Danushkoti

As our long term memories get triggered, meeting up with school friends is a pleasant experience full of nostalgia.  Although I had studied with my friends for  less than two years, the bonding was strong and over the last four years, with regular meetings and reminiscences, had enhanced. 

My friends and I decided to make a trip down South during Dec 2018 planning to visit Rameshwaram, Thanjavur and Chidambaram. Our journey to Rameshwaram started from Madurai which served as the meeting point. SH536 and NH 49 were the highways taken to make the journey. Incessant rains over the last weeks had made the the roads bumpy and the 200 km journey took quite some doing. Apart from the quality of the roads, the Hindu pilgrims making the devout journey to visit the Shiva temple offered much traffic.  

We had to pass by the famous Pamban bridge which connects Rameshwaram island to the mainland - it is worth noting some salient facts about this famous landmark.

• It is over 100 years old having been constructed in 1914.
• it is India's first sea bridge and was longest at 2065m before the construction of Bandra sea world link.
• It is located in the second most corrosive environment in the world and requires constant maintenance. 
• At a height of 12.5 m above sea level, it uses old technology of 143 piers and a rolling type lift span to open up and let ships pass by.  

One has to pay tribute to the engineering marvel of Indian Railways and ensure that we support to make it a UNESCO World heritage site. The view of the railway bridge is awesome from the road bridge which is also an engineering marvel and people stop over to clock pictures of passing trains. 

The vastness of ocean on both sides of the bridge is simply jaw dropping. Stopping in the middle, we could barely retain ourselves on the ground as the wind whipped up our hair. The view of the ocean on both sides was an unforgettable spectacle. Despite the high velocity winds, the place offers a golden tranquility that is inexplicable, with its pristine waters as far as the eye can see.  The fleet of boats patiently waiting for the bridge to be lifted was an incredible sight. One is forced to wonder at our constantly harried life in a rush to do things, how is it that these people have time to stand and stare? 

Typical of any Indian city, there were hawkers selling raw mango and pineapples pickled with chilli powder . We indulged ourselves in the locally available road side cuisine. It appears that Modi's ~Swach Bharat had not yet percolated to this part on Tamil Nadu. 

Danushkoti is surrounded by a mixture of culture, history and myth all mingled together, spreading over hundreds and thousands of years. It offers a fascinating chance for a person with a penchant to explore the unknown and mysterious. At the most extreme South Eastern point of India, situated only 30 km from Sri Lanka, one is transported into the world of Ramayana. Danushkoti means the end of the bow. The legend is that Lord Rama set out to Sri Lanka in search of Sita Devi from this point building a bridge of stones to cross over. Lord Rama marked this point with the end of his bow, hence this city got its name.
There was a cyclone which hit this once thriving town on 23rd December 1964,  erasing the entire population. The devastation was huge and one could see the ruins and desolation. Walking through the ghostly landscape and seascape,  spotting flotsam and jetsam, it was eerily beautiful.  

Villagers most of whom are fishermen stay in the huts, selling coconuts, shells and water to tourist, they seem to be literally marooned. There is no electricity, no signs of misplaced progress of any new constructions in the village. The road was paved two years ago. The ruins of the church, railway station, post office, school are spread all over the village. The shops were closed on the day we visited as it was the memorial day of the tragic event.

We drove to Danushkoti on the morning of the 24th December. The road passed through many small villages before we hit the road leading to the beach. It was early morning and sky was grey with a slight drizzle.

Approaching closer to Danushkoti, we could see the swirling blue Bay of Bengal mingling with smooth green Indian oceans. The ocean views on both sides of the road were breathtaking. The tar road led us to pillar of Ashoka. Situated at the extreme point is the the Asoka Pillar .. a welcome sign to the visitors.

The road was at a higher level than the beach. A flight of steps led us to the waters of Bay of Bengal. Sri Lanka telecom signals are received here and we were greeted by a welcome to Sri Lanka message.

The beach was teeming with people although it was just 6:30 am. That did not deter us from walking the full stretch of the beach. It was a invigorating unique walk by the beach with the sun rising above the ocean shining through the dull grey sky. A broken  layer of grey and white clouds greeted us.   Hues of gold and yellow shone through the clouds spilling light over the land.

It was tempting to step into the water however we were warned of the sudden depths of the ocean. The morning tide was low hence we could walk in quite deep into the ocean feeling the softness of the sand as the choppy waters kept eroding it over time and tide. 

As impossibly beautiful as it is, Danushkoti, to me, had been a strange mix of death and beauty, It was more a humbling lesson than a destination. It is indeed a hard hitting reality check to see, how helpless we, humans actually are. And that in spite of all our military, scientific and medical advancements, it would take nature just another night like 1964 (or 2004 Tsunami) to topple us from our foolish egoistic pedestal.