Malvan masala



-Brian Mendonça

Almost every morning as I travel to work, I cross the Kadamba bus with the broad signage proclaiming MARGAO-MALVAN.

Why not? I said to myself. With three days in hand, we set off on a Saturday at 12 midday. The Goa section of the road till Banda is fine but getting to Kudal could be rock and roll. As you get nearer to Malvan the quality of roads is colour-coded on Google GPS. Blue is good, grey is bad and red is pathetic.

After doing 100 kms. we found ourselves in Malvan, Sindhudurg district by 2.20 p.m. At Hotel Shirgaonkar a prawns thali was Rs.320. I opted for the mutton thali. After the delicious Malvani food, we set about finding a place to stay. The meagre 20 huts at MTDC, Tarkali, 7 kms. away from Malvan city were full.

We chanced upon Blue Water resort which looked clean and inviting.  We opted for a 2nd floor room which afforded a gorgeous view of the beach, a stone’s throw away. The host was kind enough to give it to us for Rs. 3500 per night (breakfast included).

I was determined to see dawn rising from the sea from my bamboo chair on the balcony. In the dead of night the roar of the sea sounded terrifying. An unseen force was pulling me, pulling me into its watery locks. Grieving over loss, the darkness signified death itself. One act could end it all.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the quality of darkness began to change.  Shades of grey revealed forms where earlier there was a wall of black. Dawn was breaking. I had survived kalaratri  - the dark night of the soul.

The next day we went for the 8 a.m. Sunday Mass in Konkani at St. Peter’s church. It was a little distance away from our resort and on the way back we pressed on to the boating point, sangam­ – where the sea meets the river.

After breakfast we set off for Sindhudurg fort. The fort was commissioned by Shivaji in 1664. You approach it by boat for it is built in the sea. Sadly the sprawling ruins have no historical information or signages to guide the tourist. As we neared the docking point we saw scuba diving enthusiasts dipping over the boats which were anchored midstream. Against a deposit of Rs. 100 visitors to the fort are given a jute bag to put their waste. This UNDP initiative was however met with scant regard by the visitors. We bought six.

The rock garden was not enjoyed very much since it was well past 3 p.m. and we were hot and hungry.  After lunch at Shirgaonkar we called it a day and returned to Blue Water. Onion and potato pakodas waited for us with hot tea. After a restful night we returned to Goa on Monday at 12 midday – but not before Queenie picked up her masalas from Deulkar Kirana stores in Malvan. Dwayne also had his pockets full of shells from Tarkali beach.
--------------------------------------------------------
Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, St. Inez, Goa on Sunday,15 October 2017. Pix taken by the author from Blue Water resort, Tarkali beach, Malvan at 8.21 a.m. on 2 October 2017. 

Comments