Joseph Lewis D’Silva

The sea breeze calls; the silver sand calls; and oh! The compelling call of the swelling surf! The more I ignore it, the clearer is the call; the more I avoid it, the stronger is the call which I could not resist. So, I went to Colva beach.

There the blue sea with its frothy foam welcomed me. My eyes twinkled with great delight to see a thousand people under the shade of coconut trees dancing in the breeze; folks having hipbath, spine-bath and others soaked in the waters of the Arabian Sea. Some only immersed their feet and the murmuring waves came and tickled them and went back after lapping the shore. The whispering winds cooed in my ears, persuading me to have a dip.

So, I slowly crept into the blue. The wet sheet flew over my head embracing me with affection. And I went waltzing over the waves. The sun splashing on the sea, laughed with joy to see me in the waters. It was a marvellous feeling.

After the bath, I sat on the shore and I noticed an old couple, of frail frames and sunken eyes. Their simple smiles spoke volumes of their memorable youthful days. Cheerful girls offered to take them to the soothing splash of the waves. The sportive seniors gratefully agreed and the good girls slowly guided them to knee-deep waters. The cooperative couple took pleasure in the thrill of keeping their balance, on the crest of the waves, by holding each other's hands; as the receding waves swept the sands beneath their feet. The weather-beaten individuals were taken back and made to sit underneath the coconut tree. Then, the youngsters went flying off to meet the waves, as the grateful folks watched them with their tear-filled eyes. Oh, this was an act of human compassion, I felt, on the part of the girls!

My mind rewound my memory, cutting to 60 years back about acts of human closeness. I remembered the old familiar faces of village who, would gang together with the spirit of togetherness and heavenly peace for the yearly trip to Colva beach; now, all, all have gone --- the old familiar faces. They believed that sea water slows down the development of rheumatism; stimulates the body and promotes the feeling of well-being. Seashore sand had a healing effect on their joints and therefore some buried their legs in it. The divine force in the waves messaged their whole body and the power of the sand revitalized their bones.

I relaxing in the soothing sea breezes, fell asleep. A shuffle of feet of a passerby splashing sand hit my eyelids and I woke up from my saturated dream underneath the coconut tree. I saw the wrinkled sea went crawling in its usual way. As the sun was sinking into the sea, its golden rays lit up the watery horizon in a series of colorful, panoramic hues.The sun sank and the moon, like a silver balloon, lit up the sky, helped by hundreds of twinkling stars. So, I retraced my steps homeward leaving behind the loud-sounding sea. Yes beautiful beach of Colva calls for togetherness offering its endless luxury of sea, sun and sand.