It was almost dark when we made our way from the serene surroundings of our resort to Awas beach as I wanted to see the rising sun in this remote Konkan coast. Located on the northern side of Alibaug town, it is a one-day trip away from Mumbai. Although surrounded by human habitation, it is still an isolated beach and so very peaceful and tranquil. Away from the usual crowds and the rush of people either para sailing or venturing into different kinds of aqua sports that is so common on beaches nowadays, I saw only a few people either running on the gray-black sandy beach or playing a quiet ball game in one corner.
Walking on the beach front which stretches nearly two kilometers, I walked without a care in the world with my feet digging into the soft clean sand. With birds chirping in the distance and the nearby villages waking up to a glorious morning, suddenly to my amazement, I saw a few bull ridden carts ambling away towards the fading waves. This was again followed by a wave of bull racing carts and the riders beating the poor animals without any concern.
A local resident, James informed me they were racing carts and every day land up on the beach side for a practice session. The weather was very cool and pleasant and as the morning passed, I saw a huge procession of racing enthusiasts followed by people on motor bikes who were initiating the bulls as well as to my utter dismay, beating the huge animals with a stick.
Right from 7 am onwards, the practice session began and went on and on with the cart racing from one end of the beach to another end. The racing carts, the heaving animals and the shouting cart drivers made an unusual sight on the beach front. This is the usual scenario here , said James and added, “They practice every day rigorously as it is a question of how much money you have invested on each pair of bulls. The stakes are very high and each cart rider is supported and looked after by local political outfits and the land mafia. Lakhs of rupees are gambled away on these beach races where many farmers who put in their hard earned money have lost their land holdings in the process.”
As these light weight wooden carts raced to glory in the rising sun, I saw on the other end of the beach, a caravan of sand laden carts driven by farmers whose business is to collect sand early in the morning, escaping the eyes of the police in these remote regions and transport it to construction sites. It is better to forget these happenings and enjoy the tranquility of this beach.
A lonely beach and about 16 kilometers from Alibaug town, a visit to Awas is worth your while for its open view of the Arabian Sea that is surrounded on one side by swaying cypress , coconut trees, huge brushwood trees and the rocky front on the other end.
