Deep blue sea was a
fascination for me ever since my childhood when I used to visit Alibag- my
native town. The beaches in Mumbai were rather commercial but Arabian sea in
Alibag was pristine and walking to the Colaba Fort during low tide used to be
an adventure during every vacation. During my teens, I was smitten by Jules
Verne’s 20000 Leagues Under the Sea. Deep down in my heart, there was a desire
to visit remote islands, stay on a boat and most importantly take a dive in the turquoise ocean. Also, to experience the first-class treatment like in blockbuster-Titanic!
I can barely swim and have a huge fear of water but still wanted to go see the
underwater wonders. My dear husband Vinay
and I both were going to turn 50 this
year and while thinking about how to celebrate our golden year, suddenly we
thought of Lakshadweep where my in-laws had been roughly a decade ago.
Hundred thousand islands
Lakshadweep is an archipelago
southwest of India, at about 200 to 440 km from Kochin in Kerala. The name
literally means laksha (a hundred thousand) dweepa(islands) in Sanskrit.
There is only a government-operated cruise ship that takes passengers and
tourists during the non-monsoon season from the end of October to May. I was lucky to
get two seats for Samudram package for the ship that was going to depart on my birthday. The booking process was very smooth and no agent was involved. We deposited the money
and got an acknowledgment within minutes!
We reached the coastal town
Kochin the evening before by a train to Ernakulum. It was very hot and humid. From
Ernakulum station we got an auto to our hotel in Thopumpady area near Fort
Kochi. The next morning (Saturday), we went to the Lakshadweep wharf at 9 am. The
tourists and passengers had already gathered. There were army officers, bankers
from nationalized banks and other government officials with their families. This
was a great opportunity for them to enjoy a vacation with their loved ones. An
interesting group of around 15 senior ladies from Mumbai was also there! Some
of them had knee pain, arthritis but were very excited to embark on the ship. There
were a few young honeymooners with very young brides with red mehndi and
bangles. Surprisingly, this category was
very small and senior citizens were more in number! Youngsters these days want
to go abroad for a honeymoon rather than going for a destination in India.
Embarking the Mighty MV Kavaratti
In an hour, we were taken to a
spot by bus where she was waiting – the mighty MV Kavaratti! Painted in
white and navy blue, it appeared huge, about 120 meters long and 6 decks tall
with the topmost level having two open decks. We boarded with our sacks to the
3rd deck. There were porters to help out people who needed help.
We were greeted by Basheer- our Welfare officer and we went to our cabin on the
4th level. It was a cozy room with a window that opened on the starboard
side with two bunk beds with clean linens, blankets, and pillows. There was a study table, a wardrobe and most
importantly a washroom with a shower! 20-liter can of drinking water was there. We were
happy, that we were not going to buy bottled water! The air-conditioning was on
and it felt nice after sweating in the sultry weather outside. There was a
small shop next to our cabin which was selling tea, biscuits, and toiletries.
The canteen and the recreation room were on our floor. The boarding continued
for quite some time. We were served lunch and at 2.30 pm we departed. I
communicated to my folks that the network may not be there for the next four
days. There were around 180 tourists and
about 400 passengers. The passengers were carrying home interesting items such
as a 32-inch television, furniture, big suitcases, bicycles among other stuff. They
had to do a lot of work to carry these items to the islands. In spite of that,
the islands had so many things. Electricity was being generated using diesel. In
some places, there were solar panels.
 |
| Our cozy cabin |
 |
| Passengers going home with luggage |
 |
| The trail behind |
The fear of the unknown struck me
as the ship continued into high seas. This year, there were two occasions when
I was beyond the network. In August, I went to the valley of flowers and
Hemkuntsahib (14500 ft). That was a strenuous, high altitude trek and I was
feeling very lonely as I could not communicate with the family for three
consecutive days. The mind feels up with worries about what-if scenarios such
as “I die” or “something happens to people back home”. Such thoughts keep
bugging me even when there are beautiful sights around! I know that no one will miss me much but still, I think about it. Another fear was of sea-sickness
and another was about going deep in the water. I had experienced snorkeling
Malvan and had always cherished the memory of deep blue sea at noon that had colorful
fish. However, whether I will be able to
take the pressure of 5-meter water or whether I will be able to breathe through
my mouth. The thoughts kept bugging me.
 |
| At Minicoy |
In the evening Basheer gathered us in the recreation hall and explained the 4-day program with the evacuation procedures. It was quite a detailed description of what we were going to do and rules and regulations. They explained how to wear life-jackets, how to jump from ship to a small boat and back and also how to blow a whistle like Rose (Titanic fame) if the situation arises! The view of the sunset from the deck was breathtaking. For the next 3 evenings, we would climb up to the deck every dawn, dusk and night to just look at the ocean and the sky. The night sky disappointed me as the ship had too many bright lights and I could barely see the constellations. However, it was enough to understand the directions that we were heading. The white trail left behind in the water by ship was looking beautiful from the top deck. Surprisingly, I did not have any signs of sea-sickness. We were going to visit three islands namely Minicoy, Kalpeni and Kavaratti-the capital of Lakshadweep. Each day, after morning we were supposed to disembark after breakfast and return to the ship before sunset. I was very excited to witness everything that was ahead!
Women’s Island - Minicoy
On Sunday morning, after cruising
for around 12 hours, a lush green island was visible. I could imagine the
happiness Columbus would have had when he reached the new worlds. From the deck, we could see passengers getting ready to reach their homes on the Minicoy
island- the largest of the islands which were also closer to the Maldives. The population
of Minicoy is around 11000. The locals have a very simple lifestyle. Each family
has members working on the ships or in the gulf. The ancient name of Minicoy is
Maliku which literally means Women’s island. I am not sure why it is called so!
I could not converse with local ladies at Folserry village which we visited
that afternoon but the local delicacies and tea that they served were really
nice. We first climbed up the lighthouse at Minicoy. From the top, the view was
breathtaking, blue ocean, green plantations, and bright blue sky. At all the
islands, there were bathrooms for shower and toilets. They also provided clean
towels. At Minicoy, kayaking was complimentary. It was a two-person kayak. I
was supposed to sit in front and Vinay at the back. The blue lagoon wasn’t very
deep and we good towards a red flag posted to indicate that we should be
turning back. I learned to paddle my own canoe on day 1 of the trip! After
kayaking, we played in the water and had great food at the resort. The water was
very clear and we could see the bottom of the lagoon.
 |
| From the top of the light house |
 |
| A boat used for racing |
 |
| Mermaid wonders- What is the color of water? |
Lucky Dive in Laccadive
On Monday morning, we went to
Kalpeni island. It was even more beautiful as compared to Minicoy. Here I gathered the courage to pay for SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving
which not covered in the package. Soon after shelling out ₹4000
for both of us, the weather took a turn! I had changed into a swimsuit and it started
pouring. For a moment, I felt if the weather might remain like that the whole
day and there was no point going for diving. But in half an hour, the rain
stopped.
The trainers took us to a shallow
lagoon and we practiced breathing underwater with the air tanks. We were told
that the 👍sign was to go up in case
there is any problem and to indicate that all is fine we were supposed to use
the 👌 sign. It took me some time to internalize this
as we use the thumbs-up sign to indicate that we are fine. You can see in the
video that I am holding my hands in this mudra throughout because I was so thrilled
by the view and even by mistake, I didn’t want the trainer to take me up before
my time. The rain did a miracle for us because
the ride to the middle of the sea in an open boat was pleasant as some of the
clouds were drifting across the blue skies. By the time we were at the diving
location, a mild sun showed up. It was a perfect light for diving because we
could see through the pale turquoise water. There were around 8 of us and while
going down the trainer would control the SCUBA and take care at all the time. One of the divers was shooting the video which
is a precious memory that I will cherish all my life!
 |
| Our diving photos (video can be seen here!) ) |
The trainer put some bread crumbs
to invite fish. I hate to see processed food being thrown in such clear water, but
it was lovely to see the fish that came surrounding us. This was my only complaint
about the whole experience. One trainer said that the fish don’t really eat
bread but they come when they see and some action. The colors of the coral
reefs were stunning and there were innumerable varieties of polyps, mollusks,
sponges, sea cucumbers, sea anemone. To me, it was impossible to remember the
varieties of species I saw in those few minutes. It was like entering a surreal
world that I had seen only in National Geographic videos. Scientists report
that the coral reefs around the world are dying but what I saw was a live play
of thousands of brightly colored species. It made me very humble. Later, we also did
some snorkeling in shallow water. I was cursing my self because the trainer
made us wade through water and we may have trampled some organisms. The corals
were pointed at some places and wearing sandals was necessary. Kalpeni island fulfilled my dream of diving
like a mermaid. My heart was filled with immense joy that is tough to put in
words. In the afternoon, there was a dance show by local men on some Hindi songs.
They were quite agile in their movements.
Capital Kavaratti
On the third day, we visited
Kavaratti island which is the capital of Lakshadweep. It was more touristy as
compared to the other islands and the drivers were a bit rash. The highlight of this day was the glass bottom boat ride. We could see the coral reefs through the bottom of the boat. That was too good! The museum had maintained
the samples of marine creatures and shells and the aquarium was also maintained
well. School children were in action in a nearby building. There was a cultural
show choreographed by local young women and schoolgirls dressed in colorful
clothes. The number of resorts on these islands is very limited. On our ship,
there was no alcohol being served. That was the best thing to do because it
maintained peace and people were sober!
People ask me, how long did it take to go to the islands? Honestly, I do not know the travel time because the ship would travel in the night and reach near an island by morning. I enjoyed the changing colors of sky and water. Near Kochin, the water was murky and brown, then it turned deep blue and as we approached islands it would become turquoise and glassy! Hats off to Sir C V Raman who got intrigued by the color and researched it. For the first time, I realized that the journey was as interesting as the destination. This trip was truly a memorable
one. It helped me come over the fear of
death. I enjoyed the pristine beauty of the sea, swam like a mermaid and fulfilled
my long-held dream of diving in Laccadive!
