Broken Images - a glance into one own-self

“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.” 

― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Human psychology is such an intriguing subject that oodles of excitement gathers at the core of my heart whenever this topic is mentioned to me. Though I know and understand very little of it but it does not stop me from thinking about the layers of intertwined emotions that keeps us functioning as discrete individuals.

Another fascinating side of psychology lies in the fact that knowing one own-self is the toughest compared to knowing the mysteries around, at-least I have found out that "I" am the craziest riddle I have ever attempted to decipher. 

With this deep-seated inquisitiveness to unravelling the knots of thoughts, recently I happen to see a play "Broken Images" enacted by veteran actor and theatre personality Shabana Azmi. Written by Girish Karnad and directed by Alyque Padamsee. Its a psychological thriller, as many of you have already guessed with my generous prelude. 

When it comes to exhibiting superior acting prowess onscreen or on-stage Shabana Azmi, continues to one of the best the country has produced. A 60 minute long rendezvous with that talent of hers wooed me away. It is tough to point out a single flaw.

The play opens on a light note by introducing "Manjula Sharma", a mediocre hindi writer who has suddenly attracted international acclaim on her first English novel. A television channel happen to air her live interview, wherein she wittily addresses the negative reaction of many people, who condemn her for betraying her mother tongue that is hindi. Its eventually an unforeseen transition from a light hearted interaction to a psychological thriller. The audience is hardly given time to assimilate the overture, which is the essence.

In no time we find Manjula facing her own inner self, which is a prerecorded projection of Shabana Azmi. The interaction suavely guide the audience to the unknown, complex, guilt stricken Manjula and goes on to revealing striking facts about her existence. Facts that turn the perception of Manjula Sharma upside down for the audience.

I believe its unethical to reveal the story, but I cannot resist myself from discuss the pinnacle of excitement that the actress builds at the end. A shriek, an outburst of the evil residing in her and light effect of glass breaking,Broken Images. Believe me at this point you cannot refrain from getting scared.

Overall it was a remember worthy watch and intrigues the play-catcher in me for witnessing more such masterpieces. 

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Dear Zindagi - A movie review

I woke very early that day, the sky had just turned crimson. The air was laden with sweet coldness which hit my face as I suddenly opened the french window. I breathed hard, my eyes were fluffy with last night's sleeplessness. I wonder if I had any clue, what the coming day had for me to look forward to. A strange pain originated in my chest and traversed painfully to the mid of my back. I kept breathing to the fullest of my lung capacity and kept telling myself "I am fine, I am fine, I am fine...."

Sounds familiar? Well! I believe everyone of us have moments when we feel cluelessness and emptiness filling our hearts. Times when we become unfamiliar to our own-selves, and seemingly loose control of our individual existence.

"Dear Zindagi" a movie directed and written by Gauri Shinde of "English Vinglish" fame, deals with those untouched realms of human psychology. Before going to reviewing this work of art, I confide that I loved every frame. It's a masterpiece and answers many unanswered questions that boggles many of us from time to time.

Kaira aka Koko, an attractive young cinematographer played by Alia Bhatt is a modern day girl. Her very frame is so urban, cool and fresh that you immediately fall in love. But Koko has more to her petite kitty. While she is great at what she does and nurses humongous career goals, she is complicated and is apparently not in a happy personal space. In the first half of the movie, it is fairly unclear that why Kaira is in the state of despondency that she is. But eventually it unfolds itself in a pace that it unifies itself with the audiences. Koko breaks up with her partner and seeks love in another guy, but unable to convey herself to him which eventually leads her to loosing him. 

In a state of dejection, self-pity and almost insomnia, Koko meets Jug aka Jahangir Khan, played by Shah Rukh Khan, a psychiatrist, therapist. The story actually starts to reveal itself only after this. SRK plays that dream Therapist that woman will seek to visit, but jokes apart, what an intricate portrayal.

While many a real time therapist, might object to Jug's unconventional way of counselling, but I feel that his therapy has worked for millions of movie-catchers. It might be unrealistic, but if any emotion connects heart to heart, I feel its superior to hard core reality.

Through the sessions we interpret Koko more and more, as we witness her, pouring herself in her "jug". And I believe many people will realistically connect to Koko's elucidation of life. At the end we discover, with some hidden moist at the corner of our eyes, a winner. A delectable transformation from a sulker to a person who sings "Love You Zindagi".

Coming to acting, Alia Bhatt delivered a heart warming performance, incredibly natural and superbly overwhelming. I can safely call it her best so far. She is an incredible actress. Shah Rukh Khan, is a delight to watch. Every second that he occupies the screen with his presence glorifies the movie. Life is difficult, but it is important to pour out, otherwise feelings of low conglomerate to an entangled lump of never fading sadness. Gauri Shinde has out done herself, by commemorating the spirit of life.I also thank her for breaking the societal taboos on mental health. 

"Dear Zindagi" is a piece of life served beautifully to the audience. It is a search of finding one's own identity. Alia, SRK and Gauri Shinde needs immense applause for creating this wondrous piece of art.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Please visit my website: http://www.talestotell.co.in

My Letter to Life "Dear Life...."

Dear Zindagi, Teaser...

Life is like the flowing breeze

Life is like an ocean

Life is that celebration

Which all commemorate with expectation...

Life is sad and gloomy

Life is full of light

Life is like that sparkling dawn

Soothing, crimson, bright...

Life is tough, life is harsh

Life is a maddening race

Life is like that mysterious mirage

Which you and me do chase...

Life is love, life is embrace

Life is soft and giving

Life is like that moment before the end

Life is worth a living...

Dear Life,

How are you? I know you must have delectably embraced the negativities around and made yourself worthy. Yet I ask you, how are you? And will wait forever for an answer.

Do you know buddy why I started this letter with poetry. You guessed it right, I wanted to show off my amateur rhyming skills. You know me so well, don't you? But there is another reason too, and that is, your thought made me poetic.

"Main Shayar toh nahi, magar ae hansi, jabse dekha maine tujhko, mujhko shayari aa gayi..."

In this generation of emails, texts and messages, it’s been ages since I wrote a letter. And suddenly when I am writing I realized that I have lost my words. My literary and poetic genius is bemused amongst shortcuts and urban dictionary. Yet I will try, because its you who has taught me "try, try and you will succeed."

As you know, tomorrow is my birthday, and I think this is the ideal time for me to thank you. But it's not easy...believe me...its not. For all that you have been to me, and for all that you have not been but I had craved for, I want to thank you.

Remember when I was born, my grandma who later loved me like mad, had drowned into melancholy. A third baby girl to her eldest son, simply too much for her to take! But when my father saw me in the hospital, he held me in his arms and looked at the apologetic face of my mother saying “who would want a son, if God wants to give me princesses each time?” I thank you life for making me born to parents, who preached righteousness and honesty, without wearing the voluntary blindness of superstitions. I thank you for making me a strong woman, capable of voicing her thoughts, unshaken by the baseless norms of bourgeois society. 

And off-course, how much can I thank you for the beautiful childhood that you gifted me. Baba, Ma and the three princesses lived in a beautiful township amidst crisp greenery, tangible blueness of the sky and the seraphic, yet cosmopolitan ambiance. A perfect breeding ground for rich souls! A place that taught me unison of caste, creed and religion into one single word “Humanity”! And the learning etched itself so grave, that the hatred around could not alter my within. A place that made me modern, classy yet rooted. It taught me the glitz and glitters of winter balls, and allowed me to enjoy the joy and gaiety of Durga Puja. I thank you, thank you and thank you.

I did not appreciate that I was growing up, before Baba left us for good. I can’t thank you for that. But I thank you that you made him have a very peaceful journey to the heavenly abode. I also thank you for giving my family strength during those days of despair and absolute loneliness. 

Kolkata snatched away a lot, but it gave a lot too. I met my husband there. I thank you and embrace you with love, for bestowing this blessing on me. Now we are married for 6 long years, but each day continues to be silvery, smooth and fun. A man sans the cheap ego of manhood, a man with a golden heart, I thank you life for giving me my man of dreams.

When I landed in Mumbai, I thought I would hate the city. The crowded streets, cacophony and commotion, at times left me gasping for breathe. But I thank you for bringing me to my sweetheart city of dreams. This city gave me togetherness with my life partner; this city gave me my first own apartment on the sixteenth floor, with a mysterious bird’s eye view of the city with the backdrop of the Western Ghats. This house has made my days crimson and nights starry. I thank you life for that.

Last but not the least, I thank you for bringing me to the city that gave me back my love for words. I never thought I could paint with the brush of words this elegantly, until I knew of blogging. I thank my life in Mumbai for that. And in my quest in search of narratives, I have completed my first Novel. I could have never thought about it, few years back, but dear life you have given me that strength. I don’t know if my tale will see the light of publishing or not. But my creativity thanks you for being there, keeping me alive enough to create a narrative.

Oh! I just realized how long I have been writing. After-all a letter is too small to thank you Life…just be with me as long as I am worthy to have you…you are beautiful but at times I fail to recognize it…but as I write about you I appreciate your beauty more….

What else to write, what else to say…all I have learnt from you is…whatever you dream to do…today is the day.

Loads of love, hugs, kisses and more

Ever-indebted friend

Aritra

“I am writing a letter to life for the #DearZindagi activity at BlogAdda“

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

SodaWater Opererwala - A Restaurant Review

Parsi culture defines the essence of the city since it was called Bombay and has always intrigued me due to its distinctiveness. Similarly Parsi food was in my "to experience" list for long. But somehow things were not falling into place. But recently to my utter joy "SodaBottle Operwala" a famous restaurant chain of Parsi cuisine, opened their outlet in stone throw distance from my abode. Off-course I had to visit it, and so I did.

The decor, interesting isn't it?

My hubby enjoying his share of Dhansak

The decor of the place resonates Irani culture, but the evident constraint on space availability makes it a bit clumsy and also noisy. But overall there is uniqueness which is appealing.  The menu card is a relief from the ones we encounter regularly. There was not much I had tasted before. So me and my husband chose to start with "Chicken Farcha", a Parsi style fried chicken and spiced it up with "Masala Coke". The chicken preparation was a bit too oily, nonetheless tasted great and the masala coke really added to the flavour. For main course, there are no prizes to guess that we selected the famous Parsi delicacy "Mutton Dhansak" and I really loved it. I had heard that there is a remarkable similarly between Parsi and Bengali food, and this experience proved me correct. 

Overall, "SodaWater Openerwala" was a great experience to me and my first encounter with Iranian food. It is first of its kind in Thane and is drawing numerous Parsi Food lovers each day. I suggest it to all non veg lovers, for the vegetarians I really don't have an opinion to forward. However the sitting arrangement could be a bit more spaced out making the experience a little more comfortable. No, its not a fine diner but the prices are towards the higher side. Yet its a wonderful addition to the restaurants of the place, and definitely I will  be visiting it more.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta
Visit my site: http://www.talestotell.co.in

My posing never seem to cease...

The Fishermans Wharf - An experience to cherish

It was a beautiful night, but I was not feeling too good. Any vacation must end, but that end never comes easy. It falls on you with its share of agonies and mental turbulence. Going back to normalcy feels dejecting and heart-aching. I was experiencing the same syndrome. It was our last night in Goa, at least for that trip and I wanted to cling to it a little longer. Keeping with our food trip spirit, we carefully chose the diner for the night. "The Fisherman's wharf" it was. 

Romantically inclined was the ambience

A shack-style yet fine diner located by the river in Salcette, South Goa, this restaurant had a magical ambiance to say the least. Just opposite Holiday Inn Resort, as you approach this one the sound of live band playing nuzzle your eardrum welcoming you to an evening to remember.  

When we entered, initially we could not get a table by the river, but eventually we managed to get one. The river flowed along, and so did the music. We enjoyed both to the fullest. The lights, the decor and the romantic songs played by the musicians created a spell of rejoice, the stars and the softly rippling water added to the beauty.

We relaxed with my glass of "Cosmopolitan" and my husband's scotch, for satisfying our taste-buds there was "Stuffed Crab", an unusual combination of crab with cheese, crispy chicken and Goan special Masala prawns. All tasted great, but I fell in love with the Crabs, though not essentially a crab person.

Choose your eat

Foodie's life

And then off-course we danced and rejoiced, euphorically spent the evening in a way I always love. I strongly suggest "The Fisherman's wharf" to all those romantic souls who hit the coasts of the tropical paradise regularly, and also to those who love to get a touch of nature wherever they go.

Dancing away...

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Martin's Corner - a restaurant review

Our September trip to Goa, was a foodies's delight. An indulgence to dream of. Staying a little away from the beach, kind of annoyed us but we tried to compensate for that loss by binge. Today I plan to review what they call South Goa's celebrity eatery "Martin's Corner". Well before I entered the place, I had no clue why Goan people called the place so. But it just took me moments to appreciate the reason, once I was there. "No" it wasn't celebrity studded, the actual celebutante was the ambiance, the colourful decor, the cheerful crowd and off-course the live music.

To me, it isn't too important to rate the food, though I would say it was good enough. The place is for experiencing the ambiance, food is just an added flavour. Having said that we had ordered quite a bit, starting with my cocktail "tequila sunrise" a fruity delight with tequila, which tasted wonderful. We also ordered "Basa fry" which was heavenly, "Calamari Butter Garlic", which was our first try with squids but unfortunately we both hated it, not the chef's fault though, our taste buds aren't that versatile with non-veg stuff yet, so as a compensation we added cliche "chicken fried rice" to our order list, which tasted, expectantly "cliche". 

But I loved the prettification and accessorising of the interiors, pretty cool and colourful stuff was used. The live music was heart-warming, they mostly played vintage english tracks. My hubby who never ceases to surprise me, without my knowledge requested a hindi number and one of my all time favourites "Pehla Nasha, Pehla Khumar" and dedicated that to me. It was a sweet moment for both of us, but what amused me more was that, the crowd came much more alive as the singer started to play the prelude, probably an awaited relief from the ongoing english tracks. Afterall we all love bollywood music, don't we?

Overall, I would suggest Martin's corner to all the lovers of spirited atmosphere, music and offcourse food.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Celebrated moments - Durga Puja 2016

To me and many other people from the state of West Bengal, Durga Puja is a celebration of life. An awaited time of the year when all plunge into delectable indulgence of celebrating the sweet togetherness of our society. Its a festival of charm, its a festival of élan...its a festival that celebrates the art and culture of the state and of the country as a whole. Kolkata especially is transformed into a showroom of vivid art, wherein the darkest niche of the city is enlightened with luminescence of the festival. It is a something to behold. Palatial marquees or Pandals, replicating somewhere the city palace of Udaipur, somewhere Taj Mahal of Agra or in some other location reliving the beauty of rural Bengal, its incredible and unbelievable.

But for the last four years, Durga Puja to us has been synonymous to Spandan. Spandan is a socio-cultural organisation of Mumbai that brings together likemindedness of the people who believe that life has a purpose, and so does festivals. Besides numerous activities that the organisation does for the society, every year it celebrates Durga Puja. But the festivities unfold with a purpose, we call it "Theme Puja", wherein we try to emulate some social cause through the marquee and the interpretation of the Goddess. This year we celebrated the "revered presence of our elders with us", and named the festival as "Janak-Janani Utsab". A subtle step towards the laminar acceptance of the yesteryears into the modernised realm of today. The idol had traversed miles to grace the grounds of Mumbai straight from the city of joy Kolkata. Made by celebrated artists of the city, our IDOL was a remarkable rationale explaining the beauty of the old, yesteryear traditions, that are never old enough. The impetus of which, resonated our theme, of the wondrous collaboration of generations. 

These five days of Durga Puja breathes enough oxygen to survive an entire year of breathlessness. From the seraphic rituals that pulls you to a mist of devotion, to the echoing of the thunderous DHAK, from the aroma of DHUNO and the magic of DHUNUCHI NAACH to the illustriously dressed and effortless naive BONG dames, from the exhausting labour and never-ending enthusiasm of the organising committee to the long queue of thousands awaiting to taste the tongue-alluring BHOG every afternoon, from the enchantment of Nakash Aziz, Tirtha, Shayok to our very own talent hub, "POWAI SHARODOSTAV 2016" by SPANDAN FOUNDATION was a bumper hit and being a part of it was an honour.

Every year I adorn the ethnic during these days, cotton sarees, chunky jewellery and that round bindi empowers the woman, the narrator and the art lover in me. I also participated in a play, a comic relief called "CROSS CONNECTION", and as always enjoyed my niche of spotlight. 

The late night ADDA, pandal hopping, loads of calorie intake and an absolute chaotic life, afterall imperfections makes life perfect, and thats why this festival  is so dear to me. Looking forward to 2017, lets see what the coming year unfolds.....

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

PINK- A MOVIE REVIEW

Hello Friends!! I am back to my very own space after a long long time. Durga Puja celebrations had pulled me into an intoxicating twirl of emotions. However now I am back, back to telling the tales of my choice. By the way...How was your Dusshera/ Durga Puja? I hope you have had an overwhelming celebration time. Wish you permanent festivities inside your heart. Now this blogpost is a long pending one, my review of the movie "PINK", cannot wait more to pour my heart.

I wanted to watch PINK from the day I had seen the trailer. Besides the evident reasons, like Amitabh Bachchan and Shoojit Sircar, the trailer was intriguing and thought provoking, I knew I had to watch this one. And as expected, I cherished my decision to the core.

PINK holds on to you from the very first scene, when the girls are seen rushing back to their apartment in a cab, on the silent night streets of the capital. Their smudged kohl and lip colour and the scared expressions, conveys loud and clear that something is so wrong. But the real essence of the movie gradually unfolds and ensures that the purpose of it is a bit more than just discussing an assault incident. PINK is a tight slap to the male chauvinist and gender biased societal structure of our nation, wherein "Equality..Equality" is just a cool thing to utter. The real bias exists in the very core of this bourgeois social structure. 

Minal, Falak and Andrea are tenants in a posh area of South Delhi. They are spirited, modern and independent girls, leading life their own way. Things are gay, until that outrageous night, when the girls push back the unwanted sexual advances by guys they were not completely unacquainted. In the fight to restrict, Minal badly injures Rajveer, who happened to be from an influential political family. The real tale of mental harassment begins after the incident. I don't want to get to the details of the storyline, as I am sure most have already watched. What I want to convey is the targeted message to the society.

Amitabh Bachchan as the bipolar lawyer Deepak Sehgal is more than convincing. He is witty yet naive, he is deadly yet silent. This master of emotions renders another masterpiece. Taapsee, Kirti and Andrea are extraordinarily natural, to an extent that you tend to forget its a movie. I loved Kirti Kulhari as Falak Ali the most. Shoojit Sircar who has produced the movie, is known for creating excellence, the director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury has done a marvellous job but I thought the movie could be better edited. It wasn't as lucid as PIKU .

PINK openly addresses the conjectures and judgemental attitude of the people when it comes to working women. If they come late and are too successful, they must be sleeping with their bosses. If they are too unsuccessful, then women can't compete men after all. If they are beautiful, vibrant and smiling, then they must be either escorts or easy preys to the hungry wolves. In a country where even today a woman is judged by the length of her skirt, by the amount of make up she puts on....PINK is an important movie.

It clearly says that when a woman says NO it means NO, it does not matter if she is a wife, girlfriend, unknown or even a sex-worker. NO cannot mean anything else.

With that I conclude, applauding aloud the ensemble cast, technicians and makers of PINK, thanks for giving the society a dose of reality check.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Check my website: http://www.talestotell.co.in

BAN on PAKISTANI Artists

Terror attacks are not new to India or the world at large. We humans have learnt to live with this constant trepidation, day in day out. But that does not mean we have immuned ourselves from the pain these attacks bring to our existence. It doesn't mean that as our soldiers battle for us on the bloodstained grounds of the border, and we are untouched and hypocritical to behave as if everything is normal. Nationalist emotions are bound to arise in the hearts of every Indian.  

Recently I was watching a debate conducted by "Arnab Goswami" on "Ban on Pak Artists in India". True, this man is dominating, biased and even overpowering. As a debate mediator he is not suppose to take sides. However, this nature of his can be irritating and invoking anger but cannot be heart-breaking. Mita Vashisht an eminent actor, known for character acting had walked out of the debate and this drew a lot of spat on the host. While I too believe that Arnab is absolutely incorrect in his insulting and biased approach, yet I think Mita was equally disrespectful. The way she casually mentioned the martyrs and the tone in which she addressed Colonel V.N. Thapar, father of late Captain Vijayant Thapar, who had given his life for us, was unacceptable at-least to me. So Arnab well done on this account but be a judicious and unbiased mediator, afterall that is what a mediator is meant to be. ( Read this : Captain Vijayant Thapar)

The way she casually mentioned the martyrs and the tone in which she addressed Colonel V.N. Thapar, father of late Captain Vijayant Thapar, who had gave his life for us, was unacceptable at-least to me.

Then coming to the debate, I definitely think that Pakistan Artists should be banned from working in India. Not because I hate them, not because they are terrorists but just because I don't want them to take our money to their nation. A nation that is germinating terrorism. It is not that we don't empathize with fellow Pakistani citizens, we know they are also sufferers. 

But enough is enough. India is an extremely liberal country. We have loved their art and given their artists respect, fame and humongous money, while celebrated actor Anupam Kher was denied of Pakistani Visa. We have protested and voiced our desperation on Peshawar Attacks, while Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and other artists from Pakistan were dumb after the Uri attacks. We didnot expect them to voice against their Nation, we wanted them to commune with the pain, the Nation that has given them so much recognition was going through. We have not banned their movies in India, while they have. 

Its high time people, solidarity is expected from every citizen including Bollywood. Shed aside hypocrisy, business and understand the need of the hour. Art was, is and will be borderless, Ghulam Ali sang gazals will continue to enrich our souls, but today its not the time for that thoughts to be cuddled, it is time to stand up as an united Nation and salute the soldiers who are fighting for all of us, indifferent towards our view on Pakistani artists. Salute to their valour!!

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Jai Hind
My new website: http://www.talestotell.co.in

Pedro's On the Benaulim Beach

Goa symbolises the sea, the sandy beaches, the colourfully clad firang and desi people and most importantly the elaborate and palatable Goan cuisine. Few weeks back we were in Goa and for the 4^th time. As expected we have had our share of site-seeing in our former trips, so this one we wanted to convert to a foodie delight. We started off with “Pedro’s” on the scenic Benaulim Beach of South Goa.

It was a beautiful moonlit night and the sand was shining ceremoniously in its imaginative luminance. When we drove down to the place from Varca, it was around 8:30 pm. But as September is off season for Goa as a travel destination, it was relatively sparsely populated.The staff was extremely cordial and sweet and since there were not too many to be attended, we were quite pampered. 

We started off with "Masala Crab" and when the red hot crab cuisine came, we were left gasping for breathe. It was tasty, tangy and most importantly "HAWT". So to neutralize the tantalizing effect of the crab we ordered some less spicy "Masala Prawns". Both the dishes were undoubtedly delicacies and we enjoyed every bit of the red eyes and flowing nose. We had also ordered a cocktail "Jamaican delight", which was a yummy citrus indulgence with vodka. And then to top it all, we experienced flavoured hookah, me for the first time.

Life is a journey and sometimes when I look back, I appreciate the importance of uniqueness. Pedro's is undoubtedly not the best restaurant in South Goa, but its location by the sea on the serene Benaulim Beach, its friendly and chilled out atmosphere and the magic of time has made the experience unique to me. Do visit the place next time when you are in Goa.

we at Pedro's

A distant view

Colorblast :-)

Jamaican delight

Crabs before

Crab After ;-)

Hookah time...

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

Visit my website : http://www.talestotell.co.in/

The Emerald Palms, Varca, Goa

A couple of weekends back, we were in Goa. I call it the let loose haven or the tropical paradise. Each time I have set foot on the golden sands by the Arabian beauty, I have collected new tales to tell. This time we had put up in "The Emerald Palms", a Club Mahindra Property near Varca Beach in South Goa. This was our second rendezvous with Club Mahindra, the first being Gangtok. And unfortunately this time nothing met our expectations. And would firmly "NOT" recommend this property to any Club Mahindra Membership holders. The reasons I have listed in this blogpost of mine.

The Emerald Palms

NO FEEL OF GOA

Goa is one of my most preferred travel destinations. Its air is absolutely intoxicating yet detoxing your heavies. The water, the waves, the breeze, the colourful crowd infuses a new zest of living life. But the location of "The Emerald Palms" keeps you away from the spirit of Goa. Yes, its true that South Goa, is serene, silent and scenic. Its seclusion is its beauty. Yet the part of Varca beach which is near this resort, is isolated to a different level. For kilometres you will see no sign of life, no shack and you can't even buy a bottle of water, and this is the picture of broad daylight. Nights must be scary, we didn't try though. And this secluded beach is again 2 kms away from the resort, with no facility to reach there arranged by the Club Mahindra Management. So if you please to touch the waters of the sea, you will have to drive down 2 kms and find almost a nobody. Yet the beach is exceedingly beautiful, its clean beyond imagination, pebbles, crabs, fishes give you a complete feel of the aquatic life. I would have loved to behold this phenomenal natural beauty, if this was not the only beach available nearby.

The secluded beauty

Posers always...found someone even in that nobody zone

EXTREMELY COSTLY FOOD 

Well not that I have to write much on this topic. But the food was far too expensive and taste wise just OK. There were shacks just outside the resort and most of the younger crowd was having all meals there, one for money and two for the Goan Spirit. And I must admit that I loved the food there.

AWAY FROM MARKETS AND PLACES OF INTEREST

Well as the readers have already guessed it, that " The Emerald Palms" is away from any market, Church, renowned eateries and each time when you plan to venture out, be prepared to travel for 20 - 30 mins on secluded stretches of roads.

  Our Room

  Our Room

 Tea Time

 Chill out at the nearby shack

Chill out at the nearby shack

Overall the experience of "The Emerald Palms" as a resort is just about average. The only thing I loved was the room, spacious, gorgeous and chic. I loved my time within the four walls. And as we were finding it different to go to beaches, due to the location hazard of the property, we chose to convert this trip to a food trip and made it a  point to explore some great eateries nearby. My posts on them will follow soon. Till then "bye" and keep reading my space for more updates.....

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

visit my website: http://www.talestotell.co.in/