A Lovely Walk to Remember!

I guess, I should write more about the Beach! May be ‘coz, we spend a lot of time by the beach every weekend! I would love to go the beach every single day, but my work schedule doesn’t allow me and so weekends are kept aside for a calm stroll along the beach. My son loves being there, and once there, he makes friends with everyone he sees! Usually, we go to the beach near the French Town, but last week, as Dhanesh wanted to meet Baga, a trainer in the Integral Yoga at the REPOS Community of Auroville, we decided to go the Auro Beach.

We met Baga, a gentle lady from France, who has lived most of her life in Auroville. Dhanesh wanted to get trained in Integral Yoga and so that meant he would not be available for the next two hours! So what should I do? I looked around, is there something that can be of some interest to me? Finally I decided to walk through REPOS settlement. Repos is located on the beach. I came to know from the staff there that Mother gave it its name, which means 'rest. They said, they try to provide a restful, peaceful atmosphere to their guests. I could see that the Repos settlement is lush and shady from the many coconut trees that were planted there throughout the years. They also have a little snack bar with fresh juices, salads, cakes, sandwiches etc. Being there was really wonderful; believe me, the calmness of the place takes hold of you! Lucky are the people who live there!

It took almost an hour to walk around and see the huts in Repos. Now I could go to the beach! It was almost 5 and the sun was ready to hide. I wished the beach wasn’t crowded! No, it wasn’t!! I was excited! Let me tell you something about the Auro Beach.

The Auro Beach is perhaps the most popular beach in Pondy, which is frequented by foreigners. It is located near Auroville, the global village, along the shoreline that borders the Bay of Bengal. The best thing about this beach is that the waters here are shallow and so it offers a great swimming time there. Even if you are not a good swimmer, it is safe to enjoy a great dip in the waters. What makes this beach so lovely and beautiful is perhaps the turquoise blue waters that hit the shores and every time it hits it brings in little shell fragments and shingles which ornament the shore! This beach is not littered and that makes it exquisite and spectacular!! It is an ideal place to spend time in seclusion far from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Dhanesh would join me only at 6. It wasn’t very interesting to walk alone, but I had no other option. I had to spend an hour all alone. Anyway, I made up my mind to walk along the shoreline. It was highly refreshing, after the hectic week, mainly because there was a lot of work that need to be completed before the school closes for the summer vacation. I started from Repos, walked towards the splashing waves and stood gazing at the sea. I felt the soothing touch of the waves and was all the more excited! I spotted the catamarans of the fishermen coming back to shore with the wealth of the sea. They seemed to be too excited- perhaps they have had a good day at sea! Though the noise of the motor boats was a bit annoying, it was really wonderful to see them singing and rejoicing!

Calmly, I walked along the beach. The smell of the ocean, the sounds of the seagulls, the songs of the fishermen, the soft sounds of the waves – everything seemed to have a rhythm. I felt I was in some fantasy world – I felt the peace, I wanted, at once! I don’t know, how long I stood or walked there, enjoying this serenity! Never in my life, have I felt so much peace and calmness. Thanks to this lovely beach! May be, it has the blessings of the Mother and Shri Aurobindo, by which it could offer such a state of mind to its visitors!

I felt someone patting on my shoulder. It was time to go! Dhanesh had done with the day’s session and it was time to go!

So Back to Real Life!

I must leave! The walk along the beach is done! It was such a nice evening and a lovely walk to remember!