Some places give you food for the belly and some give you food for the soul. A few months back I and my closest friends went to Goa, expecting to have our Dil Chahta Hai moment. And we weren’t disappointed!
We had all the experiences we were ‘supposed’ to have when at Goa. Chilling on the beaches, partying and so on. The place is an inspiration in itself, but one place which inspired me to write a full article on it, is this place. A café tucked in the corner of a hustling city. We were on our scooties, exploring the roads. And on our way, we saw a tiny board led by a tiny staircase and a series of glass windows, hugged all over by the climbers as if they have always been lived there and had no intention to let go of it. Something similar to a greenhouse. That is all which was visible from outside. We stopped our scooties in the curiosity to know what exactly the place was all about. Steps were narrow, fragile and were too many, but not too many also. As I climbed up, I saw a little lamp hanging on the entrance, very elegant but rusted, very antique but still very new, nostalgic.
The stairs led us to a huge café with mystical interiors, wooden table and chairs similar to park benches, not to forget a series of glass windows which caught our eyes and was a thin line between that world and the outside world. Sun rays sanctified the presence of that place. And then there was a stage similar to the one in old movies where artists performed on their Banjos, people singing and dancing in their pantaloon clothes, some being fancy and tap dancing. The flora of the place will put all the cities and towns to shame. Managed by an old man who, when we asked for the dinner reservation, gave us a laugh and said, ‘you guys don’t need to do a reservation and can come whenever you want to’. Alas! That decision to hold on our lives which was moving in a rush to cover all the places and to stop to check out a place that tourists would have missed out but, barely visible to a travelers’ eyes, was one of the best decisions we would have ever made in our lives.
I was afraid to leave that place, I was scared, if we left this place now, we will not be able to find it again! It seemed as if the place will vanish any second like a dream. I have been to a lot of cafes and never felt this way. It has been almost eight months since I visited Goa, but still have a vivid image of that place in my head. Sadly, we could not visit that place and I do not know if we will ever be able to.
Some moments need not be captured in a camera lens, but in the memory as it probably will not justify the presence of the moment.
Written by Ashna Garg
Ashna grew up in a jazzy town (where she felt she can never fit in), did graduation in economics (where she didn’t fit either) and she writes (where she finally started to feel like she fits in).
The stairs led us to a huge café with mystical interiors, wooden table and chairs similar to park benches, not to forget a series of glass windows which caught our eyes and was a thin line between that world and the outside world. Sun rays sanctified the presence of that place. And then there was a stage similar to the one in old movies where artists performed on their Banjos, people singing and dancing in their pantaloon clothes, some being fancy and tap dancing. The flora of the place will put all the cities and towns to shame. Managed by an old man who, when we asked for the dinner reservation, gave us a laugh and said, ‘you guys don’t need to do a reservation and can come whenever you want to’. Alas! That decision to hold on our lives which was moving in a rush to cover all the places and to stop to check out a place that tourists would have missed out but, barely visible to a travelers’ eyes, was one of the best decisions we would have ever made in our lives.
I was afraid to leave that place, I was scared, if we left this place now, we will not be able to find it again! It seemed as if the place will vanish any second like a dream. I have been to a lot of cafes and never felt this way. It has been almost eight months since I visited Goa, but still have a vivid image of that place in my head. Sadly, we could not visit that place and I do not know if we will ever be able to.
Some moments need not be captured in a camera lens, but in the memory as it probably will not justify the presence of the moment.
Written by Ashna Garg
Ashna grew up in a jazzy town (where she felt she can never fit in), did graduation in economics (where she didn’t fit either) and she writes (where she finally started to feel like she fits in).