Do the ‘diu’

LIFE IS A ‘BEACH’ FOR aCHAL DHRUVA AT THIS TINY WATERING HOLE OFF THE COAST OF SAURASHTRA

Aish tu kar bhai, aish tu kar, duniya gayi tel lene, aish tu kar,” Devang Patel’s famous song blares on a car stereo as a group of pot-bellied ‘Gujju’ businessmen with glasses in their hands ‘sway’ in wild abandon putting the hoka trees lining Nagoa beach to shame.

Droves of Gujjus descend upon Nagoa beach in Diu (union territory) from nearby Verawal, Rajkot and Junagad and not so nearby Porbunder and Ahmedabad over the weekends to drink and be merry. The tiny island off the coast of Saurashtra (Gujarat) is famous as the only other ‘watering hole’ besides Daman (union territory) of the ‘dry’ state.

Driving into Diu through Ghoghla from Ahmedpur-Mandvi on the main land, the first sight that greets you is the row of houses on both sides of the road with huge signboards of ‘bar’, a typical Gujarati concept of, “aage dukan pecche makan”. While the tipplers may well croon the lyrics of Devang Patel’s song, Diu is a far cry from the wild party scene of Goa.

One of the oldest and longest bastion of Portuguese power in India (a reign of nearly 450 years), the enchanting isle with its Goan ‘susegad’ (laidback) lifestyle is a pot-pourri of Gujarati and Portuguese cultures, an ideal place to unwind and rejuvenate oneself. And the dirt-cheap prices of alcohol certainly accelerates the pace of getting into the ‘susegad’ state.

Life is a beach in Diu. Not exactly soft silvery sands, white foaming surf, swaying palms, or deep blue sea but then who said life is perfect anyway! If you have been dreaming of a place with no shoes and no news, Nagoa fits the bill. While Diu abounds with near virgin beaches making it the best bet for a long lazy holiday, Nagoa located in Buchwada village, seven kms from Diu town is the most popular.

A horseshoe beach with a flat bottom (very safe for swimming) and lined with Hoka palm trees, which the Portuguese got from Africa, it is ‘the’ place to master the ‘art of doing nothing’. Besides lazing in a hammock sipping beer, contemplating on life, the universe and the shade of your tan or indulging in a languid swim, one can also choose from a host of water sports for those obsessed with activity.

The most moving experience however is watching the sunrise. A unique phenomenon on the western coast as the sun emerges from sea! Pitch a tent on the beach under a cluster of Hoka trees and voila, you are Leonardo di Caprio in your own version of the movie, ‘The Beach.’

If you don’t want to bum it out on the sands Radhika Beach Resort (three-star) offers class and luxury while the only other option at Nagoa is Hotel Gangasagar with small functional rooms at Rs 300 for two. It also has a restaurant, but I’d recommend the stand alone restaurant Dub Chik overlooking the beach which has a wonderful ambience.

Among the other beaches in Diu, Jallandar and Chakratirth beach are worth a visit. South of Diu town is the small Jallandar beach, a place where one can experience the unbridled fury of the sea. Sitting on the large rocks chipped with the incessant lashing of the waves, one gets infused with the spirit of adventure and a longing to explore beyond the horizon.

Chakratirth beach is a short distance to the west of Jallandar and is overlooked by a high mound, famous as sunset point. The sunsets here are truly spectacular. The mound also houses the INS Khukri Memorial dedicated to the Indian Naval Ship of the Khukria frigate, which fell prey to three torpedoes fired at her by a Pakistani submarine in the 1971 war. The ship sank 40 nautical miles off the coast of Diu taking her crew of 18 officers and 176 sailors. A replica of the ship is enclosed in a glass cage.

Beyond the beaches, Diu is an amazing cauldron of sights, sounds and experiences. Not your typical tourist destination, Diu is an idyllic place suspended in time. Walking through the maze of narrow cobbled lanes of Diu, (a car can barely manage to squeeze by in a few big lanes) transports you into a different world, giving a feeling of traversing through a fairy tale town.

The old town is dotted with houses displaying Portuguese influence. Makata Lane or Panchwati, near the Zampa gate has some old havelis (mansions) of rich merchants, Indian and Portuguese. The most remarkable is the Nagar Shet’s haveli. Desolate yet grand, it has porticoes, carved balconies, intricate arches in a blend of European and Indian styles and stone lions add to feel of an untouched world.

Nothing much has changed here over the years and even at 10 a.m. the streets are eerily empty except for a few artisans at work in their shops and kids playing amidst the loitering cows and pigs. But this is not surprising as the island comprises mainly of the sea faring community with every able bodied man out at sea.

The island consists of six villages and has at least one member from each household holding a Portuguese citizenship. After the formation of the European Council people have been rushing to Lisbon. There are nearly 12,000 people from Diu in Lisbon, a large chunk considering the 45,000 odd population of the island. The ties with Portugal, despite being liberated by Indian forces in 1961, are still strong and in spite of being aware of its historical past one can’t help getting startled on hearing sari clad matriarchs conversing fluently in Portuguese.

While Catholics only constitute one per cent of the population, the three main churches of Diu, St Paul’s, St Thomas and St Francis of Assisi are monuments of the Portuguese legacy and major tourist landmarks.

The grand St Paul’s Church built in 1691 and consecrated to Our Lady of Immaculate conception resembles the Bom Jesus Church in Goa in its architectural style. It has a three-storey baroque marble facade surmounted by a cross. The pulpit of the church is exquisitely carved out of rosewood, which the Portuguese got from Mozambique. The statue of Our Lady is also beautiful, especially the eyes, which look life like.

The St Thomas Church is a museum housing a collection of Catholic statutes.

Along with the churches, age-old traditions like the art of making artifacts from tortoise shell and ivory by the community called the ‘Sangheda’ and that of making exquisite cotton saris for ‘Kharwas’ (fisher folk) weddings have been preserved. In fact, all around the island one finds an amazing integration of cultures and people genuinely hospitable, thankfully yet untouched by crass commercialisation.

Among the host of temples in Diu, the most interesting is the Gangeshwar temple located two kms west of Diu Fort and half a km from Fudam, a small sleepy village with neat bungalows in Portuguese style. Believed to be 5,000 years old, Gangeshwar is supposed to have been built during the Pandav Yug.

According to Vanaparyay (chapter on the forest exile of the Pandavas) in the Mahabharat, Pandavas landed in Diu while roaming around in Saurashtra. Worshippers of Shiva, the Pandavas did not eat until they worshipped the Lord. One day they could not find any ‘Shiv ling’ to worship till evening so they installed a ‘Shiv ling’, each according to their height in a narrow cave facing the sea. They completed their pooja and finally had their meal. The Pandavas stayed for a month and worshipped the five ‘Shiv lings’ and the practice has been followed over the years after some saints chanced upon the cave.

During the time of Pandavas the sea was 100 metres away but over the years it inched closer and today at high tide the waves often lap the ‘Shiv lings’. The cave also has idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Parvati. South west of the cave facing the sea there is a ‘Kund’ and at low tide locals claim that there is sweet water in the ‘Kund’, an odd unexplained quirk of nature. Locals have termed the flow of sweet water as ‘Ganga Dhara’ and hence the temple has been named Gangeshwar.

The cave and the ‘Shiv lings’ (there is no constructed structure) have withstood the ravages of innumerable storms and are believed to fulfill all wishes. Normally deserted, the cave exudes a festive atmosphere with a big ‘mela’ on Mahashivratri.

Apart from the mela, local stories or beliefs associated with this cave shrine are as unique as its location. Locals claim that anyone attempting to spend the night at the site loses consciousness and those who have tried reported seeing man sporting long hair and a beard. Devouts also claim that at mid-night they have heard conch shells blaring at Gangeshwar and on investigating they found no one around.

Diu abounds with such quaint and intriguing sights and sounds and the best way to explore them is by hiring a bicycle, kinetic or a bike.

Driving on traffic free roads is a sheer pleasure and the perfect way to get into the mould of the peaceful unhurried pace of life on the island.