Diary 13: Rambha : Orissa’s Miniature Andamans

During some weekends when life feels a bit distant and you want to get closer to it, you need a quiet place that can listen to your rants patiently and offer comfort that will soothe your nerves. Rambha, perched in the northern tip of the largest brackish water lagoon in India, is exactly that kind of a place.

It sits right beside the Eastern Ghats highway on the Orissa – Vizag route and offers stunning glimpses towards the end of the drive. Located at a distance of approximately 600kms from Kolkata, Rambha qualifies for a pole position in the ‘top weekend destinations near Kolkata’ list. The roads leading to Rambha are butter smooth and it only takes around 8 hours to complete the drive.

Staying options are pretty much limited in Rambha. The best place to stay and experience its beauty is the resort run by the Orissa Govt Tourism Department, named ‘Panthaniwas’. Bookings can be made well in advance through their online portal. For travellers going to Vizag from Kolkata, Rambha is the ideal stop over destination.

Once, you’re in through the resort gates, you will be greeted with beautiful gardens and a paved road done neatly in bright red and yellow bricks, that takes you all the way down to the reception area. The air feels a bit moist on your lips and you can’t help but be intrigued by the nearness of the sea.

The beauty of Rambha becomes imminent as soon as you cross the last cottage of the property and walk along the wide, paved pier that stretches right out into the blissful blue lagoon. Lonely boats are tied to bamboo poles, swaying gently with the rhythm of the water. They seem to tell the story of the fishermen who went into the sea insearch of a living and never came back.

Your vision is guarded by a hill that supports varied shades of green thanks to the rich vegetation. You need to get on a boat in order to explore the blue stretch. The boatmen will normally give you a good deal if you bargain really well. A “package” that covers 4 islands at Rs.1200 is usually considered a great deal !

As the boat makes its way through the calm waters, the cool breeze lifts up your soul like magic. In the distance you can see a flock of ducks readying up for a quick take off. 

The boat crosses them and slowly ‘Breakfast Island’ draws near. As per the boatmen, a British Lord used to go upto that island every morning and have a round of classic English breakfast!

Next up is the Dinosaur island which gets its name from…yes! You guessed it correctly! The installation of a huge plastic dinosaur on the island has been a major setback for ornithologists and bird photographers because it scares away flocks of geese and other birds. However we were extremely lucky to spot a Brahminy Kite, gracefully perched on top of a dead tree branch.

Right next to the dinosaur island, you will find a collection of rocks that are partially covered by moss. They present an interesting contrast to the blue waters of the lagoon. If you stare at them for sometime, even they seem to bob up and down with the small waves. Peaceful hallucinations are ever so beautiful !

The tortoise island has an uncanny resemblance to a tortoise shell. From a distance, it appears like an actual tortoise with its face down inside the water. The boat usually stops at all these islands for you to get out and climb up the rocks and explore the island.

As the boat turns back towards the pier, you long for it to take a turn and go off into the narrow streak where the sea meets. It feels as if you are ready to answer the summons of the countless sailors calling out to you. They want you to live right there at the moment, getting drenched in the calm, blue waters. 

And you answer in the affirmative, once you're back in touch with life, which by now is a little moist with the Chilka waters and memories that flooded in with the sea and decided to stay  back.

That is Rambha, Mon Amour !

Diary 11 : Vizag's forgotten Beaches

The only natural harbour on the East Coast of India, Vizag, comes with a plethora of beaches to tempt the regular tourist into a "sunkissed beached" mode. While popular beaches like Rushikonda and the RK beach manage to attract huge crowds throughout the year, it's the lesser known ones that manage to strike a chord deep within your heart. These forgotten beaches help in self rediscovery in a big way by taking you far from the real world and into a distant dreamland with the promise of pristine golden beaches, deep blue sea and lush green mountains. Two of them are Bheemili Beach and Yarada Beach, both located at a stone's throw away from Vizag. 

Bheemili Beach :

If you’re in the search for the beach that would calm your nerves and let you meditate in peace, then Bheemili Beach, located at Bheemunipatnam is the one for you. It is a friendly neighbour of Vishakapatnam. Its stint with Buddhism goes a long time back to the 3^rd Century B.C. It also bears testimony to the Dutch settlements that appeared here in the 17th century. 

This collaboration between two completely different cultures manages to impart a magical flavour to this sleepy old seaside town. At the entrance to this beach, you are greeted by 4 sedate Buddhist monks, temporarily lost in translation. Feel free to gel in and get into a trance with them. If the biggest ode to Buddhism is a gigantic Buddha Statue, then the lighthouse built by the Dutch in 1868 stands as a living(and functional) legend of the fearless clan from the Netherlands. 

Nature has played an interesting card with a fair share of moss coated black rocks dotting the ocean front. Even though their presence makes swimming or bathing off limits for people, most tourists are happy in getting their feet wet from the white froth of the waves crashing against those treacherous rocks. 

Their joy and happiness get reflected from the moist sands, each echoing a different tale against a deep blue backdrop. Bheemili manages to instill a sense of inner peace and joy inside you and your colorful world, in a very small, nondescript yet significant way. 

Yarada Beach :

Cradled by the tall Dolphin’s hill on one side, and caressed by the deep blue waters of Bay of Bengal on the other, Yarada beach exudes placidity and poise with every breath of fresh air that you take in. Its location takes it way from the regular tourist’s map and probably it’s the only beach near Vizag that actually lets you be at peace with the world. The evergreen dolphin’s hill rises up magnificently right beside the beach and casts a comfortable shade over it. The waves keep on rolling and bringing the mysteries of the depths to the surface. The child in you tries to touch the façade of the ocean in a bid to unearth its secrets.

On windy days, the winds start whispering songs of the sunken ships and long lost sailors to the crisp yellow sands and they start swirling up in beautiful sandstorms, perfectly in sync with the rhythm. 

At times when you feel like you have experienced it all, Yarada beach stands up quietly and opens up a vast new universe for you to sink into the blues. It not only grants your wish of discovering a tranquil beach away from the popular ones but also helps you find the music of the sea that you sorely missed in your busy city life. It takes away time and pulls it backwards, spiralling down into the abyss.

Diary 7 : Henry's Island : Kolkata's almost private beach !

Dream

                                                                     
Sea beaches have always been a source of inspiration for artists. The white frothy waves bathed in the afterglow of the setting red sun against a picturesque and dramatic blue sky have beckoned humanity time and time again. One such example is the beach at Henry’s Island. Think pristine white sand, rolling waves and a host of mangrove and Casuarina trees border lining the crescent beach. Yes that’s exactly the stuff, our dreams are made up of !







The quaint, desolate beach is located approximately 130 km from Kolkata. NH117 is a driver’s delight due its silky smooth tarmac. Travel time is around 3.5 hours and this includes a thrilling barge ride towards the end. 

Staying options at Henry’s Island are limited to a resort run by the West Bengal Fisheries Department. Rooms can be booked online at : http://wbsfdc.com/booking-procedure/. Just incase there are no rooms available, you can always drive down to Bakkhali, around 4 kms away. There are numerous Tourist Lodges at Bakkhali and most of them are pretty decent. Some hotels also allow pets to check in with their loving owners !

The road leading up to the beach is a narrow path through a mangrove forest which emerges onto a peculiar landscape complete with parched dry earth, shrubs and levees. The entrance to the beach lies inside a wide gaping hole through a Casuarina forest.







The first view of the beach will be a special one as your eyes will try to adjust to the blinding light outside and the process will render a hazy white sunny beach with a blue sky and light brown char lands peeping out from the shallow depths of the sea. All of these will have the familiar taste of salt and a fishy smell that lend the beach its characteristic flavor. You will have breathtaking views of the shoreline bordered by mangroves and casuarina trees. The vegetation line runs like a wall along the beach and the greenery will soothe your stressed nerves perfectly.








There's a watch tower at Henry's Island, which delivers 360 degrees of beautiful views of the whole island. The crescent nature of the beach can be observed from the top of the watchtower.















The serene surroundings might tempt the child in you to dig your hands deep into the soft white sand and start building sand castles with fresh vigour! It will give you another chance to introspect on the countless activities that you had tried to pursue in your distant childhood and rekindle your love for things left long behind. The sound of the waves will be like oxygen to your ears which have become accustomed to the city noises. A new chance at living life like the good ol’ days ? Maybe.







Nature has her own unique ways of calling us back to her lap. Sometimes white sands, blue skies and soft waves serve as her messengers. And sometimes we, humans just play along with her tunes. Some of us call that life. And the rest call it daydreaming.