Games people play: more on Ganjifa

The Ganjifa playing cards tradition is believed to have entered India with the Mughals (Farsi ganj for treasure or ganjifeh for playing cards, according to different sources) via Bengal in the 16th century. It passed along the country, the motifs changing with each region.

After it was adopted by the Hindus, the most popular icons were the Navagraha – nine planets – and the Dashavatar – ten incarnations of Vishnu. The Sawantwadi version is a three player game with the Dashavatar set containing 120 cards. The rules of the game are available in a pamphlet inside the brightly painted box holding the cards.

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This was a side-box in my piece on Sawantwadi – Calm on the coast – that appeared in the April issue of India Today Travel Plus.

Footprints on the sand

I am looking out of the window of my room in Sindhudurg at the rain crashing down, as I sip the ginger tea (my fourth cup… fifth? since morning, I have lost count). It was clear and sunny just a minute ago. Just as I put my book away, finding rain-watching more absorbing, the downpour stops as if someone has turned off a shower knob. And so the rain plays peek-a-boo the entire morning, soothing us with its gentle whispers at times and catching us by surprise by its vehemence at others. Only the fragrance of wet earth is constant, competing with the aromas of lunch wafting from the kitchen beneath my room. Everything around looks washed clean by the rains, the water drops on the tips of the leaves sparkling like diamonds on an emerald setting.

Backwaters of Sindhudurg

Sindhudurg is the last district in Southern Maharashtra before the Goa border and gets its name from Sindhudurg fort, the floating citadel in the sea. The fort has three fresh water wells in the middle of its sprawling ramparts, called Doodhbaun (water), Shakkarbaun (sugar) and Dahibaun (curd). Looking at the abundant natural beauty of the region, it strikes me that there is some poetic justice in these names. Through most of the year and especially during and after the rains, Sindhudurg comes alive, covered by a lush green carpet. Tall coconut trees, inviting backwaters, colourful local temples, swaying paddy fields; it is very easy to imagine this as the land of milk and honey.

Dalvi with Sindhudurg in the distance

From the shore at Malvan town, Sindhudurg fort looks like a large ship slowly drifting close to the mainland. The tide is rising and tourist boats are not allowed to take the short ferry to the fort in the monsoon season. Catching sight of us staring at the fort, a man with unkempt long hair walks over and introduces himself. Pandurang Purandhar Dalvi is a member of one of the families that has lived inside the fort for generations, and still does. The fort is closed to visitors now and the families stay inside for over three months, braving the elements, just as the fort has done for over three and a half centuries.

Gheriya

Ramparts

We are disappointed about not being able to explore the Sindhudurg fort but a visit to Vijaydurg the next day makes up for this in some measure. Unlike most other forts of this region, Vijaydurg, the ‘fort of victory’ was not built by Chhatrapati Shivaji or the Maratha dynasty. It was built by Raja Bhoj of the Shilahar dynasty in 1205 and passed through several hands before it was finally captured by Shivaji in the mid 17th century. Upon acquisition, he immediately added three layers of outside walls to strengthen the security of the fort. The fort today, as under Shivaji encompasses over 17 acres and is enclosed by the sea on three sides, giving it the local name gheriya, meaning ‘surrounded’. Sindhudurg and Vijaydurg together established the unquestioned martial supremacy of the Maratha dynasty in the region.

However, forts are not the reason I am in Sindhudurg during the monsoon. I am hoping to relax and unwind completely, leaving behind the cares of my life back in Mumbai. All I want to do is drink tea and watch the rain and by this measure the first day has been a great success. Not so the next morning. I am cribbing incessantly – “I am supposed to be on holiday and that means waking up late”. It is really early and I am still bleary-eyed as we make our way in the faithful Tata Sumo towards the beach. The irritation lasts only till we hit Mitbhav beach.

The beach is empty; the tourists have not discovered it yet and the fishermen know how treacherous the seas are during this season and stay away. However, it all looks deceptively calm. As my husband starts to wade into the water, people from the huts along the shore rush out to warn him. They disappear back into their homes just as suddenly as they appeared and we have the beach completely to ourselves again. The sky turns from a dull grey to a soft blue, smudged with the yellows and oranges of morning. I sit on the powdery white sand and stare at the rising tides and finally concede, some things are worth waking up so early for, even when on holiday.

Nivati beach from the fort

And from then, the holiday takes off into ‘active’ mode. I decide there is no point in fighting it and give in gracefully. And so we spend the rest of the day, attached to the seats of our Tata Sumo, taking in the sights and sounds of Sindhudurg. At this time of the year, the predominant colour of the region is green. All roads including the small state highways are in excellent condition, and I indulge in some silent flights of fancy. I think to myself that through the windshield, the vista ahead resembles a Kanjeevaram silk sari spread out – deep grey, with green borders. Not surprisingly, I do not dare give voice to this thought, knowing the kind of caustic responses it would generate.

Tarkarli at twilight

Bhogwe after sunset

We take the winding roads up towards Nivati and hike further ahead through the rough stone path towards Nivati fort. There is nothing left of the fort now except a few crumbling walls but the view from the top is spectacular; miles of blue sea lashing against the fine sands, the entire scene framed by the green arches of coconut trees. We stop for lunch at a local home that doubles up as impromptu restaurant for visitors and tuck into some delightful home-made Konkani food. Before the day is over, we head to a couple of other beaches including Bhogwe and Tarkarli and I find that I cannot make up my mind about which is the most scenic of them all.

Ganjifa artists

The next day, we drive south, towards Sawantwadi, the last big town in Maharashtra before the Goa border. Sawantwadi boasts of a beautiful palace set right by the side of the scenic Moti Talao (translated as ‘pearl lake’). The palace looks simple from outside, especially since I am expecting an opulent structure on the likes of palaces I have seen in Rajasthan. The façade is cheerful, the red laterite stone (locally called chire) standing out even on this dull rainy day. Sawantwadi was the kingdom of the Bhonsle dynasty and the queen Satvashila Devi still lives in a part of the palace that is shut off to visitors. Apart from her efforts to restore and sustain the palace itself, the queen is also involved in efforts to revive the traditional arts and craft of the region, including lacquer-ware and Ganjifa, the three hundred year old art of painting the Dashavatar on a set of 120 round playing cards. The town is also famous for its wooden toys and though we do not intend to, we end up picking up a few colourful toys as souvenirs from the shops in the main market.

Painted trees at Pinguli

From there, we proceed to another site where there have been similar efforts to preserve traditional folk-art. We walk into Pinguli Art Complex, to be greeted by a tableau of rural life unchanged through the centuries. There are installations and paintings, all unique to the region and also a stage for performances. The Pinguli complex, also called the Thakkar Adivasi Kala Aangan, is the brainchild of the Mumbai-based organization Culture Aangan. It is maintained by the artist Parashuram Gangawane, whose family has been practicing the traditional puppetry art for centuries. He tells us stories about his forefathers who were patronized by the royal Bhonsle family. Sadly, this art is dying out slowly and he hopes it will continue to be passed on to the next generation through this enterprise.

Rural life

Apart from this, Culture Aangan manages a cluster of homestays in the region where visitors get to stay with a local family and learn about the history and culture of the region. We are staying in one of these homes in Sindhudurg and head back there after the day’s packed sight-seeing itinerary. A hot dinner awaits us, served with warm smiles and I notice that I am smiling right back, despite all the tiredness. I am feeling content and stay firm in my resolve to use the last remaining day in Sindhudurg to recharge my personal batteries in peace and quiet, before we head back to the noise and chaos of Mumbai.

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A version of this appeared in the September issue of ‘Windows & Aisles’, the inflight magazine of Paramount Airways.

Come home to Sindhudurg

My piece on the Culture Aangan homestays in Sindhudurg appeared in yesterday’s Mid day – here it is…

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‘Safety on the roads is safe tea at home’, proclaims the sign on the Mumbai – Goa highway, just one of the numerous well-meaning signboards that make this route so enchanting. We have been on the road since early morning, and think longingly of the tea, safe or otherwise waiting for us just an hour away. Sure enough, when we pull into Nandan Farms at Sawantwadi, just as the sun is setting, our hostess Amrutha Padgaonkar welcomes us with her cheery open smile and steaming cups of tea. As she takes us around the house, I can hear the pride in the voice when she talks about her family home. The place, with its beautiful bamboo furniture and colourful decor is as warm and welcoming as the hostess. It is my first time at a homestay place, and I am instantly hooked.

Over the next three days, Amrutha (“everybody calls me Ammu”) spoils us silly with home-cooked meals and heavy-duty bargaining on our behalf at the local market. The hearty home-cooked meal (well, the way to our hearts is certainly through the stomach) seems to be a common theme across the homestays, as we find with Vaishali Loke who is our host at Pitruchaya at Shirgaon. The mango season is over but she manages to surprise us at dinner with delicious aamras and fresh Deogad mangoes the next day. There is solkadi with every meal and sabudana khichdi for breakfast served with tips for finding the best vada pav when we step out later that day.

Introduction to Culture Aangan

Nandan Farms and Pitruchaya are two of the homestays established and managed by Culture Aangan, a Mumbai-based organization. At present, there are three more such homes spread across the district, in Oras, Valaval and Talavade. Each of the homes is unique and has a character and charm that is defined strongly by the personality of the host family.

Rashmi Sawant, who runs Culture Aangan has an animated smile on her face as she reminisces over her childhood days in Kumta, in North Karnataka. “All of us kids, cousins and friends used to meet up during summer in my grandmother’s house and spend all our time in the open aangan in the middle of the sprawling house. Games, food, sleep, fights, everything was out in the aangan”. And years later, when she began setting up the homestay network in Sindhudurg, one of her prime motives was also to restore and preserve the underlying cultural ethos of the region, and so the name Culture Aangan was born.

Vaishali and Vijay Loke of Pitruchaya were the first couple to come forward when Rashmi started the initiative a couple of years ago. Since then she has campaigned tirelessly among locals, trying to convince them to open their homes to visitors, and do their bit towards developing what is officially Maharashtra’s Tourism District. And once the owners agree to be a part of the Culture Aangan network, Rashmi’s business partner, George Joel steps in with his magic touch. With a background in engineering and design and an eye for unusual detail, George manages to transform the basic room into an inviting and aesthetically pleasing space.

Apart from the homestay network, Rashmi also manages a couple of other initiatives aimed at the development of the district. The Pinguli Arts Complex set up and managed by Rashmi and George is an effort to revive and preserve the traditional arts and craft of the region, including Chitragathi painting and shadow puppetry. Additionally, Rashmi has mobilized 160 Self Help Groups (SHGs) with over 3000 women producing speciality food and beverage items. The SHG organization is named Hirkani in honour of a milkmaid in Chhatrapati Shivaji’s kingdom, who climbed down Raigad fort through a rough path late in the night to get home to her child.

Head to Sindhudurg in the rains

So why go to Goa when you can go to Sindhudurg, a couple of hours closer to Mumbai? Sindhudurg is the ideal monsoon get-away, with over twenty beaches that are clean, pretty and quiet. So quiet, some of them, that the only sounds you hear are the crashing of the waves and your own thoughts racing, wondering about the point (or pointlessness, more likely) of your busy lives back in Mumbai.

There are several things to do in Sindhudurg – for those seeking active holidays. Visit the ancient temple of Rameshwar, climb up the lighthouse at Vengurla, go for a boat ride on the placid waters of Damapur Lake or take a nature trail through the verdant slopes of Amboli, the hill station discovered and patronized by the British. The region is also home to several of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s forts, including the early 13th century ‘fort of victory’ Vijaydurg, and Sindhudurg, the fort in the sea which lends its name to the region.

Alternatively, you can sit back, relax and enjoy the rains with a book and endless cups of tea in one of the Culture Aangan homes. A homestay is a unique experience that combines the comfort of personalized service, with the warm hospitality of a home. Staying with a local family in their home is easily the best way to get the true flavour of the region. For instance, Mr.Kadam of Shreeyog Paryatan (the homestay in Oras) was a certified tourist guide with the Deccan Odyssey luxury tourist train, and is full of stories and trivia about his land.

Eat delicious home-made food (have I mentioned it already?) including fresh fish that you can try your hand at catching (in season, there is a deep sea trawler fishing activity you can take part in) and cooking. And perhaps most important of all, a significant portion of the money you spend goes back to a local family in some form or the other, keeping the local economy thriving.

Travel Information

Several trains from Mumbai on the Konkan line pass through stations in the Sindhudurg region. Your best option is the Konkan Kanya (departs 2305 hours) from Mumbai CST. The nearest airport is Dabolim in Goa, from where the homes are 2-3 hours away. Culture Aangan also provides a pick-up from the railway station / airport and arranges for local transport, if required. Alternatively, a drive on the Goa Highway is a stimulating experience in the monsoon, and will take from 7-9 hours from Mumbai, depending on the state of the roads and your destination within Sindhudurg.

For more information, check out the Culture Aangan website at http://www.cultureaangan.com or contact Rashmi Sawant directly at: info@cultureaangan.com

Vengurla: footprints on the sand

Early morning at Vengurla jetty…

And then a beach to ourselves at Sagareshwar. Only crows and a few fishermen for company.

Information: this was last December, over the Christmas break – we were based at Nandan Farms in Sawantwadi, just over an hour’s drive away.

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Cross-posted on the Culture Aangan blog…

Chilling in the heat in Sindhudurg

Here is a plug for what I think is a worthy cause – Culture Aangan is a Bombay-based NGO that works in the Sindhudurg region – they have homestays and several women’s self help groups. I recently spent a few days at the homestay place in Shirgaon near Devgadh… I am helping them set up the Culture Aangan blog and have cross-posted this there, as a starting point.

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A lazy relaxing time at Pitruchaya homestay, home of the shy but friendly Lokes – at Shirgaon in Sindhudurg district. Quiet unknown beaches, Padagar waterfalls, Vaishali’s home cooking – those modaks, the cashew curry and the solkadi… for the non vegetarians, the fresh fish and the stuffed chicken, starry nights and sunny days…

The home is in the middle of nowhere – or so it seems – despite the fact that it is bang on the state highway that leads to Devgadh. You cross the tiny market of Shirgaon and drive for another 2 minutes and there, in isolated splendor, Pitruchaya stands welcoming visitors.

There are two rooms on the ground floor, done up with great taste in the way of all Culture Aangan homes, using bamboo and other natural materials. The open aangan or courtyard leads to the kitchen and the garden behind the house. And the pillars painted by the same artist who has painted the trees in the Pinguli Arts Complex, a nice touch.

But the best room is the one on the terrace – well ventilated and breezy. Here, the pièce de résistance is the bathroom on the terrace – with a huge bathtub and open to the elements in a way that is utterly relaxing, yet private and secluded.

The garden is large and right now, running a bit wild – but here, we sit up in the mornings spotting birds and other fauna – we even have a regular visitor in the form of a garden lizard. And late in the night, dinner over and feeling completely sated, we sit on the terrace under the open star-lit sky. Till the breeze and the good food lulls us into sleep.