Dressing up for the season

Just after the monsoon, in October, the skies are clear, there is freshness and renewed energy in the greenery around. It is like a veil is lifted on an anticipated work of art. This is the experience on one such October day at the Candolim beach in Goa.

On the beach, right next to each other 2 worlds were coexisting, oblivious to each other. One world graced the beaches all dressed up for a beautiful sundowner and straight away mesmerised by the beach. The other world did not seem to notice anything around them, they were going all hammer and tongs, measuring and building the much sought after beach shacks.

Beach Shacks in Goa are a great value addition to the tourists. Temporary structures that are seasonal, provide service, a space on the beach where you could rest, relax and enjoy a drink or a bite all while enjoying the views of the majestic oceans. You could take a dip, come back, have a bite and catch a quick nap.

These shacks are built masterfully to be functional. Shacks are built on a tight budget, the necessity of the business model is to learn at work and build with your experience and eliminate the professional charges of a designer Most of them are built by using very less material but are durable and safe.

A seasonal operation of 6 to 7 months does not give you a large enough budget or time to build. These structures are erected quickly, they are super sturdy and safe

As the sun sets down creating a beautiful landscape, the energy on the beach was swinging between the holiday vibe of the tourists to the hurried resilience of the working class. The ocean was the backdrop and there were 2 performances going on in front of you. Both were dressing up for the occasion

One world was more performative than the other and the other kept their head down and went about their work, both these worlds existed parallely but did not acknowledge each other.

The sun set beautifully into the horizon with a million selfies, a holiday without a picture of the happy us in the backdrop is a myth.

PS - Many pictures were taken for this blog but we chose not to post it here, there is an overload of the visual and we wanted our words to draw the image in your head as you read it,

Do you think it is a good idea not to post pics?

Comments

A Rs.10,000\- question?

There are many distinguishing factors about the Indian traveller. Globally the trend is to travel more like a nuclear unit, your immediate family, with your partner or even solo, but in India we like to travel in a group. The society group, a corporate outing with your colleagues, travelling with your religious group for a pilgrimage or even the extended family coming together for a holiday. The logistics of planning for a family holiday is immense and can get stressful, family watsaap groups will be buzzing with ideas right from destinations to mode of travel and activities that need to be included, then there is the process of multiple working professionals getting leave, the dates have to match, the schedule of the children travelling together, their schooling, exam’s tuitions and classes get accommodated. Once this gigantic democratic exercise concludes, the process of selecting the hotel / villa / homestay and planning the daily schedule of your holiday commences...

Wanted Urgently for the State of Goa - A Visionary Leader

The project outline The Waterfront of Torda The beaches of Goa and the tourism ecosystem around it has built the brand Goa but it is the life away from the beaches that truly charms you in ways you cannot imagine. It is like having an extra pair of Lungs, it soothes, inspires and drives your deep passions. Many walks through its narrow lanes under the full moon, while the sun rises or disappears behind the hills before it sets, have given clarity of thought, comforted and motivated me. We are fortunate enough to be living in the hills of Porvorim, surrounded by beautiful villages all around, there is heritage, there is a bird sanctuary at its borders, also a network of beautiful estuaries The planning authorities in their wisdom have always gone for grand projects that are mere posturing and pandering to a vote bank, such is the system, there have been grand announcements of helicopter tourism, seaplane tourism, many other large projects. The tourism minister of Goa is...

There is only 1 Goa in India

Goa first came on the tourist map in the 60's as a hippie haven, probably the golden era of tourism in this tiny state. The tourists were more sensitive towards local culture and the environment. They consumed less and were happy living the life of the locals. When the benefits of liberalisation started to trickle down and when a new and ambitious middle class started travelling, Goa witnessed mass tourism in the 90's and 2000's. There was a sudden surge of investments, construction and development, the era of unplanned tourism growth. Everyone wanted to be in Goa and everyone wanted to invest here. The result of this era is what we experience in Goa of today, the relaxed vibe gave way to environmental degradation, overcrowding and cultural commodification, everything that this sunny seaside state was not known for. Yet there is only 1 Goa in India and tourists still come here in hordes to experience the beaches, architecture, cuisine and the Goan vibe. Whe...

Search This Blog