Chandipur- Strolling on the quiet shore.

Rains playing hide and seek this year. Prolonged interludes of humidity casting its ominous spell on the citizens.  A couple of days break is good enough to give the sea a chance to placate the tired sweaty pours of our skin. Head for Chandipur, one of the nearest coastal beaches from Kolkata.

When the engine of the Dhauli Express nudged its way out of the station at six o clock in the morning, sleep was still wiping its last traces from our eyes. Four hours later we alighted at Balasore, a historical port city of Odisha, now a business and tourist hub. We hired a car (Rs. 250/-) while auto rickshaws charge between Rs80/- to Rs100/- for this 16 Km journey, depending upon the season. We headed for OTDC Panthanivas where our room was booked. As we proceeded towards the sea the whiff of salinity the air welcome greeted us. The breeze whizzed past the Casuarinas trees which hem the coastline here, dotted by a coconut tree or a cashew bush in between. Refreshing our desiccated souls with ice cold lassi, we headed for the sea, but not before ordering prawns for the lunch.

Luckily, it was high water time and the sea was near us, which generally recedes 5 Km off during the ebb tide. This bizarre phenomenon is hardly experienced anywhere else in the entire coastal belt of Odisha. The hard sand below our feet grips our sole as the semi-transparent sea ripples over. We had to walk half a mile before the water became waist deep and we felt any buoyancy. Anyone who wants to learn swimming can head for the Chandipur sea in High water. The hard undulated sand below will not let him drown while the calm sea will not challenge him while he floats.

In the evening we strolled by the sea as the tired sun picked up the last traces of orange before plunging behind the horizon. Fishermen with tired legs tow their nets to their huts. For them tedium is a way of life.

Sight seeing of the nearby Kshir-Chora Gopinath Temple at Remuna, the stunning fishing harbour at Balaramgudi at the confluence of the Budibalam River and the sea, Panchalingeswar temple above the Devgiri hills, the remnant of the dilapidated house of the Zamindar of nilgiri can be seen hiring a car. Rate is Rs250/- approx per head.

When we were returning to Balasore to catch the evening train to kolkata, it suddenly occurred that it was here near Balasore that the great freedom fighter Jatindra Nath Mukhopadhyay ( aka- Bagha Jatin, as he had killed a tiger with only a knife) laid down his life fighting the British troops.  Inspired by Swamiji's ideals, Bagha Jatin laid down his life just as he wished as he always said " Our death will awaken our country".

 Somewhere, a paradoxical pain got entwined in the joyous weekend.

Courtesy : Discover India.