Recently*,
I visited Diveagar in Maharashtra on a hastily planned trip from Pune with my
family. Diveagar is a little known place in the Konkan coast of Maharashtra,
around 170 kms from Pune. The place shot to fame with the discovery of a five
kg solid gold idol of Lord Ganesha dating back to the rule of the Peshwas. In
came the devoted tourists and the place ideally situated along the coast of
Arabian sea, soon attained the reputation of an ideal weekend getaway, located
close to big metropolises like Mumbai and Pune. As I discovered, two more
places Shrivardhan and Murud Janjira were also near to Diveagar and if properly
planned these two places situated on a straight line along the Konkan coast,
within a few km of each other can also be easily included in a 3 days 2
nights itinerary.
We
left for Diveagar early on a Saturday morning from Pune. The plan was to reach
Diveagar and then visit the other two places after a leisurely day and a half
in Diveagar. As we approached Diveagar, around early afternoon, it appeared to
be a sleepy hamlet along the coast with loads of eager tourist from the nearby
places. The place was doing its best to cope up with this sudden serious rush
of tourist and small restaurants, tea stalls and guest houses mushroomed at
every next house along the main and arterial roads of the village. We had
booked ourselves at one of the hotels that had recently come up but I seriously
wished we should have stayed at one of the village houses to get the real feel.
Anyways, after quickly freshening up we went for lunch in a small restaurant in
a village house with fixed thalis of delicious local sea fish and
prawns, cooked in a typical Konkani style with steaming hot rice. Although eager
to hit the sea beach, being too hot we decided to take an afternoon nap and
then visit the beach in the evening.
In
the evening, we reached the beach, walking our way through narrow clean village
lanes with cute, well kept houses having sloping tiled roofs with shrubs and
trees as the boundary walls. The faint smell of the salty sea, the distant
sounds of evening prayers and bells, the braying of returning cattles from the
fields offered a heady mix of a typical relaxed evening in an Indian village. Being
24x7 in a polluted and noisy Indian city, this harmonious environment with its
various sights, sounds and smell invigorated the senses and was almost
intoxicating in nature. At the same time it brought to perspective the things
we so dearly miss in the mad race and reminded us of the star filled nights in
our grandmother’s lap with the exciting stories we used to hear and the
peaceful existence which we took so much for granted.
Finally,
we reached the beach after a long-brief walk and were pleasantly surprised by
the virgin, flat and welcoming white sands, almost untouched by commercial
tourism. I started walking barefoot on the seemingly endless white stretch of
sand with the sea gently kissing on my feet and the setting sun on the
foreground. After walking along the beach for quite long I finally chose a
quite secluded place and sat down to enjoy the sunset. I must accept it was one
of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen. At that moment the thought
struck me that how many sunsets or sunrises I have seen in the last 10-15
years. If I count it will be a lowly double digit figure at best. We cheat
ourselves daily thinking as if we are going to live forever and postpone to
enjoy these simple daily events till eternity when suddenly one day we realize
that it is too late. Our lifestyles do not allow us to enjoy neither a
spectacular sunrise holding the limitless possibilities of a day, nor a
sobering sunset with the promise of a promising tomorrow. We work tirelessly in
a trance and planning to spend time on a spectacular vacation and postponing it
eternally, missing out on the daily pleasures which can make our lives so much
better and rewarding. Is it not said that life is all about living and
enjoying the tiny moments at the present moment? Past and future is only in our
imagination and the only real thing is at this moment, passing like sand
through our hands every second. Sitting there in that peaceful moment a promise
is made, every moment should me made worth remembering at this one shot we are
given in this short lifetime on this planet.
After
a chilled out relaxed experience in the beach we made our way back again
through the village after ordering a traditional dinner at a small hut
alongside the beach. We had our dinner in a humble setting on a bamboo bench
under full moon night with the gentle roaring of the sea.
*Visit in March 2009
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