Away from the Maddening crowd – Mandarmoni

What would anyone wish after an eventful Bengali wedding occasion of having 7 days of celebration and 500 or more odd guest around you?? Silence, Serenity and a beach.

That is what I did, googled this silent beach place in West Bengal and took off for 3 odd days. I boarded the local bus, paid Rs.250/- and enjoyed the ride till Chowlkhola. The bus was an experience, the vendors selling stuffs in the bus at every odd bus stop ranged from food, books, stationery to everything under the sky. Once we reached Chowlkhola, we had to get down. From here we took this amazingly assembled and created mode of transport like a Motor van uptill the beach of Mandarmoni. It was about 45 mins ride but an awesome experience.

The beach is lined with Resorts to stay, we checked in one called Neel Nirjoney. Good place, quiet, on the beach and clean cottages at very budget cost. Once settled everything, we came out and sat at the deck chairs on the beach from afternoon to sunset. We walked down the beach, we jogged across the water hitting our feet till darkness came over. Back to the resort, we sat at the dekh chairs till dinner time talking, playing cards and reading book in the dim light.

The food was amazing, seafood, prawn was the cherished delicacy. The rice they served had an authentic taste.

The following day started with a lazy note. Later we jogged on the beach, bathed till late afternoon, did paragliding and parasailing and came back to the resort for lunch.

Post lunch we went to Mohuna, the place where the backwater ends and the river meets the sea. It was full of red crabs. With the afternoon sun, it looks amazing like an army of red or a red carpet moving across the sand. This was a beauty, an experience I would hold close to my heart for the rest of my life.

I cherished my stay in Mandarmoni, with practically nothing to do other than swinging in the hammock, reading a book or having a beer or looking onto the vast sea bordered by the horizon. No city life, no pollution, no mobile phone and no connectivity.

It was indeed the most wanted break for us.