Agatti Island Resort Beach, Lakshadweep

Bharat Darshan

After taking an early lunch bite on 26th February sunny afternoon, 31 Officer Trainees of the 62nd Batch of IRS accompanied by a Faculty member proceeded towards Nagpur airport. We were an enthusiastic lot who opted to visit South India during our Bharat Darshan. After drifting in the air for a couple of hours, we landed in Bangalore. We were first taken to MG Road to experience the busy hours. We stayed in Hotel Chevron and an IRS Association Official Dinner was the hallmark of the evening. This was the begining of our 18 days long tour.

From Bangalore, we set off for Mysore the next morning. The subsequent places of visit includes Wayanad, Munar, Kochi, Ernakulam ( Kerala first leg ), Agatti Island and Bangaram Island ( Lakshadweep ), Kumarakom, Thiruvananthapuram ( Kerala second leg ), Kanyakumari, Rameshwaram, Madurai, Puducherry, Mamallapuram and Chennai. Kerala is beautiful and clean. I admire the forestry. People are calm and decent. Lakshadweep was my first encounter with the sea and my first reaction was fear due to the smallness of the Island and vastness of the sea. After seeing the beautiful waters in the coral islands, the sea elsewhere appear inferior. Auroville in Puducherry is a place of charm. If Madurai was cultural, Chennai epitomises the modern. Dhanuskothi visit reaffirms the stretch is not only for display on maps but a sight to see. The rocks at Mamallapuram are no less a natural wonder.

When we left The Residency in Chennai and took our train journey, we were jet-legged and longed to be back in our rooms in the Academy. It was not surprising, for we had lived out of our luggages for quite a while by the time. The clothes were dirty and we were sun-tanned since Lakshadweep. But it would not be a mere lip service to say we came back enriched in our experiences and outlook. The exposure we got was enormous and the memories something to cherish for a long long time.