Konkan can be enchanting in many ways but it demands one thing from you- your time. If you are going to zoom past every village in your SUV and incessantly flash your car’s headlights then you are in the wrong place. Many a times when we travel to these intimate places, and I am only saying this out of observation, the urban traveler tries to be imposing. It is this sense of superiority that impresses no one.
Once on our way from the outskirts of Sawantwadi to Vengurla we stopped to ask directions on a small bus stop. Instead of taking a right we had almost gone straight. After being corrected we reversed our car and my wife asked me to stop while she took a photo of the person who gave us the right directions. His unpretentious nature brought to surface his shyness and he finally mustered courage to ask us a few times whether we were heading to Vengurla. After giving the same answer twice I realized they are too modest to ask for a lift. What ensued was a pleasant little conversation and some hardcore local knowledge of the region, something we do not find in guide books.
After the short visit to Vengurla port we headed back only to see the streets, that looked so intimate couple of hours back, transformed into lines of Diwali earthen lamps. Konkan Diwali evenings are something else. They are quiet, they are peaceful, untouched by the Diwali marketing of our urban’s. Bhavpreet took some photos on the way and was met with shy smiles, which we realized are a unique and cute signature of the Konkani people.
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