They say people come closer during a crisis. And 2020 (a crisis on its own) did one thing right - bringing families closer.
My Instagram feed this weekend was flooded with people posting the nicest, dressiest pictures with their loved ones, celebrating the festival of lights.
I too, was lucky enough this year and got to spend Diwali with my family. But I was luckier that my mother had a getaway idea.
We spent our Diwali weekend at one of the prettiest towns I have ever seen, Kundapura , in coastal Karnataka.
We stayed at a nice hotel called Blue Waters. We went a day before the Diwali Saturday and hence avoided a swarm of tourists, and found the hotel maintain all cleanliness and safety protocols. The food was cooked fresh and in front of us and it was as comforting as a home cooked meal!
PS: I finished a largeeeee plate of 'Kube' or local shellfish on my own cause the seafood was fresh and locally caught.
I read one of the other Tripoto blogs and had added a ghee roast meal at Shetty's Lunch Home in the main town - but never felt the need to step out. Plus, it was a matter of avoiding crowds.
The property was basic, comfortable, clean and next to the nicest stretch of water that is clearly the selling point of the property.
Diwali eve, we went to the gorgeous Maravanthe beach... had seen aerial photos of the iconic road with a river on one side and a deep blue stretch of the sea on the other. Being there in person was equally enchanting.
For a local from Goa, the sea was not new to us. But there is something about that stretch that is so picturesque!
I had to attend work calls (life) but even between that I feel grateful I got to see one of the nicest sunsets.
I was in Kundapura for 2 days and spend 2 mornings in a row on a local boat just enjoying the backwaters at dawn. The boatman was so nice and was happy with the fact that I could speak even broken and grammatically wrong Konkani. At least I recognised 'Shevte' (mullet fish).
The water there was barely a foot deep in places and so clear that the shells, sands and the jellyfish could be seen easily. He took us to a small patch of land where you could admire the birds waiting on top of the fish nets hoping they could catch their breakfast.
I am not a good enough writer to describe moments like this in their true sense. Guess, all I can begin to describe, is my experience.
Yes, it was a non traditional Diwali, without the fairy lights, lanterns and lining up diyas in our balcony. But, after years I spent Diwali with my family. And in 2020, a weekend away from a laptop screen and treating my eyes to views like this, is much better than any other Diwali I could have asked for!
