Tajpur Beach – An Enchanting Escapade

I’ll say it again and again and again “I travel not to escape life but for life not to escape me”

I want to make memories all over the world, although may not be possible in one lifetime; I will try and never stop trying. “For the seas call and the stars call, and oh, the call of the sky!”

My latest travel destination was Tajpur, a seafront in East Medinipur district of West Bengal, India, only 170 Kilometres from my home in Kolkata and a 3-4 hours drive from the maddening urban cacophony I grew up with.

Location of Tajpur Beach

Sometimes I prefer to travel alone, but most often I travel with a partner or two, but rarely in groups. I believe travelling with partner(s) with whom I can connect on a mental level, even to some extent, share and understand each other’s interests and mindsets helps to make the journey complete. Enjoying the nature’s bounty all by yourself is good but if you have someone, travelling with you, to share your happiness of experiencing the sights and sounds of the natural world, the pleasure multiplies. At least I think so. This time it was my dear friend Anjan, a very gifted person with a penchant for poetry and Tagore’s songs, who agreed to come with me to Tajpur.

As the bus we’re travelling left the freshly tarred city road and rolled along the national highway crossing every bend and turn, I felt excited and ready for the fun time at the beach. And, my wait wasn't for too long. We got down at Balisai (bus stop between Chawalkhola and Ramnagar, on the Kolkata-Digha bus route) after travelling on road for nearly 4 hours. 

The poetry of earth is never dead @ Tajpur Beach

A rented cab took us to Tajpur Nature Camp our destination for the next 2 days in just over 20 minutes. The journey from Balisai to Tajpur itself offered abundant natural scenery for us to enjoy. You have to drive along a narrow (part-mettled) road, built on an embankment separating huge tracts of farmlands and water-bodies (probably used for pisciculture).

Tajpur Nature Camp offered good hospitality and the food was delicious and healthy. Yes, let me start with the food… obviously like most Bengalis, it’s my weakness! A full course lunch comprise of rice, fries (5 types, as in typical Bengali food fare), veg & non-veg (fish/meat/eggs, as per preference) dishes, sweet dish and dessert (payasam), cooked with inimitable Bengali kitchen- spices, will certainly remind you of home-cooked food. Such heavenly food in the middle of lonely sea front miles from the nearest locality! What more would you want? I savoured every single dish to the last bite. Tea time snacks (Chicken pakodas) and dinner (Mutton kassa and roti) was finger-licking good.

Tajpur Nature Camp & Beach front

During our stay we ventured out during early evenings and stayed till late inside the shacks lining the beach sipping hot tea, fries, coconut water or the occasional beer. The food and drinks, the dark shadows of the beach, the starry firmament above, the sound of the rolling waves, dim lights inside the shack and the pleasant sea breeze, all helped building up a reflective ambience. The occasional intrusion of civilization from ringing cell phones couldn't be helped with, otherwise, I felt like spending the whole night on the hammock, inside the shack, enjoying moonshine kissing the sea waves!

Sunrise from Tajpur Beach

View from Tajpur Beach with Mandarmoni seen from a distance

The Estuary (mohona) at Tajpur, the beach teeming with red crabs

Sunset from Tajpur Beach

Nature's Child 

Swing, swing, up to the sky

If you compare Tajpur with neighbouring sea beaches of Mandarmani (which by the way is visible from Tajpur beach), Digha and Udaipur, you’ll find Tajpur beach to be quieter and cleaner than the other two. Less human footprint equals less pollution and more raw beauty to enjoy. That’s what I realized while walking with my travel buddy along the casuarina-lined sandy shoreline early evening, on our last day before departure. The red crabs thronging the entire stretch of the sandy coastline reminded me of our trip to Junput, last year. 

Sunrise from Tajpur beach the next day was one magical moment I will remember for a long time. Our weekend trip to Tajpur will remain ever etched in my memory as an enchanting escapade from monotony - from routine, targets, and race with my inner self.