As a North Indian whose majority life was spent in the lap of mountains, the sea was always a distant dream.But who knew the dreams which are the most distant one day will become your reality. I left the charms of the Himalayas to settle for the sea. Something that keeps hunting me till date is how things change in a blink of an eye & there was I watching the sea at Digha. It was in the month of February when we left for a short trip to Digha which is now carved in the mind, like the depths of the sea, so much so that I am writing this blog after almost a 2.5 year stay in Kolkata.
I remember how we drove from Kolkata to Digha on a sunny winter morning, unwinding the hustle of the cityscape for a more slower experience. The sea to my mind was still a very reckless thought being a water phobic. I had indulged in white water rafting back on the Ganga, but to be in water for too long was never a choice. And even now I can recall that kid like excitement within as I stubbed my nose against the car windows awaiting to take one glimpse of a town next to the ocean. Well, it was not just the sea, it was The Bay of Bengal.
Right after we finished the long journey of 5 hours towards the coastline, my anticipation knew no bounds. We checked in to check out the views from the hotel balcony & when I was asked to listen intently the sea’s roars, the most palatable joy to witness the sea grew within. I know the build up is insane, but hey…that’s my blog😏.
So here we were walking across the road into a sandy passage which led to the sea & I was overwhelmed by the view. I took one glance at the sea & the other at my partner to acknowledge the joy. I had never seen a vast expanse of water like that before. The horizon that we only read about in the books came alive & I could walk for hours along the coast. But the truth was that I was not ready to plunge into the water yet. The sand shifting below my feet was a little unnerving at first until I got accustomed to its reality. May be sea teaches you to let loose! (And here the earth beneath me was constantly nudging me to do so)
Having walked more than a Km away from the crowd we spotted sea shells & casurina trees making a perfect offer to relax. We perched on the shore soaked up the last of winter sun & decided to walk further into the sea. Water phobics don’t shy from accepting that water will kill them immediately , but I am also a mountain girl at heart, so I challenged myself withstanding a tide. The sand beneath still not giving me a breather, I decided to stand firm. It was rather funny when I finally tipped off inside the water & realised the foot of a mountain goat will also have to bow to the sea. I experienced a cathartic joy in getting lost in the tides. But one step at a time & plunge…another plunge & I loved the sea more than anything in that moment. So this was Digha with its splendid sunrise & sunsets which made up for a perfect 3 day getaway from Kolkata.
I cherish the joy of being able to state that I have fallen in love with the sea as much as my love for mountains pulls me back. May be it’s time for North India to experience Bengal in all its natural beauty and not the politics alone! Period.