A Trip to the Seaside (Malvan)

 

I love the sea. That’s it. That’s all I have got to say. Usually, I start every blog with a big introduction part and then write the main body. Can’t help it because that’s how I talk in real. It takes me around an hour to tell an incident that was of merely 15 minutes. See, I started blabbering again. So, I love the sea. I love the beaches, sea shells, the wind that blows near the sea, waves, coconut trees, salt and wind in my hair and that dampness on my face. I love it all.

I think my Pisces sun and Aquarius moon are to be blamed for this love of water bodies. No wonder I love the beachside. Everything about the sea makes me happy. While taking long walks on the beach in the evenings and getting tanned being in the sea in the afternoons I contemplate life and everything that is beyond my understanding. I love to just sit down on the beach and stare at the horizon. So, I guess I can say that I am totally a beachy person.

People who have read my earlier blogs know about my love for Goa and my Goan roots. I love visiting the temples there and then going and staying near the beaches. I love coastal places and had a good travelling experience in Ratnagiri as well. But a few years ago I visited Malvan and instantly knew that this was going to be my preferred beach destination. Malvan is a great coastal place and truly heaven for fish lovers.

It was in February 2021 that I first visited Malvan. My family and I stayed near a beachside resort and I remember jumping with joy about how near the sea seemed to be. For the next few days, I would tell this anyone who listened that I could clearly see the beach very near our room window. During that visit, we discovered a good fish food place called the Athithi Bamboo Hotel and I still remember the taste of the crab dish I ate there. The crabs truly tasted as a piece of heaven served on my plate. We also visited the famous Sindhudurg. It’s an island fort built by Shivaji Maharaja that lies on the shore of Malvan town. It was built as a means to counter the rising influence of foreign merchants. It’s majestic with huge walls and an entrance that is approachable from only one way.

The next day we vitiated Tarkarli Beach and saw Tsunami Island. The auto-rickshaw driver who took us to these places also took us to see some lesser-known places. And I really wish those places remain that way, the lesser human interaction the better it is. One majestic place that I saw and would like to witness the beauty of again is Sarjekot. I stood near the cliff and looked around me, I could see the clear blue water and rocks, a small natural cave in the opposite direction and the strong waves racing towards the coast. I stood there and tried to memorize the sight in front of me. I knew it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience to witness that place, under a sunny sky surrounded by the water and listening to the song of waves. Even though it was close to afternoon the wind was strong as ever and everything around me was quiet. Later the driver bhaiya took us to one more cliff and I blame my stupid memory for not being able to remember its name but even that cliff was a beauty. Though it was private property we were allowed to go near the end of it and witness the sight below us, a clear sea and wonderful rocks, all existing since time immemorial. Almost every night we stayed there we ate our dinner sitting near the porch in front of the rooms, looking at the beach, the sea song accompanying us. I left that place with a heavy part and a promise. I kept that promise when I visited that place again recently.

It felt as if the place had changed a bit since the pandemic but the sea, the waves, the wind and the trees were as welcoming as ever. We stayed at the same place and the sea-facing room and even then my childlike delight hadn’t faded even a bit. Even this time I marvelled at the sight in front of me and spent many hours sitting on the balcony enjoying the view. This time as soon as we reached we sped towards the hotel to have a meal of fresh fish. The fish thali and fried ladyfish (murdushi/kane) were absolutely delicious. Over the next 3 days, I ate prawns, crabs, mackerel (surmai) and even the popular kombdi vade. I ate fish as if I was stranded on an island with no food (the irony).

This time we visited the famous Kunkeshwar temple. It is dedicated to lord shiva. It’s a huge temple complex that overlooks the Arabian Sea. The temple itself is surrounded by a beautiful beach and white sand. Being in the temple, praying near the deity while other devotees are ringing the bell and at the same time you can hear the sea waves crashing against the coast and the strong wind that carries with it the fragrance of incense sticks is a divine experience. I stood near the entrance mesmerized by its beauty and location. It has shades of South Indian architecture to it.

While walking on the lanes of Malvan I came across various people and places. They were passing by, some dropping their children to schools, some hurrying towards their way to the office, a few people going towards the temple to offer their prayers and children playing around near the houses. I sat near a temple that is constructed right in the middle of the road and watched all these scenes unfold around me. There was something peaceful in sitting there and studying the people around me.  Even at the beach, I went towards the waves and sat down in the water observing the scenery around me. I love observing people and scenes around me, even the most ordinary of them all because even these moments contain stories. Tales of life and experience. As an introvert, it’s much easier to observe the people around me for hours and hours than strike up a conversation with a new person. It gives me ideas and new thoughts to write it down and note down these experiences.

Talking about experiences, my visit to the rock garden was a wonderful experience. Near the beach we stayed at, it’s a garden situated at the rocky shore. The garden overlooks the beach and offers a blissful view of the sun and the sea. The sea waves dance around the rocks, sometimes jumping over them while sometimes avoiding them and then enveloping them into a big hug. The sea waves and the rocks have a rhythm of their own. I had been there in the evening time and I could see the fading away of the red glow of the sun beautifully painted over the horizon while the clear blue colour was splashed at the bottom of the canvas in magnificent waves. A couple was sitting on the bench facing the rocks and sea and it was truly a picturesque setting.

I felt the same feeling of pain when it was time for me to leave. I noticed a few boats on the sea surface. I felt every wave sing a song. The song of the sea. Music. A thousand doors of memories opened in front of me. I glanced towards the sea and stood there with a wish to live in that moment forever. All of a sudden, the pleasing breeze and the cool sea waves were trying to convey some message. All I had to do was listen. I turned around to return and for a second glanced at my footsteps, now half washed away by water.

And now I must end this blog because I may go on and on about my never-ending love for the sea. But before I take your leave for a short while (you people aren’t going to get rid of me), I would like to end this particular journey we took today with a poem I penned down a few years ago.

I will wait for you. She promised.

Because that is what lovers do.

I will wait for you by the sea shore.

Ride those waves and come near me.

Climb that setting sun to reach me.

Today, tomorrow, forever.

I will be waiting by the sea,

Listening to those sea shells telling me about your life. A rich one.

 A lifetime aint enough to live a life and a moment is enough to love worth a hundred lifetimes.