A Bend in the River of Life (18 page)

He said, “Keka, it is not your fault that you know little about Goa. I think when I said we were going to Goa, I should have given you a little background of the place. To many it is not especially an important place. I know Goa because of its history; it's colonial past. About four centuries ago when India was not a unified country but
a conglomeration of princely states, Goa fell victim to Portuguese naval supremacy at that time. India regained its control not even a decade ago in an armed action that raised furor among ex-colonial powers. Even before that Goa was in the news because of the freedom struggle of the Goanese people who revolted against the continuation of the colonial rule in the aftermath of Indian independence. In any case, I read many nice things about this beautiful coastal province with spectacular beaches. Besides, quite a few of our employees in Bombay and Calcutta are Goanese and naturally, they keep talking about it in glowing terms.”

Keka asked, “Did anyone suggest Goa as the place for Honeymoon?”

Rana answered, “No, I never discussed our honeymoon with anyone. Goa just came to my mind because of its proximity to Bombay and by virtue of what I knew about the place. After gaining freedom, it has been shaping up as a good tourist resort. We would know more about it only when we go there. I hope you will not be disappointed.”

Keka said, “I am already excited looking at those lazy-looking waves crashing into the sleepy coastline. I cannot wait any longer. I am curious to know where exactly we are now.”

Rana answered, “As you now know, we are off the west coast of India, which is at our left. That means we are flying to the south. The plane took off from Santacruz Airport about thirty minutes earlier. Supposing our Boeing 737 is flying at 600 miles per hour and considering that the distance is about 400 miles we should be reaching Dabolim Airport in about ten minutes.”

Keka smiled looking at Rana but did not say anything. He asked, “Keka, have I said something wrong that you smiled?”

Keka said, “No, you never say anything unless you are pretty sure about it and when you say something it is with so much authority that it has to be right.”

As they were exchanging these words they heard the voice of the
Captain announcing that he was preparing to touch down in ten minutes. He instructed the crew and the passengers to get ready for the landing. For the benefit of the tourists he announced that the weather was going to be wonderful.

Keka again smiled at Rana and said, “That's your time.”

Rana returned her smile, saying, “Many thanks for your confidence in me.”

In about ten minutes the plane touched down at the Dabolim Airport. But where was the terminal building? There was just the landing strip by the Indian Ocean. However, they were led to a large shack made of bamboo strips and thatch. Perhaps that was the terminal building in operation since the Portuguese rule. Obviously, they did not want to invest in the infrastructure since they determined that their days were numbered. Keka and Rana laughed at each other. They were actually thrilled at that small Pacific Island atmosphere. They thought it was the perfect honeymoon setting. A little later, when they were waiting outside for the hotel van to pick them up, they saw on the other side of the sugarcane field the new airport under construction with its terminal building, control tower and other paraphernalia. A thought flashed through his mind and he gave vent to it by saying, “Though Goa was late to be liberated from the last vestiges of colonialism, it has been catching up fast with the rest of India.”

Their destination was Fort Aguada Beach Hotel and Resort. After about forty minutes drive through the sleepy villages the van came to the ferry of the Mandovi River estuary which was pretty wide. The other side was hardly visible. From there a heavy catamaran would carry the people, the animals, the cars and vans and all else to the northern side of the estuary. While waiting at the ferry, they saw a massive bridge under construction, connecting both sides of the estuary. That was the hope for the faster and smoother traffic in future when crossing the estuary by a car would take maximum fifteen minutes. Anyway, the catamaran came finally and it took
about 40 minutes to cross over to the other side.

The cruise was exhilarating. They experienced nothing like that before. Keka got the thrill of her life, holding Rana's arm to maintain her balance on the bouncing catamaran due to the rough and swelling estuary in the driving wind.

Rana asked, “Do you like the cruise?”

Keka replied, “Yes, I am enjoying it very much. This is a novel experience for me. It is so wide open that the view is simply breathtaking.” With a little pause she said, “I cannot see the other side of the river. Are we on the sea?”

Rana responded, “This is the estuary, which is basically the mouth of the river entering the ocean. That is why estuaries are so wide and give a feeling of sea. I think the other reason why we cannot see the opposite side is the haze over the water created by the water particles due to the high wind.”

Keka said, “Many thanks for thinking about the honeymoon in Goa. I have a feeling that we are going to have a great time here.”

The catamaran reached the other side and they resumed their drive through yet sleepier villages. In about thirty minutes they entered the sprawling property of Fort Aguada Beach Hotel & Resorts. There is significance in the words ‘Fort Aguada.' As the word ‘Fort' suggests, in the early colonial days it was actually a fort which was constructed on the hill going down to the beach. ‘Agua' in Latin means water. The fort had dual purposes: (1) to keep watch on the security of the maritime traffic entering the estuary; and (2) to supply water to the ships traveling long distances from Europe. The tower of the Fort on top of the hill actually used to watch the movement along the shipping lanes on the Indian Ocean and specifically, traffic in and out of the mandovi estuary. The Portuguese ships after a long voyage from Lisbon needed to fill in their tanks for the rest of the voyage to the Portuguese Colonies in the Far East. Fort Aguada was the water supply point. The water supply facility and the original equipments of that era were still preserved at the site as historic relics.

The hotel was pretty spread out. On the hills there were dozens of cottages well laid out. The main hotel complex was at the swimming pool level about 50ft. above the beach. There was no doubt that the setting was gorgeous for the honeymoon. Keka and Rana were allotted a cottage at the top tier of the hill about 500 ft. above the main hotel complex. It had both its plus and minus points. On the plus side, the view was marvellous and privacy just right for the honeymoon. On the minus side, climbing up 500 ft. was not easy though the steps were user friendly and the surroundings congenial. However, Keka became so happy with the out-of- the-world view that she turned seemingly negative side into positive one. She impressed upon Rana that climbing up the steps was a good exercise after a heavy meal. Obviously, she was right and making her happy during honeymoon was his goal. So they settled happily in that cottage.

When they arrived it was already lunch time and they were both weary and hungry after the arduous drive and long wait at the ferry. So they had a leisurely lunch. That day they had no intention to go any where except enjoying the hotel complex and the endless beach. After lunch they huddled with the Travel Desk of the hotel to work out a tour plan for the next few days. They spent the mid-afternoon at the swimming pool relaxing and sipping cool drinks. In the late after noon they decided to go for a long stroll along the lovely white beach.

It was one thing to look at the sea from above the hill, but quite another when one would actually walk down to the beach and be level with the sea. In general, the Indian Ocean is neither too turbulent like the Atlantic nor too placid like the Pacific, but in patches it could be rough due to blustery wind. When they went down to the beach the wind was whipping up and the sea was roaring. The sun was high above the clear blue sky. The sunset was still about two hours away. So they decided to walk to the north as far as they could. On the left, driven by the strong wind the waves
of the Indian Ocean were crashing into the wide clean beach. On the right, there was a wall of tall grasses and heavily wooded area that appeared to be uninhabited. But the appearance could be deceptive.

When they walked little over half-a-mile they found a nude western couple totally unmindful of their presence. At first, they were embarrassed at the sight. They looked at each other but remained silent. But as they walked further north, they saw more nude males and females in clusters. It was obvious that they were not necessarily couples. From their appearances it occurred to Rana that they were hippies. Then it became apparent that behind those tall grasses and wooded areas there were hundreds of shacks built primarily for local visitors frequenting the beach with their families. But at the time of their visit those shacks were occupied by the hippies. Keka did not realize that. So she said in disgust, “Shameless people. How can they remain naked like that in presence of the civilized world?”

Rana said, “From their looks it appears they are hippies. You have read and heard about them. Now you are seeing them with your own eyes. They do not have shame. That is why they have made themselves social outcasts even in their own countries. We all knew that in India and Nepal they were in some far-off Himalayan towns. Unfortunately, I had no idea that they invaded Goa also.”

Keka said, still visibly upset, “They are disgusting. Why can't the police arrest them?”

Rana answered, “I am just guessing that there might be two reasons why they could get away with their wrong doing. One, they bribe the meager police force when they come. Consequently, the police look the other way. And two, there are no local laws about arresting nude people because before the hippies arrived no one here knew about nudity in public.”

Keka said, “I think you are right. But the pity is that they have spoiled such a pristine beach. Good people with family and children will not be able to come here.”

Rana said, “There is no doubt about that. We have not seen any
children in our hotel. There are only couples like us and they are mostly foreigners. They are used to see hippies in Europe and America and seem to ignore them. I think we should ignore them also. We cannot disturb our peace for them in our honeymoon.”

By that time, Keka calmed down a little. She quietly said, “Yes, you are right. We should also ignore them.”

After walking about two miles they decided to return to the hotel. Sunset was about thirty minutes away. Sun looked much paler. Temperature dropped substantially. They felt little chill in the air. That was not unexpected in the second week of February. Officially, they were still in winter. Approaching close to the hotel they stopped to see the sunset from the beach. Most of the people left the beach, even those who were playing beach soccer just below the hotel complex. As the sun came down slightly above the water, calm prevailed in the atmosphere. A formation of birds was returning to their nest for another night of deserving rest. The earth was preparing to say good-bye to another day.

They held their hands together to mark another sunset and looked at each other with smiles of happiness written all over their faces. Together they had seen many sunsets sitting on the banks of the River Ganges, but nothing like this. They had never seen the orange glow of the sun that big. Suddenly, out of nowhere they saw a boat in the middle of that orange glow. That was an absolutely spectacular sight. A fisherman must have been returning home from another day of fishing on the high seas. Obviously, somewhere in close proximity there was a fisherman's village.

Rana put his right arm around her shoulder and said, “We will see many more sunsets probably from our balcony in Bombay, probably from Marine Drive or may be standing on one of the beaches in the suburbs or elsewhere. But this sunset will never be repeated in our lives. So, this one will forever remain frozen in my mind.”

Keka said, “This indeed is indescribable. But why are you saying it will never be repeated in our lives?”

Rana looked at her eyes and said with a smile, “Because everything on this earth keeps changing every moment. Even if we come here tomorrow precisely at the same time, sun's position will change; its brightness will change; the speed and direction of the wind will change; the atmosphere will change; the visibility will change; the sea will be more or less turbulent; the beach will be wider or leaner; physically we may be better or worse and the state of mind will be different. Today we are on the first day of our honeymoon, tomorrow we will move one day away from it.”

While they were talking, the last tip of the sun went down under the ocean. Rana asked, “Then what should we do?”

Keka responded, “What do you think?”

Rana again smiled enigmatically and said, “We should com memorate the moment.”

Saying this, he took out of his pocket a beautiful brooch made of 24 carat gold, inscribed “First Moon,” to signify the first day of honeymoon and pinned it on her dress. There was no one around them and he kissed her.

Keka said, “I already named you ‘Mr. Surprises.'” Both of them laughed.

Then they briskly went back to their cottage to freshen up. Since morning they were on the road and the beach. They needed to take some rest also before going for the dinner. While changing her dress Keka took out the brooch and looked at it very appreciatively. When Rana pinned it up on her dress she could not really see it. Now reading the inscription on the brooch, she asked, “Why ‘First Moon' is inscribed on it?”

Rana answered, “These are the code words meant for us only, signifying the First Day of Honeymoon.”

Then Keka said, “It was so thoughtful of you to choose this gift. Though we will have all the photos of the visit I don't have to look at them always. Just a glance at the brooch will bring back the memories of our honeymoon in a second.”