DIGHA
Down Memory Lane
By Abhijit Gupta
Once upon a time, Digha was called the ‘Brighton of the East’. Some websites still flaunt the tag, but it now sounds somewhat remote from reality. There was a time when the hard, flat beach at Digha stretched for miles, and the salt wind soughed among the romantic casuarinas. On the long walk to the mohona, one would come across beached boats, fishing nets, and an occasional giant turtle. Starfish-shaped outlines glittered in the sand till the tide came in and wiped them out. I remember all this from my first trips to Digha, as a child, in the early seventies.
Recently, I returned there after over three decades, and was disappointed, but not surprised, to see the changes that had taken place. Over 200 yards of the waterfront was now encased in concrete and stone, to prevent further erosion by the sea. Lining the stone embankments were rows of charmless foodstalls and shiny red plastic chairs. In a small bollard-marked break in the embankment, approximately a hundred bathers splashed in the shallow waters, as if taking a ceremonial holy dip.
I quickly walked past the shops and up a hillock to what remained of the casuarinas. Once upon a time, it was de rigueur to shoot almost all romantic Bengali films in this grove. Now, with a couple of stray dogs for company, I went over the crest and drew my breath in wonder. Stretching to my left for as far as the eye could see was the beach of my childhood, clean and glittering, uncontaminated by any human presence except a group of local boys playing beach cricket. As the sun set over the Bay of Bengal, I stood barefoot in the water and felt thankful for small mercies.
ORIENTATION
There are now two beaches at Digha: the older one, and another one a kilometre to the west, known as New Digha. The waters at New Digha are supposed to be less turbulent for bathing, though two tourists drowned at New Digha the day I reached the seaside. This did not seem to have deterred anyone, for the very next day, the waterfront at New Digha pullulated with bathers. At the same time, however, the beach at Digha was out of bounds, with arpeggios of huge white waves crashing into the embankment.
The road connecting Digha with New Digha runs parallel to the sea, separated only by the beach and strips of casuarina. It runs past the post office, the bus station, a marine aquarium, a science park, and the Digha train station on the other side of the road, roughly halfway between the old and the new beach. Every second house is a hotel or lodge of some description. The older ones are within a stone’s throw of the beach, while the newer ones have come up along the connecting road. It’s a pleasant walk from old to new Digha if it’s not too hot, but most tourists prefer to avail of a pedalled vehicle which is a cross between a rickshaw and a cart, seating about six.
BEACH WATCH
The waters at Digha can be pretty choppy, especially during the rainy season. The sea often looks deceptively calm, and it’s not a very good idea to swim too far out. Swimming after sunset is an absolute no-no as the tide begins to come in. There are no lifeguards other than the purveyors of kiddy floats who might gesticulate and holler at you when you are too far out. At the New Digha Beach, a solitary lathi-wielding policeman patrolled the waterfront while hundreds made merry. Beach etiquette at Digha is pretty much Victorian, especially if you are a woman. Swimsuits are rarely seen but that does not mean you cannot wear one. |