May is the time of the year when Colva beach is a veritable oasis to locals, who throng from different villages of South Goa, to beat the summer heat in the waters that, many believe, have therapeutic value.
Children, parents, grandparents and even great grandparents – from different communities – make it a point to visit Colva beach in summer and this is one of those traditions that have been passed down through the generations.
“I remember coming to the beach as a kid and have been coming ever since because that is the way we have been brought up. I now bring my children along and my in-laws and parents, whenever possible,” says Rehanna, who has driven with her family from Fatorda.
“Having a dip in the water in summer is good for the bones. I have been doing so for years. First, my parents brought us and now I come along with my daughter and grandchildren,” admits Rehanna’s mother Rosy.
Apart from drawing locals, Colva is the first beach in the south to have caught the fancy of the foreign tourists in the early 1970s. Though not frequented much by foreigners now, number of domestic tourists, especially those from the low-income group, have swelled.
In May, Colva has its own time-line. Locals start wading into the water by late noon and as the sun begins to set, the group that came in early – consisting of young and elderly – begins to leave and parents with tiny tots and couples start arriving for the sunset.
Most beach shacks are empty during the evening, with locals preferring to bring in their own stuff. “We prepare our own picnic meals. The shacks seem to be run by outsiders and their cooking does not suit us,” says Adberg as he helps unpack the homemade sandwiches.
Most of the shacks on the beach are empty with just one or a couple of guests in one or two of the seven shacks that are still operating. Staff of some of the shacks are seen soliciting customers.
“There are times when we come for a meal at night to one or two restaurants in the vicinity of the beach but I do not think locals tend to patronise beach shacks. It was never our habit,” argues Vincent, who is on a picnic with his family.
Despite the sea being full of people, not many swim. Most wade in the water or play games or just crash into the water. As a young girl changes her wet clothes, her grandmother bemoans the lack of proper changing rooms for the elderly and the youngster closer to the beach.
“It looks so awkward to have my granddaughter change her clothes with me holding a towel around her. Worse still, some of us have to change our clothes in this crowd,” moans 60-plus Celestina who claims having come to the beach since she can remember.
“There was not so much of a crowd then and when younger, we could walk to the changing room. You can see how chaotic it now is,” she adds.
As the sun begins to set, the whistles of the life guards can be heard as they coax people to come ashore. And, as they begin to leave the beach, the next generation of locals appears, those who have come to enjoy the sunset, gossip and beat the heat with the night breeze that blows around.