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Blue lagoon

Arambakkam: nothing but Nature for company, says PRINCE FREDERICK

NORTH OF Chennai, where Andhra Pradesh meets Tamil Nadu, lies a place that seems to have been created specifically for this column. Arambakkam. Three kilometres from from the centre of this little-known village is Bheemavarai Palyam (or B.V. Palyam), where a creek (the locals call it `Uppankali') juts out from the Pulicat-Arambakkam lagoon. From Arambakkam, which can be reached by public transport, you go on to B.V. Palyam by autorickshaw or fish-cart. On a whim, I take the second option. What follows is a dusty ride — red sand slaps me hard in the face as the wind whirls and whines wildly.

At B.V. Palyam, the wind mellows to a gentle breeze. Boats languidly cruise along the creek and enter a row of wharves (called `reavu' in the vernacular) separated from one another by spits of land. These boats have sails as their primary means of propulsion; they are also fitted with diesel engines. There is a sea of empty space all around. On this sandy stretch, my footsteps are the only sound that meets my ears. Shut out the boatmen, the sailboats, the `mangrove regeneration nursery and demonstration centre' (set up by an NGO in collaboration with the Wildlife Management and Forest Division, Sullurpetta), and all that is left is a desolate stretch of land. This is what lends B.V. Palyam its charm. It recommends itself as a quiet camping site where bands of revellers can bivouac for an evening of bonfire and barbecue. As the lagoon attracts certain birds, bird watchers also have a reason to visit the place.

B.V. Palyam the wind mellows to a gentle breeze. Boats languidly cruise along the creek and enter a row of wharves (called `reavu' in the vernacular) separated from one another by spits of land.

These boats have sails as their primary means of propulsion; they are also fitted with diesel engines. There is a sea of empty space all around. On this sandy stretch, my footsteps are the only sound that meets my ears. Shut out the boatmen, the sailboats, the `mangrove regeneration nursery and demonstration centre' (set up by an NGO in collaboration with the Wildlife Management and Forest Division, Sullurpetta), and all that is left is a desolate stretch of land. This is what lends B.V. Palyam its charmAs the lagoon attracts certain birds, bird watchers also have a reason to visit the place.

B.V. Palyam is just the beginning. Much more lies ahead. One of them is Irukkam, a lagoon-encircled islet. I hire a boat that leaves gentle, foamy slipstreams behind it as my eyes roam over the expanse of placid brackish water. In close to an hour, I set foot on Irukkam.

With an economy that is driven by farming and fishing, the villagers of Irukkam have for long depended on the land and the sea to "keep their head above water."

But now tourists are coming in, though only in dribs and drabsAs a fiery sun is doused on the horizon, I decide to return to Arambakkam.

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