Asia | Oindrila Goes Footloose

With spring’s stolen colour

The water shows me sky.

Gujarat’s younger neighbour,

Daman, is anything but “dry”!

Clear skies in Daman

52 years after its independence from Portugal, Daman nurtures new lives in this small union territory in India. With the intention of relaxing in its beaches, I marched along this little city in the month of March this year. But little did I know that a glimpse into Daman’s past would make me cognizant of the effects tourism has had on this coastal wonder.

This report on the 20-year plan that the government announced in 2002, highlights how effectively tourism will harness Daman’s unique offerings and make it a win-win-win situation for the economy, the locals and the environment!

The now deserted forts of Moti-Daman (Big Daman) & Nani-Daman (Little Daman) were once guarded by the Portuguese. However, with the intervention of the Tourism Department, these forts will soon have more visitors. Travel-packages that include heritage-walks, local cuisine and cultural shows will bring equal joy to tourists and the locals as they find more employment-avenues.

Positioning Daman as a pocket-friendly vacation-spot, the administrator is boosting its infrastructure. The construction of several bridges and a coastal highway are already under way. The most useful bridge, according to me, is the one that connects Moti Daman to Nani Daman. The other route will set you back by several hundred Rupees. I always wondered why the backwaters couldn’t be navigated via boats (which the fishermen use on a regular basis), and was ready to shell out more just to bob up and down the water. My prayers will soon be answered.

The Waterfront Development Plan aims to maintain & develop the Devka & Jampore beaches, along with the Daman Ganga river and the place where it meets the Arabian sea. The waterway between Moti and Nani Daman is set to be opened to tourists! 🙂 The entire beach-line will get a retaining-wall to reign in beach-erosion. The sand on these beaches may be dark, but their future is certainly bright!

The focus of this mega-plan is on the conservation of nature. Special care is being taken to avoid adverse impacts to the environment, with the alternate recourse being mitigation & compensation. The international cycle-track (under construction) is the hottest attraction in this soon-to-be eco-tourism hub!

The inhabitants will now have a special part to play in the bigger scheme of things. Heritage walks and interaction with locals will now take tourists to Portuguese-style settlements too! Locally handcrafted bamboo and leather products are as much in demand as alcohol and fish. This spells a huge boon for the aboriginals.

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Daman was once regarded as the most poluted of all beaches due to industrial wastes leaking into its waters. But all that is now set to change for the better! Cleaner beaches, water-sports, boat-rides, walking tours, village-interactions… Do you need any more reasons to pack your bags and head to Daman?

I spent this morning sitting on rows of bamboo-rods, gazing at the vastness of the waters of Nalban, as the breeze caressed my hair. I wondered how this place could be so cool in contrast with the heat that radiated from Bengali fishermen who cycled to this place.

Fishing area at Nalban

Kolkata – a metropolis famed for its fresh water fishes, has a popular satellite city called ‘Salt Lake‘. They say it’s a posh area where residents seldom speak to their neighbours. That explains the tranquil airs that transmit little other than the sounds of chirping birds. Salt Lake is known in the football-circles for its famous stadium. But the multicoloured bungalows that line every street are what catch my eye. The houses that start from a single storey and go up to 5, are painted in all colours imaginable to mankind. These are alternated by some very rustic buildings that have weathered the monsoon and cried their paint out.

A colourful bungalow in Salt Lake City

I noticed at some distance many old ladies in salwar-kameez and sneakers brisk-walking out of a park, and instantly decided to walk in. This was Banobitan University Park, or more poplularly, Central Park, a sprawling enclosure of green and purple flora that are ornamented by white egrets. At the centre of this park is a lake that is opened for boating from 10am to 5pm.

A tree house inside the Banobitan University Park

Bengalis, by nature, tend to exaggerate most things. They scared me into carrying woollens and a scarf to this trip. But I discovered that the light chill in the air didn’t warrant warm clothes. Most pedestrians, however, wore chequered sweaters, mufflers and wrapped embroidered shawls tightly around themselves. I noticed also that the locals love their cotton. They will wear multiple layers to insulate themselves from the cold but will never part with their cotton-clothes.

Cotton sarees hung out to dry

In Kolkata, there will be new streets, new metro-corridors, new flyovers and even multi-storeyed office-buidings, but some things will never change. The Ambassador is one of them. These taxis from the last century still ply on the narrow Culcuttan streets alongside the quintessentially Bengali rickshaws.

An Ambassador (taxi) and a cycle-rickshaw

The only thing more enchanting than the places and vehicles in Calcutta are the people. They are loud when they scream and sell their wares, yet soft when they invite you over for a meal; frustrated with the traffic and the political scenario, yet glad to live in their jonmobhumi (birthplace). Their faces hold a million expressions at the same time – anger, joy, pride, disgust, relief, fear, despair, frenzy, abhorrence and love. Perhaps this rare quality of holding so many emotions and still not losing their equilibrium makes Bengalis so beautiful to behold.

A cane-furniture vendor making his way through the crowd

I have been visiting this city every year for more than two decades now. But this time, my eyes see what they’ve never seen before. Stay tuned for more posts in the Kolkata-series, as I take you through the heart and soul of my jonmobhumi…