A life-saving haven of tranquillity

Having been brought up in a loud city such as Mumbai, peace and tranquillity was always a luxury that we seldom experienced. The only time I could get away from the noise was during my annual summer trip to Goa. Konkan, the coastal region of Maharashtra, has always been a scenic and calm haven. A sight for sore eyes during the monsoon season, I have always considered Konkan to be one of the few places where I could experience serenity. Even though hot and humid during the summers and windy and crispy cool during the winters, Konkan never loses its age-old charm.

A few weeks before the government-induced Coronavirus lockdown, I and my friends set out on a road trip to Velas, a remote coastal village in Ratnagiri district where even famed network providers don’t work. We left the city at 9 p.m. on Friday and reached Velas at 3.00 a.m. As soon as we left the noisy and crowded city lanes behind, all we could hear were crickets chirping and the sound of the wind gushing. We drove through highways paved by trees and forests and then through roads along the moonlit sea. The feeling of witnessing a sea front lit by the moon and stars and the breeze tangling your hair and filling your being with unbridled joy is one of the things I can only associate with Konkan.

Apart from being a coastal village, it is also known for its public initiative to conserve and nurture the threatened Olive Ridley Sea Turtles. Every year around the month of March, the village hosts a Turtle Festival, which attracts thousands of tourists and lavishes upon them the chance to see these turtles hatching and being let go into the vast ocean. They say, the females remember where they hatched and when the time comes to lay eggs, they return to their birthplace to give life to their new generation. The festival, in itself, is a thoughtful and noble initiative which promotes co-existence of humans and wildlife. It is a humbling experience which made me realise that humans are not the masters of this planet, rather just guests who have wrongfully confiscated what belonged to the wildlife and the nature. However, the people of Velas seem to have realised it long ago and are trying to establish and maintain the delicate balance between themselves and the nature surrounding them.

Our accommodation for the weekend was a quaint homestay with a local Brahmin family who provided us with heart-warming Konkani hospitality and delectable local cuisine. Since we arrived in the wee hours of the morning, we decided to rest up for 3 hours and then head to the Velas beach to see the turtles hatching and being let out into the sea. The black sand beach was pristine and beautiful as the first rays of the sun adorned its land and the experience of watching the hatchlings adorably crawling and stumbling into their natural habitat was something else entirely. After having fun at the beach for an hour or so, we returned to our homestay and freshened up for our next destination- Bankot Fort.

Bankot Fort alias Fort Victoria, roughly 4 km from Velas village, is an important monument and has a rich history associated with it. Now lying in ruins, the fort once held a place of importance to monitor the trade route along the Savitri river in the medieval times. Despite having lost its charm, the fort still holds scenic views of the vast blue ocean down below. On one side, there seems to be a small, pyramid-like structure which they say holds the mortal remains of a British Lord’s wife, who was thrown from the fort by Maratha conquerors after having captured it. They also say that her spirit still haunts the area and locals claim to have experienced paranormal phenomena around the place. After a thorough exploration of the monument, we headed back to our accommodation and lounged in their beautiful backyard. Tranquillity washed over me as I sat there doing nothing but chatting with my friends and marvelling at the simple yet plentiful life these village folks lead. It made me ponder on the kind of fast-paced life we city dwellers lead. Compared to life in the village, urban life looks like a fight for survival instead of actual ‘living’. Someday, I wish to own a quaint house in my hometown, Goa, and lead a quiet life there, instead of having to waste time in a city.

The day went by as we played games, rested, chilled in the tree-covered backyard and had mouth-watering meals. After having a filling dinner, we decided to drive out to a supposedly haunted patch of road, located along the beach. We stargazed, saw the almost-full moon through a pocket telescope and even saw beautiful constellations. I have always been amazed by the moon and stars and watching constellations was something I never thought I would be able to do, due to the obvious light pollution in Mumbai. That night was something special, something I cannot express in words. I felt like my entire being was shedding whatever pent-up stress and anxiety resided in me and was filled with absolute bliss and more importantly a peace of mind I had never experienced before.

Coming back to the horror story surrounding the place we were at. There is a Dargah situated on the hillock beside the road where a woman was raped, murdered and her body dumped in the sea in front of us. They say her spirit still roams the area seeking vengeance on those who wronged her. A little way away from us, there was a supposedly haunted house where about 60 people died due to a mysterious gas leak blast. If you ask me, I believe in ghosts, monsters, the supernatural. I just haven’t experienced any such phenomenon and hence, I don’t feel scared or apprehensive of them. We also learned quite a bit about our guide’s own experiences with the supernatural, and it was interesting to hear about them.

After a good night’s sleep, we had an authentic Maharashtrian breakfast and were invited on a short tour through our host’s spice garden beyond their backyard. From peppercorns to cinnamon and nutmeg, they grew everything themselves. The spices and vegetables they used to cook our meals, were all sourced from their very own garden. After the educational walk through the farm, we bid adieu to our kind hosts and set out for Harihareshwar, the star attraction of our trip. We took a ferry ride to Harihareshwar town and drove down to the temple. Harihareshwar is known for its Shiva temple and the pradakshina marg which goes around the temple, up a hill and then right down to the shore. Trust me when I say, it is the most breath-taking view you will ever see as you gaze down the steps taking you to a rocky shore which also has unique caves. Yes, the steps did mess my legs up for three days straight after having climbed them. But well, it was worth the experience and I would visit this place as many times as I can just for the view. After spending well over 2 hours at the rocky shore we still weren’t prepared to say goodbye, not only to Harihareshwar but also to our beautiful Konkan trip, but we absolutely had to, reluctantly so. We drove down to Mangaon and had lunch at a local restaurant and then, headed back to Mumbai.

After having spend the weekend in such peace and quiet, I wasn’t ready to face real-life. But well, what choice do we have? I had lost a tiny part of my heart to the place, and proudly so, since it had given me something nobody ever could, the experience of peace and tranquillity. Although disappointed that our trip had ended, I was happy to have made new memories with my friends, and to have experienced a place so untouched by the corrupt hands of modernization.