Eye conquered the sea Blogpost-100

(After writing for almost three years every month I feel really happy to present the 100th blogpost.  I am not a very well versed or smart blogger here yet to have found readers and becoming good friends with them matters a lot to me. Every experience or event that has happened in last three years has found its place in my blog. Like all the experiences I have shared and the twisted misadventures or ramblings have found place here. To all my reader friends the final part of the travel series comes in words)

Everyone has a desire, a wish and a dream to look out for. Whenever my friends spoke about their summer vacation trips I would often bite my lips as I had no story to tell. Four of my summer vacations were spent cooped up in a rickety building which is an insult to architecture in city of joy. When my best friends would happily chant about their trip to Goa or Puri I would imagine them in the calm blue playing with foam of sea. Every time I retraced the old albums I would see my sister in a wet boxer double her size playing in the water. Elder was happily playing in water with my parents. How often have I dreamt of pushing her aside to share the frame with my bickering parents? For more than fifteen years I made sure I kept the grudge in my heart and used it in my arguments to prove that my parents favoured my sister. (Trust me they still do)

The closest I have come to experiencing sea waves have been when I was trying to squeeze out my head from the train window to watch the Chilka Lake. Another experience was in Wonderla when we went to play in the artificial wave pool, but the mighty joy was marred as certain someone had attempted to kill me. My ocean dream had been limited to hearing stories and watching Monkey D Luffy conquering the grandline step by step. (Monkey D Luffy is the protagonist of Manga-Anime series One Piece) So with those treasured experiences I had kept my idea of great Oceania.

Last December after my fifth semester exam I escaped to my safe haven that’s my sister’s place. My sister and brother-in-law decided to take me on a trip to Digha, the sea town of West Bengal. So my long harboured question ‘How does a person without the power of vision feel when for first time she gets to see?’ was going to be answered. Yes this experience was nothing less than that that feeling. On train from Howrah station, my sister, brother-in-law and his sister- Naughty and me four of us set for Digha in Digha express. After discussing world philosophy in the train with Naughty for three hours, we reached Digha station.  When we stepped out on the summer station, yes it was hot I was overwhelmed by the large scale population visiting Digha.          

First thing that caught our eyes was the motor-tonga for transportation, which three of us wanted to ride, but my brother-in-law took a car as we had luggage to protect. So soon we were in our beautiful hotel and Naughty and me we were given separate room to our happiness. Naughty and I we were on cloud nine as our room was decorated in green and our bed was huge. After bathing and freshening up we visited the coastline to get the first glimpse of the shining blue. Though I wanted to run and leap into the sea my guardians pulled me back and we were riding a Tonga around the coastline and we visited the aquarium house and saw varieties of fish, crabs and coral beings. We saw many types of creature but the thought ran in Naughty and mine mind was how good they tasted. Next we were boating in a mini natural water park, it was a natural fresh water lake which had been decorated with flowers and decorative concrete animals. My brother in law proved to be a good navigator and like Nami (From One Piece) he rowed our boat between the fragile pillars of the wooden bridge. After boating for forty five minutes and splashing water we were in another park with similar natural lake and boating facility. But this one had a toy train in it. Toy train ride is must for three of us and we took the ride. The train made a peculiar noise like a broken truck and it took rounds of the park. Though my huge grin was stuck to my face, my own heart was jumping in joy and my sculpted teeth justified my happiness. At last the tonga flowing down the broken roads and slashing tall shadows of hotels bought us to the much awaited beach. But this witty brother-in-law of mine forced us to eat first.

motor Tonga

Credit:- my brother-in-law

Toy Train

After stuffing down ourselves finally I was in front of the famous Digha beach. I had ever seen so many shades of blue. My answer to question was in front of me, it was vast and mesmerising. I also wonder does the sky realise how beautiful its refection is in the sea. Whose indigo it is I think as the horizon blurs I can see the sky and sea coupling. The wrinkled waves create foam and when they touch the feet a tingle runs up the body. In matter of moments I was conquering the sea, my deepest and most cherished dreams. I rolled my jeans up and I was playing with the water I so dearly wanted to feel. Two decades of living in this human body and I was kept aloof from such beauty. The beach was filled with multitude and some old men deliberately showing of their ragged underwear band, while another woman was protecting her long white skirt from the wet sand, a girl in yellow frock runs past me to chase her father, some couples hugging each other and enjoying the orange hue. Everything was what I had imagined; the blue was out there waiting for me. It’s no surprise to my reader friends that I am not the bravest soul on earth, but water is an element which can hold my gaze for hours.  

In the deep blue sea

The brown beach was spoiled with green allege created from the horse dung, the oil leaking from the adventure sports made the beach greasy. Some people were paragliding if that’s the right word. Some were riding on banana boats and others rafting. My adventure loving companions were soon making me wear the fluffy yellow jacket to protect me from drowning. With a weird face I was seated on the orange raft and my twisted fate had to bonk my head again. The witches sent a warning that no matter what, I will never have an easy start.  So when the captain of our raft pulled the string of the motor he hit my head hard, like a hammer breaking the old terracotta piggy bank. Once the raft started the man asked my sister how far they wanted to go. The answer was an obvious one “As far as you can take me”. Our raft zoomed past the blue and slashing the water and creating foams that were flying high and vanishing in the air. My brother-in-law got his subject-me, as my expressions were worth millions from scared to amuse to excited, I was a sketchbook on water.

After we returned to the beach they wanted to paraglide and I borrowed little courage from them. But lucky I the breeze was gone and our money was refunded hence we decided to take photographs and enjoy the twilight and the advancing night. We sat on the huge stone walls and saw the ocean reclaiming its land back. The heavy breeze shook us like leaves in winter. With a bowl of chat(street food) and coffee in our hand we braved the darkness of the night and the breeze. The only thing that kept pinching the psyche was twenty years, fifteen summer vacations and I never realised what I missed. Sometimes we are so melted in our ordinary lives that it never hits us that there is a universe waiting to be explored. After feeding the dogs my leftover egg roll and the fish fry from Naughty we were back to hotel eating one thing I hate most on trips- Indian version of ramen- Chowmin.

fish fry, the Bengali's can never say no to fish

shell shopping time

my first starfish 

Beautiful isn't it? Credit- brother-in-law

my ginger feet

abandoned kid's sandal 

sunset... Credit- Brother-in-law

Though Mother Nature had conspired with the three witches and my body was on nature’s call for monthly ransom of blood. I refused to back down. Next day early morning in my short jeans and my sister’s old T-shirt I was on the beach. My bother-in-law stationed to his role of photographer and Naughty in her pyjama shirt and knee length trouser was my guide into the sea. My sister in her usual mood to drown me was there to lead to me to the abyss. Finally I was in the middle of the sea, not middle but playing in water. The water was playing at my knee and Naughty was holding my hand, the first thing I did was taste the water to make sure that sea water was indeed salty. Though when my sister failed to convince me to sit on the beach and let water drown me till me neck she left us pouting. Pouting she was on the rocks, and posing for my brother-in-law. Slowly I realised that with the waves the sand beneath my feet was moving and creating hollows. The waves started their full out attacks and Naughty and I we jumped high and I drowned twice. With every wave I realised that the water level was rising while I stood in same position. I was happily playing and facing the waves. Later brother-in-law pointed out to us the fishes that were being brought by the waves. Naughty is a person with only skin and bones and she was being carried away by the waves from me like lovers being pulled apart by parents in bollywood movies. When I am in contact with water I feel a sudden calmness, it drains out the thoughts that cloud my mind. Be it under shower in bath or rain pouring, water has always enchanted me. Once I had the desire to get diluted in the water of Ganges. This time I wanted to be become the drop of ocean but before I could become the part of the infinite cycle, the thought broke with the huge wave breaking on me. After playing in water for more than two hours my sister pulled us back.

Rocky ford

waves

more waves

that's Naughty and me

After the play Naughty and me we were collecting shells. Naughty caught a living creature and had to let it go. My sister under the shed was receiving foot massage and we all got inspired and booked ourselves the services. While my sister and Naughty relaxed under the shed, I again answered the voice of sea. I was lazing around in the water when I found a mother daughter duo standing meters away from me. The young girl was debating that her mother should have worn the swim suit she bought. The mother was surprised but declined the accusation, but the daughter was so observant that she started describing the colour, design and pattern to her mother’s dismay. Little tyke had mistook the undergarments for swim suit. Another woman went to play into the water wearing long skirt and ended governing her skirt in the water. It was fun watching a group of boys playing beach volley and deliberately diving into the water. Another three year old girl was leading her fearful mother into the water. Had it been my mother she would have shot me into the water like a rocket. I got my foot message and I was in haven, body massage is something I suggest everyone to enjoy once in her lifetime. It’s in my priority list that one day I will have full body spa.

puppies we always find them

Built in the year 1371, Chandan Ishwar Temple

Talsari

credit:- brother-in-law

at Talsari

Later in the afternoon after delicious lunch we were heading for Talsari. On our way to Talsari we visited an old temple Chandan Ishwar made in the year 1371. In the temple I could not enter for the ancient reason. But my sister and Naughty came out fuming like dragons. They had a verbal duel with the priest which shot an anger arrow in my sister’s head. From there we went to another picnic spot where the sea had broken up and created its own place. It was beautiful place for backwater and a major fishing spot as boats were waiting there. We met a puppy dog there and tried to cross over to the other side of the bank but we failed. After walking there and collecting more shells, we were back at bus station as our train had been cancelled. So with tons of happiness and one clear feeling of permanent nostalgia I was happily asleep in the bus ride back to home.         

  

P.S- I see I conquer.. (Next post, the blog's name will change to something, I am still pondering)

thanking you to bear with me

paulOaries