Our New Picnic - 2016

Monday 18th of February

The children only had a few days notice for the Picnic this year. Visakhapatnam beach and parks were closed for security reasons as the town was celebrating Navy Week with a lot of important guests due to arrive to see the naval displays and reviews. 


We decided on a new, to us, beach area near Chintapali village. The bus picked up the Prem Nivas children first. They had been up, showered and dressed since 5 o'clock. Each home prepared its own food this year  - breakfast, lunch and snacks. The High School boys loaded the food into the rear of the bus. The smaller Primary school children lined up at 7 o clock to walk to the bus waiting on the main road. 

The fist stop was  Shanti Nivas where we picked up the Thompson House children. It was quite a squeeze to fit staff and children in the bus so Mary Madam and I followed the bus in the Brighter Future vehicle and were saved the noise of the children's favourite songs being blasted at x decibels over the coach's video system.

The route took us up the N5, the main highway towards Kolkata.We turned off before Srikakulam onto a narrow, but currently being widened, twisty road that served a couple of pharmaceutical companies and led eventually to Chintapali village and its beaches. It was a very rural route, twisting and turning through fields of maize, eucalyptus plantations, coconut palms, banana plantations,  fields of tomatoes, chilies, aubergines and a whole lot of other vegetables.The route became very narrow as we approached the sea as it was normally used only by auto rickshaws taking pilgrims to bathe as part of their religious ritual visit to Govindapuram temple. We had chosen an auspicious day for temple visiting and sea bathing. 

Govindapuram Temple

There was plenty of action on the very large expanse of beach to observe.The coastal villages are fishing villages.

We saw fish landed - small ones like sardines.

Pigrims queuing for boat rides in the distance

Collections of fish were drying in the sun on the higher parts of the beach.   

Before the tsumani of 2004/5 the boats were the simple wooden ones of three of four planks tied together to support one or two men.

Simple plank boats in middle distance

Since the tsunami the fisherman have had grants to buy bigger boats which are worked by 10 or more people and have inboard motors.

Mary Madam and  Jyothi

 

Watching these being beached or launched was a hair raising event as they had to ride the crest of large waves which broke onto the beach.The boats were almost vertical in the water and it seemed as if all on board would fall into the sea.

The newer boats were painted in various designs based on triangles.

The catch from one boat

The children found fish drying on the beach

Mary Madam fies our English kite

The big girls didn't go in the sea this year

Prem Nivas and Thompson House 2016  picnic was sponsored by Bronwen aunty and Mick uncle

After the photos the children were free to play in the sea. the beach was a gently sloping one but the waves could be quite powerful. members of staff patrolled in the water the water to prevent the boys going too far out. The little ones were supervised at the edge of the beach.

Breakfast was served on the beach as it was a one item affair. Lunch was much grander and needed a good place for the children to sit down in the shade. Mary Madam and Hemant Sir went to enquire in the village centre. They were directed to the parking area for Govindapur temple .