The Quest

Listen to the waves that crash along the white sands of the thatched resorts and look above at the prominent blue skies hidden behind the froth of the cumulus clouds. Now feel the hotness of the tropical sun and wetness of the humid air draping all over your skin. Can you see beyond this gorgeous scenery or is this a good enough description to allure you for romantic holiday in an island?

The first time I saw Fiji islands was in a post card photo but the reality was only a little closer to what a tourist’s mind could perceive. The islands which often a few people find hard to locate on the world map have more to it than just a perfect holiday. There are stories which are not told.

Though I had happened to reach this place for work I instantly started to develop close ties with its people, culture and way of life. I wanted to see beyond the photos and in fact the urban cities which had neatly erased the essence of traditional lives in the villages. So many villages I visited during my sojourn in Fiji but the experience of the first one is imprinted like a distant childhood memory - sweet and hard to relive.

Vadra Vadra, a small village in the Gau Islands some 90 km away from Viti Levu, took me back to the times before the agricultural revolution. This place has taught me courage, simplicity and the appreciation of human lives. I was privileged to be among people who value nature’s gift and who had chosen to quit the urban grandeur to find solace in the comforts of the dense rainforest, the depth of coral reefs and the unpleasant coastal mangroves. Family commitment and traditional values were the integral part of the people which defined the Fijian culture and its relation to its breathtaking biodiversity. Away from the lights and the glamour of the bustling city lives, each day in the village is a struggle to come in terms with nature and its unpredictable behavior. From overcoming climate change to withstanding the challenges of the rural living, human value is still not compromised. My stay in this not so popular village made me realize that a place’s beauty is not graded on its architect and development but how the dwellers strive constantly to keep the natural aesthetics intact.

While the first time I saw Fiji may have been in the photographs but the first time I felt her has to be this.