Havelock Island: A Homecoming to Remember

2022 has made me a more stable person and has given me the illusion that I can balance work, travel and my other hobbies. The last one month has been even more special. Before the year bid a final goodbye, I decided to focus on the most important things in life: family, friends and home!

I met my family after more than a year, and we managed to sneak out of our routine to get reacquainted with each other. We traveled to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and spent most of our time at the Havelock island (Swaraj Dweep). Just as I thought my streak of bad luck with weather had ended for this year, the universe sent a cyclone our way! Our ferry¹ to Havelock got delayed and when we finally boarded it, it was complete chaos. The Bay of Bengal is known to be violent, but that day it gave a tough competition to the Pacific Ocean whose wrath I had experienced last March. The only respite was that all of us managed to reach the island without getting seasick (yay!).

At the first glimpse, Havelock was a sunny paradise. It looked completely in line with the illusions we had about this trip: blue waters, sunny beaches and us sipping drinks at sunset. The reality, however, turned out to be much different. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Havelock island is known for its three main beaches, and the one most famous for water sports was closed due to the cyclone. Despite our delayed arrival in Havelock, we made it to Radhanagar beach just in time for sunset. This beach was given the title of the best beach in Asia by Time Magazine in 2004. Although it was a little more crowded than we had anticipated, we could clearly notice the different shades of blue the waves brought to the shore. The golden hour was cut short by racing grey clouds that drenched us completely. Not too bad for a cyclone-ridden day, eh?

Radhanagar Beach

The next day was rainy too (no surprises there)! We decided to visit the Kalapathar beach. The name Kalapathar (in Hindi) translates to Black Rocks, and sure enough the beach is not popular among water sports enthusiasts. The weather didn’t allow us a long visit to the beach, but the little beach was really clean and totally worth our time.

Kalapathar Beach

By now you might have guessed that our trip to rainy Havelock was nothing like we had imagined. So then, why do I still call this a memorable homecoming? Since the cyclone created unpredictable weather conditions, we had to spend most of our time at our resort. Thankfully, our little wooden cottage close to the sea was a cozy little haven.

Our Resort

Our resort had a private beach that was nothing short of a dream! Decorated with fairy lights, comfortable benches and swings, it was a perfect place to catch up with my people. Be it sitting and chatting at odd hours, watching the thunder strike on the island across the beach, trying to capture the moon on my phone camera, teaching our father how to use a tripod or playing cards on a rainy day, this place saw a family reunite in the true sense. This might seem ordinary to others, but for a geographically distributed family such as ours, it was a much needed break from reality!

When we come home after a long time, everything has changed. Our loved ones have some more grey hair, some more wrinkles and yet the same loving smile. While we now have a long list of places and people we call home, there’s something about this home that feels different: it is where we were moulded before getting the chance to find our own homes. A little whiff of home was the best way to end a beautiful year. Happy new year, my dear readers! I hope you stick around with me as I try to fulfil my new year resolution: building new homes around the world while cherishing the people I call home.