A people without the knowledge of
their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.
Marcus Garvey
Once in a while it is always nice to visit
your roots . To check out the place from where you came and soak in the spirit
. To make it more dramatic it’s the essence of your origin, your existence .
Though I would like to proudly say that there are many places in India from
where I have absorbed varied influences due to the various places where folks
who have had an impact on my life and my early years have stayed(when they were growing up) – Pune,
Lucknow, Indore, Mumbai (lion’s share goes to this metropolis). But the Konkan
coast and Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra have a special place in my heart as the region is not only exceedingly beautiful but it also happens to be my ancestral
place . The road from Mumbai to Goa(Ratnagiri is one the way) is lush green
especially in the aftermath of heavy rains . For the sake of poetic license we can suspend reality for a
while and ignore the potholes ( though one politician shamelessly mentioned
that he would like to make the Mumbai Goa highway like the San Francisco Las
Vegas road - was he joking?? It also reminds me of another analogy where a
politician said that he would like to make Mumbai another Shanghai.On visiting
Shanghai reality dawned and I thought when will this grandiose dream be ever
realised !!).Anyway coming to the practical north gritty details of travelling
on the Mumbai Goa highway to begin with the road via Pali (from Mumbai) is much
better as compared to the road through Pen .
The scenic beauty of Konkan is
unparalleled . There are some patches of roads which are lined with the
unexplored beaches on one side and the Sahayadri mountains or hillocks on the
other . Surprise surprise as compared to the Mumbai Goa highway these roads are
in a great condition too . Here I would like to specially mention the road from
Rajapur to Ratnagiri via the villages of Pawas,Adivare ( which has the famous
Mahakali temple ).
https://ratnagiritourism.in/en/temples/mahakali-temple-adiware/
The Konkan region has it unique culture where
a lot of importance is given to music and theatre. Holi and Ganapati are the
main festivals. And folks from Konkan who have thronged to Mumbai for their
livelihood make it a point to go their ancestral place , their “ village” at
this time.Any true son or daughter of this soil will make it a point to visit
their place. Coming to the local fare – the king of fruits – the Ratnagiri Alphonso
mango ( though I am not very fond of it) is grown here and so are cashews and
jackfruits. The people from Konkan are in fact likened to a jackfruit- hard
from outside from soft from inside. I wouldn’t tend to disagree with this description.
There are local products and delicacies too like the mango and jackfruit poli(
pulp of these fruits sweetened , dried and rolled into thin sheets), kokam ( a local fruit and great if you want to lose a
few kilos), kulith( again a local alternate grain), khwaja( local sweet made of
gram flour and jaggery). Rice flour Bhakri(local bread) and Pithale( gravy again made of gram
flour) are the staple diet and so are rice and fish ( which you find in plenty
due to the presence of the sea!). Efforts to find a “ so called only vegetarian “ joint will not yield results
where the Arabian sea rules the roost!
The Kokan region is slowly emerging as a
big tourist destination .I just hope and pray that this region and its places whether it is
the more popular Ganapatipule or Tarkarli or whatever –retain their pristine glory and do not lose their soul to
gross commercialization. The rustic rawness is evident in all the places and it
lends a unique charm to the entire region!
Coming back to our road trip..The wind in
your hair ( that is if you switch off the car AC and roll down the window pane
) , the salty smell of the sea waters , numerous fishing boats , water
buffaloes soaking in the creek , the sea waves playing touch and go with the
shores , the blue clear sky above-this is my own private version of paradise :)
You can stand on the hillock ,stop your car and literally soak in the spirit of
the place .. Geography , history , time , space , mundane worries all just melt
in this moment as you soak in this spirit or you become one with it.It
stays .Comes with you even as you go back to your office desk , meetings ,
emails and discussions . This place - the place of my origin and I are one
