We did the 'Diu'

I had just lost 3 matches in a row. Had it been any other day, I would have definitely played more matches until I achieved victory or the shuttle stopped behaving normally. But this day was different. So, I congratulated Shivika on her win and hurriedly left for my room.

It was a strenuous journey; navigating my way through the red-bricked walls, I tried to follow the shortest path. Running on the mud, climbing up and down multiple stairs and travelling underground through the underpass with cars cruising over me, I finally reached my room with a parched throat and a sweaty body. But there was excitement filled in my heart. I just glanced for a moment at a brown wheel-bag lying at a corner of my room and the next few moments went by scanning through the bundle of clothes and selecting a “privileged few” to share the ensuing dose of ‘48-hours “ossumness” ’ (yup! That’s how we spell it) with me.

So, 14 of us from different corners of the campus gathered near the SBI ATM in campus at 2100 hours to make the maiden trip after slogging hard for the last 5 months in IIMA. The time was ours and we were all eager to etch its every moment so deep in our minds that we can visualise them whenever we wish to for years to come.

We quickly caught hold of 5 autos and reached Star Bazaar to board the 10:30 bus. But it became an 11:15 bus. However, we were there to enjoy. Ideas kept pouring in. We decided to fill our stomachs with egg bhurji, omelette and half fry at the Egg zone thela; and what a treat it was. Woh masaledaar chatpata khaana jiske liye hum taras rahe the, wo hume aakhir mil hi gaya. An ossum start to an ossum trip. So, after the pet puja, we got on to the bus to follow the roads to Diu.

Well, our stomachs were satisfied, but our hearts were crying out for some more masti and dhamaal and so that was what we did. The bus was almost fully booked by us. So without caring much we started with baithe baithe kya kare, karna hai kuch kaam; shuru karo antakshari leke prabhu ka naam. Surprisingly enough (actually not to me), the girls team was on the losing side at the end of it. But the night, yet not over was asking for more. Some IITians in the group preferred sleeping (this is just a dramatization, nothing against IITians) while others decided ki ek dusre ka game liya jaaye. So we started with the Truth & Dare game which soon got converted to Tell us your top 5 crushes game; and yes, we didn’t spare the sleeping souls.

Need not mention, there was regular food stops to ensure that we always have a fresh foods inventory.

In this way, that ossum night came to an end but only to give space to even more ossumer moments because when we next opened our eyes to the mild rays of sun, we witnessed an island retreat gently rocked by the wind and the wave from the Arabian Sea offering an undisturbed peace and raising our hopes for an unusual holiday. As we put our first steps on ground, we saw a somewhat strange vehicle unique to Diu. They call it the ‘shuttle’.

The next 48 hours of our lives were spent in immersing ourselves in the beauty and serenity of the place. The days were full of exploring the city (a primary part being finding the cheapest beer available), playing with the sea-waves, conquering the huge coral reefs and we saw the Diu Fort, and behold its every sight justified the trip and made it even more worthwhile. As they say, a picture can speak a thousand words, words which I may not be able to think to describe the vastness, the beauty and the sheer strength that got conveyed from every part of the fort. What follows now are a few glimpses of that gigantic and marvellous architecture.

Well the beauty and pride of Diu is enhanced manifold by the fort. But Diu is not limited to this. Here are some more aspects of the beautiful city and some brilliant photography.

There are many more shades to the island city which may not have been portrayed through these pictures. We went there to get a break from the hectic academic environment of IIMA but surprisingly, we learned a lot here and the place helpedn us foster some strong bonds among ourselves. The later part didn’t surprise me much though as a place where four different languages are spoken, where people of different origins live so peacefully together, where there are 1175 females every 1000 males and where the literacy rate is 75%; in short, a place which has carved its own story of success without pointing a finger at the rest of the nation is sure to bring about some positive changes in everything that is associated with it.

Photography Credits: Chaitanya Tambay

Organizer of the Trip: Ankit Mohan aka Sapela