आमची माती, आमचा समुद्र

In English, "our land, our men and our sea!"
The warrior kings who built the fort inside the sea must have said these lines while watching the sea from the fort. I too said the same when on a visit to such an exotic place. There was not any human being visible on either side of the beach and it was like owning the shining sand filled land and the caressing sea waves.



I said goodbye to 2005 while watching the sunset from konkan, the west coast of Maharashtra. On the midnight of 31st Dec, an excellent alternative to watching bollywood stars on small screen is to watch the innumerable sparkling real stars on the large canvass of sky. The sparkle of stars, however small, will energize you for the year ahead. The unending sequence of waves and the beach side volleyball and football will make you fall in love with the sea and cancel the plans of visiting any caves on the return journey.

The warm hospitability of the natives, the delicious dish of fresh fish will satiate you to the fullest. A journey to fort built inside the sea in fisherman's ferry is simply amazing.

On more commercialized beaches people gather at midnight, make bon-fire, sing, dance and celebrate the new year. Even in this season the climate is not cold but a bon-fire is like placing a flag on the beach to mark your group.

The memories- I would like to preserve in my mind like pearls in the oyster. Better, like the living being inside a shell- beautifully alive.