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A Ganesh Nadar

One lonely house where, possibly, only a vulture could live. You didn't have to wonder how the people living in that house got there. The man had plastered the entire path from the house to the village at the bottom with bright white lime. The path glowed in the evening sun.

I didn't stop to admire the house, as my younger sisters, who were travelling with me, were getting restless to get to Kanyakumari.

Ten minutes later, we reached a check post. And I knew we had arrived. We were asked to pay Rs 5 for our Ambassador car. I wondered how much of it actually went to the government.

The place was packed with cars, but we found parking easily. There was a lovely restaurant overlooking the beach. I thought I'd have some snacks before seeing the sights, but my sisters were adamant, "You can't think about anything but eating, let's see the beach first." I reluctantly agreed, though the smell of frying dosas made my mouth water.

The path to the waterfront is lined with shops. There was the customary tea shop, run by a Tamilian who spoke with a Malayali accent. Reminded me that Kerala was barely an hour's drive away. The Keralites claim that Kanyakumari actually belonged to them and the Tamilians had cheated them out of their due.

Kanyakumari, I believe, actually belonged to the Raja of Travancore.

There were electronic shops, handicraft shops, shoe shops, cloth shops and bangles shops. The tourists crowded the handicraft shops and while the ladies peeped into the bangle shops. My sisters were eyeing the handicrafts as I pushed them towards the beach.

The shops ended at the gate of the Kanyakumari temple. You could see the presiding deity from the entrance. Many people, on their way to the sea, prayed at the entrance.

The beach was crowded. The waves were choppy. Two people were bathing in the sea, though the waves looked very dangerous. To our left, we could see a jetty from which small boats were taking tourists to the Vivekananda rock memorial.

The king who had built the temple had also built a mandap (shelter) on the beach. You could sit there and watch the sunset. There was an elephant, who would bless you for Rs 5.

Many of the shops were selling lovely sea shells. The variety of shells was innumerable. Their beauty breathtaking. There were many of those 10p-wallah photographers around. Those "Fotoo, Fotoo" types. They took your photograph for a nominal fee. You have to leave your address with them. They'll mail you your photographs. It's not a con game, The photos always arrive within a fortnight.

We clicked a few photographs. My four-year-old daughter was ecstatic. The breeze was serene. We munched groundnuts. As we watched the Vivekananda Memorial through a hired telescope, I felt at peace with the world. This was truly a place where man could commune with God through nature.

The sun was going to set. It didn't look like it was going to set in the sea. A local explained that if we wanted to see the sun set in the sea, we would have to go to Kovalam beach in Trivandrum. "Here, it sets in the sea only when the sun is in the southern hemisphere, ie, during the end of year."

My sisters were quite dejected, so I promised to bring them back in December. On the way back, they entered the handicraft shop.

I went back to the car to enjoy a late evening cigarette. I thought of my friends in Bombay. I wondered who among them would like Kanyakumari the most and realised all of them would. A truly universal place. When the land meets three seas, there's nothing more one desires. It's all there. The place does not fill only your heart, it engulfs the soul.

A passing crow screeched the end of the day. I had to pull my sisters out of the handicraft shop. We finally had our snacks. The dosas were really good. There was an STD booth facing the beach. My sister rang up a friend in Madras. My brother rang up a friend in Bombay. Both spoke excitedly on the phone, "Guess where I am calling from? We are at Kanyakumari and I can see the three seas!" They were really happy.

I called my friend after 8.30 pm from Tirunelveli -- 80 kms from Kanyakumari. At that time, the charges reduce to one-third of the daytime STD rates. "Guess where I'm calling from? Kanyakumari. I wish you were here to watch the sun set."

Photographs by A Ganesh Nadar

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