Sagar's Rumination

On the 24th day of January 2013, I and a friend ventured into an unplanned journey. The only plan was to be together. We just packed our bags and left. On our way to the Manori sea beach in Mumbai, we had to cross the back water of the Arabian Sea through a boat that carries people to and fro all day. The lane that led to the boat was crowded with lovers of sea foods as the local fishermen and women sold fishes and prawns to make a living, while the buyers bargained well to zest the taste. The vegetarian travelers closed their nostrils avoiding the smell in the air. We, along with other travelers, finally boarded the boat which appeared overburdened. One could also check out the Essel Water World through another boat specially run by them.

We knew little about the place on the other side. One of the rickshaw drivers promised to take us to a decent hotel or resort near the sea beach. In sometime he drove us into a property belonged to one of his relatives. To us, the locality looked uninspiring. Still, we inspected the rooms upon the insisting owner. As expected, the rooms were dirty and bathrooms stinking, yet, expensive. We offered him gratitude and walked back towards the road. The auto driver sensed loss of business. He shouted, “You wouldn’t find anything better than this here.”

"Thank you for your advice", yelled my friend in reply.

We, being clueless, looked for help from locals inquiring them about any resort nearby. Nobody proved convincing. We blocked every auto rickshaw crossing by for next fifteen minutes. My friend looked surprisingly calm. Finally, an auto rickshaw driver offered to help, of course with his due fare. We had no other way other than to believe him. Ten minutes from then, we could watch the magnificent and endless sea playing with its waves. A huge sigh of relief ran into our veins. And there we were, at a beautiful resort, half a kilometer from the sea!

When the sun was setting in the evening, we were lost in the spectacle of mother earth. The deep orange skyline, the roaring waves and the cooled wind made us silent from within. I began to collect shells from the sand. The sea beach lived a virgin life unlike the other beaches in Mumbai itself. Fortunately it lied in a secluded space of the city attracting homo-sapiens only in the weekends. I felt happy for the marine life. With religiously incredible sun set on the coasts, another story of love rose to reality.

I’ll never forget the day I fell in love once again.