The Last Road to the Lost Town - NH87, India

A drive on the Last Road to the Lost Town

Ever wondered driving for about 25 km, on a narrow stretch of a two-lane Highway severing two different oceans at both sides - the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal?  It seems like a breathtaking adventure drive, isn't?  

This whimsical drive along NH87 is quite exciting and a lot more adventurous than it seems on the internet images, as it is this shoreline that has witnessed many natural calamities in the past. The NH 87 ends in the la(o)st mystic town of Dhanushkodi where the Indian ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet.

From a busy town to a lost town

Dhanushkodi meaning- 'end of bow', which marks the end of the Indian mainland, was a busy seaport and just another normal coastal town until December 1964 - the day when calm waters of the sea turned into a furiously devastating cyclone with high tides ranging from 7 to 10 meters height with wind velocity swiping off everything in the town!

This catastrophe marked the day in history when a lively busy town was washed away overnight leaving pristine sand dunes on land & human bodies floating on waters. Today this lost town has only the abandoned ruins of the then busy seaport - a Catholic church, a railway station with trails of railway track, a portion of a water tank, a wall of the post office; it is more of a tourist attraction now, only during the day time till the sun sets. Why was Dhanushkodi declared as "Ghost town", by the Government of India after 1964 catastrophe? Why hasn't the government taken steps to renovate or develop the town again? This ghost town has become unfit for living due to its highly risky geographical location witnessing frequent high tides causing ever-changing landscape & shore profile. Research says that the sea level is constantly changing, that one day a sand patch on the beach is seen while it is covered by sea the same night!

Just imagine how this lost town would look like after sunset - No electricity, No water, just the roaring noise of oceans around, and the dryness caused due to the saline air. Exhausting and haunting, right? It is said that very few fishermen huts fit with solar panels over thatched roofs are built here to serve as an emergency haven for the fishers out in the sea.

The Lost land as etched in my memory

I have visited Dhanushkodi when I was a kid and I still have a clear picture of the ride on the beach sand in a very sturdy jeep (which was the only vehicle fit to be driven on beach sands). Throughout the journey, till the last point of the land, I was pretty scared which I think was quite normal (even more scared after hearing the history of Dhanushkodi); both sides ocean, narrow shoreline, without a road or big stone embankments, or dolosse blocks to protect against the erosive force of waves; I imagined being engulfed by the unprecedented sea tides from both sides!

(A quick fact: These reinforced concrete Dolosse were invented in 1963 and was first deployed in the South African coastline in 1964 - the year when Dhanushkodi town went missing under the sea!)

Recently after the construction of this "Last road of India - NH87", and its coastal management measures with revetments all around, Dhanushkodi has become one of the favorite tourist havens of South India in the limelight.

While this drive on the Dhanushkodi beach road is allowed only after the sunrise till 5pm (before sunset), it has spectacular alluring beaches on both sides of the road. During the day time, the waters are too calm, without waves, crystal clear, aesthetic & breathtaking scenary, and even walkable inside the sea for quite some distance.

Rama Setu Viewpoint

As a symbolic reference of the last point of the mainland of India (southeastern), there is a statue of the National emblem (seen more like a sentry tower!). Now, this is the viewpoint of the mythologically...religiously... scientifically...geologically... geographically...even politically significant "Ram Setu or Rama Setu Bridge". For those who haven't known about the Rama Setu bridge- according to the Hindu mythology, it shares its history way back from 5000BCE during the Ramayana period. Geographically, it is a visible causeway created across the oceans, formerly connecting the Pamban Island of TN- India and Mannar Island of Sri Lanka.

Ram Setu bridge is a 35km long stretch consisting of visible patches of small sandy islands on the surface, and limestone shoals, coral reefs, floating rocks (pumice stones), rare earth minerals (it is said to have deposits of thorium, uranium). And this uneven, unclear formation in the middle of the sea has made it impossible for the ships to sail across it. Surprisingly, this formation of a bridge-like structure has existed for so many years (calculate from 5000BCE) even after facing several deadly cyclones & storms through the years.

Personally, this place (Dhanushkodi & its beach road) seemed very fascinating to me which inspired me to paint it as an art using Satellite image reference and Google maps.

Watercolor painting of the aerial view - Dhanushkodi beach road (click image to zoom in)

PS: If you wish to see this location on the google maps, the sand patches along the shoreline have extended a bit more from the statue point due to the changing tidal activity

Art & Article by Swasthi

Original image reference

Facts reference from Wikipedia

Why shedding these 5 phobias are crucial for a successful life!

The Red Maple tree is one of the most widely spread deciduous trees in the Eastern & Central parts of North America. Red Maple is so adaptable to any site conditions, that it can grow on swampy areas or  poor dry soils, at an altitude closer to sea level or at 3000 ft altitudes, both in the shade and sunny areas, and on any substrates.

Many of its features, especially the leaves are variable in its form & are unique and is one of the first trees to change its original colour. It is best known for its very attractive, brilliant deep red, scarlet foliage leaves in autumn. The Red maple shed its 5 lobed leaves, how so ever beautifully colored and scenic they are, during the fall, to again become more beautiful with its new set of leaves in the next seasons to come.

A coffee painting of Maple tree during Autumn

Why shedding these 5 phobias are crucial for leading a successful life! 

Here are those 5 important phobias we need to shed, how so ever comfortable or used we are living with these, to lead a beautiful & successful life.

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be!"  - Lao Tzu

Fear of new things or ideas – Neophobia

If you are so attached to doing routine things or unwilling to leave your comfort zone, you will never be able to expand your knowledge & achieve in new avenues. Trying new things is Scary. It is hard at first. It is risky. It is also how we learn & grow in life. Many successful people know that going forward to explore new ideas with new plans is more important than getting accolades & grandiose hype for the same old achievements done in the past. They know that doing small & same old things leads nowhere significant, doing new & big things leads to greatness or long-term success.

Fear of what others think about us – Sociophobia

This fear makes us anxious and puts us in constant stress to our mind by thinking what others think about us. Successful people understand that no one else’s intentions or thoughts about them, matter for their own journey, however well-meaning they are. They know what they want to achieve and how they will achieve it and they ask for specific advice when required.

Fear of not being right or imperfection – Atelophobia

Many successful people do not care about always being right in everything they do. Instead, they get feedback from their wrongs to improve upon in their next venture. They know the true value of their time and even walk away from a situation that criticizes their imperfection, that’s not worth worrying about. And that is how we should be. This fear of not being good enough or satisfied with ourself brings in extreme self-consciousness & makes our life miserable.

Fear of Failures or worrying about losing – Atychiphobia

Many people can redefine their failures as a part of learning experience to achieve positive outlooks in life and that is how they become happy & successful. These people know the difference between important & urgent and they finish their to-do list starting with what will make the most difference, not what is easiest to tick off, even though it may be difficult to achieve. While it is nearly impossible to stop losing, it is in our hands whether to choose the part of our life that brings us down tormenting about what we lost, or refocus & channelize that energy to being the improved, better versions of ourselves to expand our future successes to new horizons.

Fear of Negative things happening – Cherophobia

Negativity is incredibly contagious like the common cold. We should stop being negative to others and also to ourselves. Normally when we think, we talk to ourselves (within the mind) and the voice within us should be on the positive note, only then we will be able to resonate positive vibes around us. If we are constantly inundated by worrying about the negative things happening, we will lose our time & energy to enjoy many precious moments in life.

There are many different versions of success, like, what you want to become might be what I hate to become or your dreams might be my nightmare. Regardless of how we define our success, truly successful people just don't possess the above-said phobias!

PS: Traits of successful people - words reference from thriveglobal.com

Art and Article by Swasthi

Staying calm in turbulent times – A superpower one should possess!

Being calm like a lake is a Superpower one should possess. Oh yeah! I can relate this “Power of being calm”- to the superpower shield of Marvel’s Captain America! Being calm is the best invisible shield one can possess in order to cease our everyday worries, stress, and struggles, or even agitation due to over excitement. All these have a strong influence on our emotional balance and thus impact our emotional health.

It is human tendency to react too quickly during a turbulent or a tough situation. What is actually going on when we react? Or why isn’t there control over our emotional reactions? This is apparently because the world moves faster every day and we are working too hard to match its speed. Over involvement in work, frustration due to the negligence of personal life, lack of equilibrium between what we wanted to do & what we end up doing, more focus on earning more money or fame and what not! – All these push us into living a toxically busy life, spinning much too fast than our nominal capacity. We do not have the power to calm down the whole situation causing turbulence, but what can be done is to calm ourselves while the situation will settle by itself. 
On the other hand, whenever we are overexcited or become ecstatic, it often becomes very difficult to control our emotions and there can be too much on our mind which leads to an overwhelming condition. Even though we need to let out of our emotions (both positive & negative) during these good or bad times, we need to have a check before getting off balance. Eventually, the swirling emotion makes us lead an unhappy, unsatisfied life.

“Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm” - Unknown author

It is, for this reason, we need to take a break from life’s race! We need to be calm and live a serene life whenever possible. Being calm doesn’t mean being without emotions. It is being able to control our emotions and balance it properly towards the well being of the most important person in your life – You!

Why should we be like a lake? – Here are 4 interesting analogies...

1. Lakes are meant to possess a calm, serene look, due to its still surface. But this superficial calmness doesn’t mean it is powerless. The calmer surfaces of lakes hide greater depths of aqua life within which nobody can judge by just looking. When we are calm, it doesn’t mean that we are powerless or submissive to react to situations, but it does mean we have a greater power of controlling self with a deep sense of kindness, greater knowledge to judge and respond to situations.

     “Make your heart like a lake with calm, still surface and great depth of kindness”- Lao Tzu

 2. Lakes are known for their clarity, surface ripples, unknown depths, and vibrant life around the shores and in a nutshell, lakes are full of Life! Likewise, we should possess a crystal clear mind; create positive vibes & ripples surrounding us; infinitely deeper sense of knowledge to be wise; shore up true friendship & good people around you; be kind enough to help others & be a source of their smile to live life to the fullest. 

3. Turbulent waters cannot reflect, it is the still waters of lake that reflect the beauty around it. Only when our mind is still, the beauty of true self & also our surroundings are seen reflected on it. Lakes reflect the vastness of the infinite sky and this explains that the acquired knowledge, howsoever vast it may be, should be reflected in our humble actions.

“We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.” – Zen saying

 4. Lakes are filled with natural magic potion otherwise known as the Water! While water has the super power to be soothing and to sustain life forms, it can also be terrifying and take away lives when turbulent. A lake holds all that raw potential of water intact or still, keeping it from destroying things in its path. And this is much like our brains which hold wild thoughts from wandering away. So Life will be at its best when our potential thoughts & actions are deep and calm like a lake.

“If the lake sees the ocean, it will want big waves! If the ocean sees the lakes, it will want calm days that last for years!” – Mehmet Murat ildan

Quotes reference from : everydaypower.com

Art and Article by Swasthi