I have a group of friends here who have been most instrumental in introducing me to the Malayali culture. It is to them that I turn when I need to learn the meaning of a word or when I need some Malayalam lessons. Words that I have picked up are edathu(left), Vallathu(right) and nirthu (stop) which are enough to direct my auto to the office everyday.So, I was just talking to one of them today and telling her that how Malayalis cant say 'sir' but instead pronounce it as 'saaaaar' when she told me that it is the custom here in govt offices to address everybody, including ladies, as 'saaaar'. I was in splits when I heard that. She told me that her mother works in a govt office and they often receive calls asking if 'Lakshmi saaaar' is available. Also, I got to know that a very arrogant, proud person is labelled 'decent' condescendingly. I think the meaning must have gotten subverted over the years and people of proud bearing are called 'decent' with a super crinkling of the nose.
Situated at around 30-35 km from Port Blair is a beautiful,sandy,shallow beach called Collinpur. Since its situated a little away from the city, the beach is cleaner and quieter. Its covered by dense vegetation and you wont know that you're near the sea until you actually see it. Its a long stretch flanked by a hill on one side and since the gradient is not steep,its ideal for swimming and sunbathing. The main attraction for me was however, another beach called Kurma Dera. This beach is situated a little farther from Collinpur and is more deserted and quieter. The car couldn't go upto the beach and we had to walk nearly 2-2.5 km to reach the beach. The walk was through a very muddy and slushy path along a creek andd I expected to see a crocodile pop out any second. In fact, the second time we went to these beaches, we heard of crocodile attacks on the same day corresponding to our visit. Kurma means shells and I found the most amazing shells on this beach. And what surprise
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