Sayoni Acharya

An ounce of happiness at Nargole, Gujarat 13 km from Bordi, 25 km from Vapi, 30 km from Dahanu, 51 km from Valsad, 150 km from Mumbai, 362 km from Ahmedabad, Nargol (Nargole) is a coastal village located in south Gujarat. Not visited by many, this secluded Parsi (Zoroastrian) dominated place is a tropical Indian countryside dotted with small farmhouses, buffalos swimming in the rivers along with traditional small fishing boats that patrol the coast in search of fish, quiet landscapes of dry savannah where only a few people have their homes. The seaside is part of the Gulf of Cambay (Gulf of Khambhat), the beaches wide and lonely with big tidal water level differences. Far away from the hustle-bustle of maddening crowds and breath choking pollution of Mumbai, I landed here at this unspoiled beach - the calming stillness, the freshness of air after a heavy shower or the aloneness – not sure what brought my long lost self back. Unlike my well-thought-out earlier holidays in the jungles, this was a different one as I did not know what to expect from a beach which is neither a Goa nor a Pattaya. You don't even see a teal stall anywhere on the beach. It was rather a brash escape – to wriggle out of the mounting work pressure and to give a surprise day off to my parents who completed their 30 years together on this day. We stayed at Bordi Orchard Resort as Nargole does not have comfortable stay options and ours was a restful one amidst a chikoo orchard. Crazy Crab – the restaurant there served fresh hot and lip-smacking crab, as you might have guessed by now. Mornings, my dad would go for a walk into the nearby village with my husband while I and mom would grab a coffee and go on blabbering about everything under the sun, soaking in the airs, the skies, the sunrise and its never-ending magic. I defined it – LEISURE. Dusk, only four of us strolled along the long stretch of twilight coated shoreline, laughing and talking, clicking pictures, beholding the sun melting down into the sea, putting our arms around one another – PEACE and HAPPINESS followed us for the rest of the nights. Nargole is old-fashioned. It is rather depressing if you do not bring your share of happiness to fill the void. You cannot talk to strangers as most of them are fishermen and busy in fishing and collecting shells. The only company you get here is of a few mangroves grown in shallow marine, countless tiny crabs on the seaboard and dead shells. Peace, love, solitude, happiness. Expected? No. Picked up? Yes. We came back home with a gift to my loving parents on their anniversary - some extraordinary memories of an ordinary small fishing town, some seashells and a consciousness – being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life!