So, it was only a ‘one-second’ decision a few hours before the midnight of the New Year’s eve that we saddled ourselves to venture into a distant beach.
As we crossed 550 KMS (via Jharkhand) to Mandarmoni, located at the East Medinipur district of West Bengal, and the map showed the mighty Bay of Bengal opening in its full grandeur, we knew that the sleepless driving, hunger attacks and tired eyes were in for a massive treat.
‘The beach here is clean...’- was the first thing that I stopped at. So clean that you will feel as though it’s duly untouched by any civilisation. However, the nearby uber-resorts kick in to say- ‘No, we actually maintained it.’ The virgin beach of Mandarmoni is perfect for those who look for a peaceful getaway in the unadulterated lap of nature. Meanwhile, a frenzy that we were literally at 20 KMS from the international waters of the Eastern hemisphere, made me go loofi-woofi in no time.
Though, there are some spoilers- administration doesn’t allow to take vehicles on the coast (which is good in a way but ruins your beach-ride fetishes), there is no water play or resorted bar like some Southern or Western coasts, and there is no boating or any other kind of adventure tourism here.
But, Mandarmoni is a beach for those who’d like to have exclusivity. So also: for those who seek a likeminded ‘crowd’, a closer beach rack or some shopping maybe, try taking a detour to Digha which is 23 KMS west of this site.
