The Chilika Lake

Incidentally Orissa, which is backward economically, is well endowed with a rich heritage and natural beauty. Chilika, the largest salt water lake in the country, is one of the major tourist attraction here.. So when we found that it was the new year eve, and we had nothing to do for the day.... The plan to Chilika was conceived !!!
So we started at around 8 in the morning... And what a trip !!! I will let the pictures speak for themselves !!

The road surprisingly was superb....And the Cumo that housed the eight of us was not as uncomfortable as I had thought !!

And such scenic views made the journey fun !!

And then we experienced what most Indians in Delhi and Mumbai face on a daily basis...We waited and waited but the traffic wouldn't move...All this when we were just a kilometer form our destination.

And while we waited..we saw this group of laborious Oriya women carrying dry wood for their chulhas.

And then we were there finally....And the sight of these boats was shocking !

And we searched for that one boat which would be fit to take the weight of the eight of us....but to our dismay .....

And then we met the CHUPA group !!! and then the 24 of us began our maiden voyage on chilika.

And try hard as we did to spot the Dolphins which our guide cum boatman was trying to show us...we managed to see these little black sea birds..the sole group to be seen in the entire sanctuary (Yes, Chilika is a bird sanctuary)

And we sailed on !!!

And on !!!

And Mr. Boatman finally brought us back to shore !!!

And how we had a tiring journey back to the Insti.... andd then we waited to the beautiful night to fall and we JLTd ...Nachenge Sari raat style !!

Photos (C) Shikha Khangarot & Mayank Madhur.

A Walk On Golden Sands

Sea never fascinated me. May be for the reason that I have grown amongst them. Gujarat gave me ample opportunities to be on some of the most lovely beaches for hours...
But there is a charm that the Chandrabhaga beach near Konark has.
The clear blue waters with pure golden sands, were a sight that one remembers for his life. The sun shone bright and high. The breeze was cold and the so was the water. Tall waves splashed the shore...the sound of the sea was music no organ could replicate..And, the moment we thought that we were at a safe distance from the waters sea would come to you in a big splash...wetting your folded trousers and more...
Huge masses of water would wash the shore and leave behind creative patterns on sand..Nature has immense creativity.
It was a delight to walk on the beach and observe the life at sea. A boat tied on the shores rocked everytime a wave brought waters to the shore. The fishermen were busy with the fresh catch of fish. The distant din of the trawler engines like drums accompanying the music of the sea...The group of people on the beach busy taking photographs...the crabs busy shunting between the sea and their eggs....everyone was busy but for our group of eight...we were the most vella souls ....and how we seemed to be on a picnicing spree...It had been a hectic week for most of us...and how we enjoyed being free with nothing to do, not even studies !! Unfortunately for us, we din have our star photographer with us !!