one person was late. By then Sahil(one of the best organisers i have seen) had spoken to Mr. Kurde and finalised a package for us. Rs 200 per day for the accomodation and food all day. That wasnt bad...not bad at all. The word passed and in no time, we were all busy packing...hoping that it would be a good trip...something worth remembering....
Ah! but before that, there was another hurdle to pass. DCN test. I didnt bother to even browse through the book. I trust my friends a lot. I believe in them. With the same belief and confidence, i went to college next day BEFORE TIME. It is only on test days, that the whole class-all seventy of us remember the word 'punctuality'. Actually, it is more of giving yourself a best chance even after no preperation than punctuality. But how does it matter. For me with all the excitment about the trip, it was just another hurdle to cross.
The papers were in palce, lines drawn on them, the right partners sitting besides you, the correct palcement of sincere students in close proximity and the 'reference material' in place. Now the wait began. 8:40, 8:50, 9:00. I started to get impatient. Many did. Slowly it dawned on us that the test wasnt going to happen. How frustrating. All this hard work for NO TEST? I could have woken up later, i could have sung another song in the bathroom, i could have walked up to the bus stop instead of ricking it up. What a waste of invaluable time and money.
Any way, slowly the lectures dragged on as usual. Meanwhile, gautam dropped out of the plan because his grandfather was ill. We were now reduced to 6. Soon it was 1 pm . We got out of our labs and in groups of two dashed in different directions with some last minute work. We were all to meet at the gate way of india at 3. Sriram and dg went to dg's palce to get her luggage, nandu and sarurabh went to ashay's palce to get the all important camera and andy and I went down to the lab to demonstrate our project to our guide. The urge to get out of the lab and catch that train to VT was growing into impatience now. Finally we were releaved.
We met nandu and saurbah at the station and took a taxi to the gate way. Nothing was more important to us than getting those tickets for the catameron. Within no time, I had the tickets in in my bag. There was a wait of half an hour before we could board the catemeron. Nandu was busy exploring the differences between a catameron and a ferry. How beautifully has engineering groomed us. Where ever we go, whatever we find, we see characteristics, features and differences. Saurabh was busy looking for a 'shady' place to sit and ended up standing all the time in the sun. Ram and dg joined us soon and the we were busy getting the equipment up and running for the trip. It was time for testing. Two snaps and a short vedio later, we were ready.
The catemeron arrived sharp at 3:30. We hopped on to it, found ourselves good seats, settled down and with the blow of a horn, we were on the move. One of the best times of our lives had just begun...
A week to the start of submission...a month to vivas...two months to the final exams.......
At this juncture, drained out of all the work we had done (most out of force and some out of sheer passion) it was time for a retreat...we all felt the need for it. A final dash before the rigorous drill for the exams start. We had to go out of the hustle bustle of mumbai, the frustrations of college and the monotony day to day work.
During the "free" hours of practicals, we all roped in people with a similar mindset, a similar need to give oneself a break, into the idea of going to some peaceful place outside mumbai for a day and have fun with friends. Two hours later there were six people sitting at the table in the canteen carelessly putting down the baggage that we carry to the college daily to 'plan' the trip.
We started by going through the various options, the funds that each of the possibilities will attract from each one of us, the convenience of travel and the willingness of the people involved. All the organising skills that we learnt through the four years of engineering and society work came of good use here. An hour and few calls later, a tentative paln was in place. We were to finalise after i spoke to vishy about a place that he calls 'a home away from home'.
As if this were the most important meeting of the year, 9 o clock sharp, all of us were online. Not one person was late. By then Sahil(one of the best organisers i have seen) had spoken to Mr. Kurde and finalised a package for us. Rs 200 per day for the accomodation and food all day. That wasnt bad...not bad at all. The word passed and in no time, we were all busy packing...hoping that it would be a good trip...something worth remembering....
Ah! but before that, there was another hurdle to pass. DCN test. I didnt bother to even browse through the book. I trust my friends a lot. I believe in them. With the same belief and confidence, i went to college next day BEFORE TIME. It is only on test days, that the whole class-all seventy of us remember the word 'punctuality'. Actually, it is more of giving yourself a best chance even after no preperation than punctuality. But how does it matter. For me with all the excitment about the trip, it was just another hurdle to cross.
The papers were in palce, lines drawn on them, the right partners sitting besides you, the correct palcement of sincere students in close proximity and the 'reference material' in place. Now the wait began. 8:40, 8:50, 9:00. I started to get impatient. Many did. Slowly it dawned on us that the test wasnt going to happen. How frustrating. All this hard work for NO TEST? I could have woken up later, i could have sung another song in the bathroom, i could have walked up to the bus stop instead of ricking it up. What a waste of invaluable time and money.
Any way, slowly the lectures dragged on as usual. Meanwhile, gautam dropped out of the plan because his grandfather was ill. We were now reduced to 6. Soon it was 1 pm . We got out of our labs and in groups of two dashed in different directions with some last minute work. We were all to meet at the gate way of india at 3. Sriram and dg went to dg's palce to get her luggage, nandu and sarurabh went to ashay's palce to get the all important camera and andy and I went down to the lab to demonstrate our project to our guide. The urge to get out of the lab and catch that train to VT was growing into impatience now. Finally we were releaved.
We met nandu and saurbah at the station and took a taxi to the gate way. Nothing was more important to us than getting those tickets for the catameron. Within no time, I had the tickets in in my bag. There was a wait of half an hour before we could board the catemeron. Nandu was busy exploring the differences between a catameron and a ferry. How beautifully has engineering groomed us. Where ever we go, whatever we find, we see characteristics, features and differences. Saurabh was busy looking for a 'shady' place to sit and ended up standing all the time in the sun. Ram and dg joined us soon and the we were busy getting the equipment up and running for the trip. It was time for testing. Two snaps and a short vedio later, we were ready.
The catemeron arrived sharp at 3:30. We hopped on to it, found ourselves good seats, settled down and with the blow of a horn, we were on the move. One of the best times of our lives had just begun...
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