Sunday 20 June 2010……..I was yet to take a decision where to go as I have two invitations from two different places away from my home town………..so I decided to go to Puri rather than going to my maternal uncle’s village. It was an invitation to attend a marriage reception at Puri. I asked my wife if she can come with me to this reception……….as the school of my kids is opening after the summer vacation on 21 June 2010 she thought it will be very tiring for her and the kids …………so she refused. No worries…………at least I get some free time for myself…………hahahahahaha………………………..
I moved to Puri at 5 PM along with Chiku ( a very young friend of mine who needs to attend that reception too) and one of his friend and my driver Sura ( this guy is working for me for last 9 years or so). The reception was at 8 PM followed with dinner. We reached Puri at 6.30 pm………..it took almost one and half hours to cover approx. 60 kms. Chiku and his friend were at the back seat and I was at the front seat. I tied my seat belt and the two young guys were busy talking to each other ………..they are on regular chit chat…jokes and giggles thru out the road. I just instructed the driver to stop the car near Bata Mangala Temple outskirt of Puri. The boys were talking about where some special local delicious foods are available on that road. The car stopped near the temple I had darshan of the goddesses from my car and pray her of our safe returning. Bata Mangala is one of the goddesses who keeps all the evil spirit out that’s a local belief. I have shown a tea stall to my co passengers ….saying that very good tea is available there just next to the temple.I had many times enjoyed tea with fresh cream near Bata Mangal temple but this time I did not have time as I want to spent some time on the beach.
We reached Puri but the main entrance to Puri town was blocked due to some construction work so we took a diversion near the Gundicha temple. We reached the Medical Square from where we can see the magnificent temple of Lord Jagannath which was constructed eight hundred years ago at Puri.I bowed my head for Lord Jagannath. Then thru the VIP road we move to Puri beach. It was very crowded near Puri hotel so I asked my driver to take us near the light house where the place is bit peaceful. The road was fully crowded with all kind of tourist from different places of India and abroad. The road side kiosks and the small temporary shops on the beach were selling lot of handcraft items and fabrics. The food stalls were selling all kind of sea foods near the beach. The worst thing is even people eat near the graveyard Swargadwar on the beach.I hate that scene. How can you eat near a graveyard where the last ritual of a person is being held? The administration should remove all those food stalls near Swargadwar to some other place that was my thought I know this will never happen. We moved further ahead and found a good place. We sat there for one hour watching the sea. I saw the same old beer parlor standing near the beach for last 15 years or so. I enjoyed beer at that place many a times in past. I still remember how peaceful Puri was …………the clean beach and not that much of crowd in early eighties ……..but now its all dirty………….the golden sand of the beach turned black………………….no more crabs you can see on the sand……………..no more fisher women carrying their loads on the head………………….Puri is not a small countryside town anymore it’s a big tourist place now. But things are not improving at Puri………..it is we who should take care of our heritage and beautiful places……….we should keep the beach and the near by areas clean………….dont know when we will be aware of our belongings.
I still remember Puri in my younger days……….Whenever we went to Puri with my Dad and Mun first we visit jagannath Temple then in the evening we spent time on the beach. Puri was not crowded those days. The color of the sand on the beach was golden. One can find lot of shells and red crabs on the beach. As kids we run after the red crabs and collect lot of dead shells to bring back home and show it to our friends. No polythene or garbage were found on the beach. No drainage water from the near by hotels as there were few hotels only. You could see fishermen( Nollias) going to the sea with their country made boats. The beach and whole Puri town was very clean. It was a place for middle class Indians to relax in peace.
Ooops those days are gone now Puri has numbers of hotels and much more crowd to make it pollute and dirty.
We then moved to a Bar and had some vodka with lime cordial and soda then gone to the marriage reception………….left for Bhubaneswar at 9.30 pm…………………………reached Bhubaneswar at 11 pm it was tiring so need some rest……………….Thats all for now see ya soon.
I moved to Puri at 5 PM along with Chiku ( a very young friend of mine who needs to attend that reception too) and one of his friend and my driver Sura ( this guy is working for me for last 9 years or so). The reception was at 8 PM followed with dinner. We reached Puri at 6.30 pm………..it took almost one and half hours to cover approx. 60 kms. Chiku and his friend were at the back seat and I was at the front seat. I tied my seat belt and the two young guys were busy talking to each other ………..they are on regular chit chat…jokes and giggles thru out the road. I just instructed the driver to stop the car near Bata Mangala Temple outskirt of Puri. The boys were talking about where some special local delicious foods are available on that road. The car stopped near the temple I had darshan of the goddesses from my car and pray her of our safe returning. Bata Mangala is one of the goddesses who keeps all the evil spirit out that’s a local belief. I have shown a tea stall to my co passengers ….saying that very good tea is available there just next to the temple.I had many times enjoyed tea with fresh cream near Bata Mangal temple but this time I did not have time as I want to spent some time on the beach.
We reached Puri but the main entrance to Puri town was blocked due to some construction work so we took a diversion near the Gundicha temple. We reached the Medical Square from where we can see the magnificent temple of Lord Jagannath which was constructed eight hundred years ago at Puri.I bowed my head for Lord Jagannath. Then thru the VIP road we move to Puri beach. It was very crowded near Puri hotel so I asked my driver to take us near the light house where the place is bit peaceful. The road was fully crowded with all kind of tourist from different places of India and abroad. The road side kiosks and the small temporary shops on the beach were selling lot of handcraft items and fabrics. The food stalls were selling all kind of sea foods near the beach. The worst thing is even people eat near the graveyard Swargadwar on the beach.I hate that scene. How can you eat near a graveyard where the last ritual of a person is being held? The administration should remove all those food stalls near Swargadwar to some other place that was my thought I know this will never happen. We moved further ahead and found a good place. We sat there for one hour watching the sea. I saw the same old beer parlor standing near the beach for last 15 years or so. I enjoyed beer at that place many a times in past. I still remember how peaceful Puri was …………the clean beach and not that much of crowd in early eighties ……..but now its all dirty………….the golden sand of the beach turned black………………….no more crabs you can see on the sand……………..no more fisher women carrying their loads on the head………………….Puri is not a small countryside town anymore it’s a big tourist place now. But things are not improving at Puri………..it is we who should take care of our heritage and beautiful places……….we should keep the beach and the near by areas clean………….dont know when we will be aware of our belongings.
I still remember Puri in my younger days……….Whenever we went to Puri with my Dad and Mun first we visit jagannath Temple then in the evening we spent time on the beach. Puri was not crowded those days. The color of the sand on the beach was golden. One can find lot of shells and red crabs on the beach. As kids we run after the red crabs and collect lot of dead shells to bring back home and show it to our friends. No polythene or garbage were found on the beach. No drainage water from the near by hotels as there were few hotels only. You could see fishermen( Nollias) going to the sea with their country made boats. The beach and whole Puri town was very clean. It was a place for middle class Indians to relax in peace.
Ooops those days are gone now Puri has numbers of hotels and much more crowd to make it pollute and dirty.
We then moved to a Bar and had some vodka with lime cordial and soda then gone to the marriage reception………….left for Bhubaneswar at 9.30 pm…………………………reached Bhubaneswar at 11 pm it was tiring so need some rest……………….Thats all for now see ya soon.
