Honeymooners

 

So bleached and lovely the beach,

Saying it pristine is not enough -

White sands, like a long sickle of talcum

And a sea of liquid beryl –

Oblivious it needs to be rough

 

But so many people, I cry,

Selfishly wanting all this for my own,

Too many honeymooners,

Crowding every single view –

And smiling, only when the camera shone

 

Radhanagar’s sunset, had dragged them all

To capture in gigabytes,

Their posed smiles at every zenith’s angle

But will they remember these pixels,

In the future of their domestic fights?

 

The bay’s waters fizz like lemon soda,

Washing away the cynicism of my mind,

I try to forgive their pretence smiles

And yet, too many people to out-walk

As much ahead, as much behind

 

The sunset colours calm me down,

And I realise, all this ease is because of them

The Critical mass just enough

To connect to this faraway land,

Without numbers, it wouldn’t be the same

 

No catamaran cruise would bring us here,

No scooters on an asphalt track,

Perhaps whiter sands abound elsewhere too -

But was I there? Not sands then,

It’s the numbers that they lack

 

And the cameras here that flash and snap

Livelihood to those hands –

Not everyone is on vacation here

Let them thrive then - at least they have not

Left their home for distant lands

 

(I have been to isles in the Pacific too,

Where melancholy pervades the air –

The youth all left, for a future hope,

Without them, no travellers on the sands,

Somehow, they seem empty and so much bare)

 

The sun has set as a perfect orb

Yet, there are colours still on the beach,

Noise, energy – it’s a very thin line,

Who will say, we are farthest from the mainland soul

Yet, all within so easy reach

 

I have calmed down now like the ebony sky

No snob’s disdain for the noise around

Now, I shamelessly seek a cup of chai,

Ah! The sugary peace of civilization –

And silence now in the sea of sound

12^th April, 2024

P.S. Despite the crowds, I was pleasantly surprised to see the level of cleanliness and tourism management at Radhanagar Beach – It has been awarded a Blue Flag certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) implying that it meets the organisation's standards of environmental management for water quality, safety, and public environmental education. India has over a dozen of these beaches now, including those at Kovalam, Puri and Rishikonda. While we create an adverse environmental impact wherever we go, perhaps, this is a start to recognising the need to make nature sustainable and somewhere create a balance that can support local development without irreparable damage to the world.