There are beaches known for their revelry and then, there are the tranquil ones that mesmerize your senses. Murud-Harnai beach belongs to the latter category. Tucked away snugly in the rugged coastline of Konkan, it is known for its shimmering sands, clear blue waters, and palm-fringed landscapes.
The journey to Murud-Harnai is a tad difficult since the connecting roads are bumpy and extremely hard to negotiate. It took us several hours of slow driving and risky manoeuvring to reach the destination. We checked in a small beach resort from where we could hop, skip, and jump our way to the Murud seashore in less than a minute. A beautiful view lay ahead of us. We saw an undulating riot of colours in the deep seas. The waters were a perfect turquoise while the waves frothed and crashed against the shore, dissipating then into tints of beige and gold, touched magically by the sunbeams.
We hunkered down on the sands to listen to the sweet sounds of nature – the murmur of the sea, blank stillness trapped in the white-liveried shells, and the chirpy bird songs. There was no din of vendors or jostling crowds. This was a place where we could co-exist in peace with Nature. We found the beach and the waters to be sparkling clean (probably because not many visitors or food hawkers flock this place). So instead of litter and rubbish (that a majority of the Indian beaches abound in), we could spot tiny mollusks inside their shells walking and pirouetting on the shores! These shell creatures had their brief moments under the sun before getting washed away into the ocean.
Once we savoured enough of the sea breeze, we headed off for a gorgeous dinner which consisted of a pure Konkani dal-bhaat and curries redolent with strong flavors and smells. The vanganichi bhaaji and matki usal was specially made for veggies like me while the others feasted on the deep-fried pomfrets, surmai and prawn curries (freshly caught from the nearby sea). Also, slathered on our plates were loncha (pickles), a fiery chutney, and chopped onions.
We again visited the seashore in the early morning hours and found that the water nearly touched the brim of the land, leaving only a small stretch where we could walk and explore the beach. This happens due to high tides in the night that brings the water closer to the land. We took a boat ride to get a glimpse of the innermost part of the sea. Luckily, we could spot a few dolphins bobbing their heads up to get a whiff of the sea air. They moved gingerly and with such agility that it seemed they were flying over the waters. We found it difficult to capture these dreamlike but swift moments in our lenses.
We stayed on the beach till afternoon and watched the waters receding magically and leaving a vast stretch of land with imprints of sea plants all over it. On taking a closer look, we saw imprints on the sands made by crabs and shell creatures. There were debris lying around of half-eaten fishes and lost fishing peripherals like nets and traps. All these scenes reminded us that only a few hours earlier, the same sand that we were walking upon now was a sea bed for marine life.
As the evening hours drew close, we knew it was time to go back. We gathered the view in one last sweeping glance. A swarm of gulls in mid-flight was in no hurry to depart either. We saw the sea waters lapping lazily against the caramel sands and a hammock slung between two trees rocking gently to the sound of waves. It seemed to us as if the world had slowed down for us, and momentarily had us in a trance, making us forget the rush of our daily lives. With a happy heart, we thus bid adieu to the beach and headed back but not without making a promise in our hearts to come and relive these magical moments again.
Pooja Nair likes to look at the sunnier side of things. Writing is her hobby as well as passion an she has attempted different genres of writing. One of her short stories have been featured in a book titled Inner Voices that was published internationally. Additionally, three of her short stories were published in the Chicken Soup for Indian Woman series. She writes regularly for Indian weeklies and ezines.