TTL: Velas

This post is special.
Special because it is about an event which has so much of risk, uncertainty and struggle that you must marvel the outcomes.

This post is about the tiny Olive Ridley turtles of Velas, Maharashtra.

Every year, thousands of female turtles swim their way from across the world to this little known beach in Maharashtra. They make nests, lay their eggs and wade back into the sea towards an uncertain future. Over time, the eggs hatch and baby turtles make their way into the sea on their own. The interesting thing is, all the females which would be born at Velas, would come back to the same beach to lay their eggs.

We made an overnight trip from Pune. About 200 kms to Velas, took us about 5 hours through the hilly,twisty turny roads of the western ghats. We made occasional stops and then we reached the spot, early morning.

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Since the hatching of the eggs is a natural phenomenon, we missed it. The day we went, the turtles didn’t hatch and we couldn’t see them. We were a bit sad about it, and with some heavy heart, we made our way to Hariharishwar beach, spent some time there and then we came back to the Velas beach once more to have a look at the rock formations and the landscapes that are there.

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Our trip ended the following night as we drove back home.

A few days later, one of my friends went, and she was luckier than we were and got some amazing shots of the turtles as they made their way from the sands to the sea.

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Special thanks to Medha for letting me use the photos. Am happy that you got to see them babies and you shot them.

The turtles can be seen during the months of October to December as they come to lay the eggs and from end February to mid April as the babies hatch out. The months are based on general observations and they do vary. So does the hatching. It may be so that you make a trip today and see no hatching while your friend who went a day earlier saw a basket full of them. Most people spend the weekend over there, which generally guarantees some sightings.

To the travelers out there who have not yet been to this place, go on, make a trip. The route, the location, the beach, they are worth the distance. Its a tiny village, about 50-70 homes, some offer homestay facilities too. Have a look at the MTDC website for further information.

Have fun all. Next trip, next outing, should be interesting. See you all later.

Cheers!!

Optimism, Hope…Love

Hi all,

We blog for a reason, or rather a host of reasons! It might be a way of self promotion, self-realization or simply a place to let go. My posts generally are more inclined towards the stories through photos. But then, I came by a campaign to write about the moments that has given me hope, optimism for the future! So, here it is, a tiny part of the grand story I call, my life.

We start, like most stories do, with a happy relationship and promises of better future. Trust me when I say this, things really did look very bright then. Time flew by, and the relationship lost its sheen. Stress developed and the veneer of perfection cracked and the rust began to creep in. Yes, things turned bad. Misunderstandings, ego clashes, harsh words, we had them all, and ultimately, we snapped. Almost 5 years of relationship was lost. I had heard that a break up could be tough, but never imagined how much tough it actually is, till I got the first hand experience. It was as if I was stuck in a dark phase, nothing seemed to be cheerful. Life actually appeared bland, devoid of colour and spice. Call me dramatic, but that was exactly what I had felt. Trapped, bogged down…lost!

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It’s not as if I didn’t have friends to take my mind off the things. But, I always craved that tiny bit of “special” attention. Suggestions flowed in, the most common amongst  them being socialize. I tried that too, met up with some people, tried making new friends, they didn’t help much though. We all have that one friend who knows what exactly will solve the problem, this time, it wasnt a “what”, rather a “who”. This, certain “who” turned out to be junior of mine. A year junior academically, but, as I soon found out, it didn’t matter at all!
Introductions were made, and friend requests were sent away. It was fun because, here was a lady, who has no prior idea of who I was and vice versa too. So, it all depended on what we posed as. We chose to be honest. I liked her. Liked the way she would answer my questions, counter question at times with very valid points. It became a habit to chat with her, no calls yet, I didn’t have her number and didn’t have the courage to ask it too. I would wait patiently in the evening, for her status to have a tiny glowing green orb beside her name, and we would chat. We became friends, and I found out that she was an accomplished person. College topper, excellent artist, gifted with the pencil in sketching, a vivid dreamer, superb imaginations and I found her beautiful. She was pretty no doubt, plus, I repeat, she was beautiful. There was something in her smile that would make me smile in the darker days too and the twinkle in her eyes, simply spell-binding.
You may wonder, where’s the optimism or hope? Well, if you have read till now, you must know that I totally adore this lady. It was a call from her, on my birthday, the first call from her, that was my sign. During our first conversation, we talked about the creative things she does. She had a list, and I didn’t have much to say. I remember her saying “go creative,  you ll be happy”. Maybe I needed this push, or maybe I just needed her to give me the push. This was almost two years ago. Since then, I have picked up photography, followed by blogging, travelling solo, learning music and also a new language. She is still one of my best sources of inspiration and one of the parameters of my works is always, “Will she be impressed by this?” She is one of the closest friends I have and my photos bear her presence, and I feel that wont change in a long time to come. I still strive to impress her everyday. Now, we talk, chat, flirt, fight, love…care everyday!
I know you ll read this, so…here’s to you, You are simply amazing, and I owe you for making me shed my shell. Thanks 🙂

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That call, was my ray of hope filling me with optimism for the future! Yours may be different, yours may just be this (https://housing.com/lookup).

My photos have been sourced from here.

I ll sign off this post with a line from a movie I once watched….You tell me your story, and I ll tell you mine!
Lets share, lets care, lets grow together!!

Cheers!!