It was more like a dream to step in the land of the hippies on December 26th 2013. As I had always been in two minds whether or not to attend this event which attracted tourists from all over the world. I had been to Goa several times before but never during the peak season of Xmas and new year's eve during which this place would be overcrowded with people, renting a room would be beyond difficult, getting a decent seat on a bus/plane would be next to impossible. However it was something I always wanted to witness. My friends, who had already been to the Sunburn and Hilltop festival, told me a lot of atrocious stories to make me cautious and to stop me from going there. Some knew it wouldn't work and some just tried in vain. Although I was intimidated by the fables I heard,
I knew somewhere deep down in my heart that I was definitely going to take this risk. What I didn't know was that I was going to set foot on this journey of madness alone, all by myself.
As my last minute planning didn't really do well, I sat in a sleeper class bus alone and began my journey. I was just glad that I managed to get a seat because my last minute plan was literally last minute. Packed my bags in half an hour and sat in a tuk-tuk (auto-rickshaw) with a friend who came along to see me off.
To my surprise I was the only passenger who had no company. Certainly, people don’t go to Goa alone, not at least during this time of the year. I was being stared at by the other passengers whenever the bus halted for a break. On arrival in Goa I took a deep breath and the happiness caused a tingling sensation in my stomach then reached my lips n I smiled away until I realized I was being noticed.
The weather was rather more pleasant than I expected it to be. I was definitely excited and blood was rushing through my veins abnormally as I knew I would be witnessing the biggest event of the year in a couple of hours. After reaching the hotel where some people I was acquainted with were staying, I freshened up, got all I needed and started walking towards the arena.
The walk was about
a couple of miles long but one of the most interesting walks of my life. I saw people of all castes and creeds, different races, colorful attires, hippies, villagers and some people were even dressed like they were going to a cocktail party. I
couldn't decide who was what, my eyes merely looking at everyone to see if I
would find someone I knew. Two third of the people I knew in the world were supposed
to be present here.
As I reached the entrance of the arena, I saw people swarming around the place like flies. There were three different DJ consoles set up for different genres of music. As I was not a fan of any particular genre of music I was led by my friends to the area right in front of the main stage.
As dusk approached and it got darker, I found myself lost in the music and the crowd. It was not the music or the place anymore, it was just about observing things and people around me. I was like a kid lost in a carnival. I wanted to separate myself from my friends and have a small tour of the huge ground of Vagatore. As I went exploring things I found faces I knew and was glad to have found my friends from back home in this carnival. Everything was just euphoric. There was no particular reason for it to be but it was.
As I reached the entrance of the arena, I saw people swarming around the place like flies. There were three different DJ consoles set up for different genres of music. As I was not a fan of any particular genre of music I was led by my friends to the area right in front of the main stage.
As dusk approached and it got darker, I found myself lost in the music and the crowd. It was not the music or the place anymore, it was just about observing things and people around me. I was like a kid lost in a carnival. I wanted to separate myself from my friends and have a small tour of the huge ground of Vagatore. As I went exploring things I found faces I knew and was glad to have found my friends from back home in this carnival. Everything was just euphoric. There was no particular reason for it to be but it was.
There is no end to
the name of partying in Goa. Aftermath of the concert was going to be another
party but just somewhere else. Traffic was crazy and people were struggling to
get out of the place in their vehicles. I pitied them as they would be
dissipating their time stuck in traffic when the night had just commenced.
We headed towards
Morjim to continue the party in a place called Marbela. It was an extravagant
restaurant and club situated right at the beach. The ambiance, the serenity of this place was just perfect to set the mood right after the hustle and bustle. I gobbled some delicious entrees as I was famished and quickly headed to the dance floor. The light techno music and the cocktails were fine and the party ended at the break of dawn. I was informed that the crowd was
then proceeding to another place where the party would continue until 8 am.
This one was called Shiva Valley located at the Beach of Anjuna. The Shiva
Valley was a small restaurant-turned-club where people were dancing like
madness to psy-trance. Another great thing to see, unmissable. I was accompanied by a couple of old friends who I found in
the Sunburn Festival. Now, that was a relief because otherwise I doubt I would
have pulled off an all-niter so easily. With all the risk involved and the
place over-crowded with people, going party-hopping was not really on my list.
I was prepared for
this all-niter so it didn't exhaust me. After this long night it was
absolutely necessary to go for a power-brunch. A place called Fisherman’s Cove
in Candolim, Goa. A nice and heavy English breakfast and a cold beer was all I needed that morning. I had not got the
slightest clue of what was in store for me the following night, the last day of
the festival. I had presumed that my friends had just exaggerated the franticness of
this festival until...
On reaching the Vagatore
ground on the last day of the festival, I decided to climb up to the hill that
was facing the main arena to get a view of the whole set-up and the grounds and
to get a few shots. When I turned back to capture a glimpse, I felt like I was
in an Indian version of Disneyland. The humongous model of the Indian dancing God,
Nataraja, was placed at the main stage behind the DJ console and the Arabian Sea
was visible right behind. It seemed as if the whole thing was a huge arch
floating at the edge of the Arabian Sea with the gigantic dancing God and the
palm trees swaying to the tunes that were being played.
Some of the world’s
greatest DJs were playing their best tunes to make the crowd go wild and
exuberant. More and more people started barging inside the arena. I was not
even sure if the guards were still at the gates, because it didn't seem like
they were. Thousands more just got in and going towards the giant wheel or
bungee jumping or bull-riding was unthinkable. I convinced myself that I shall
experience the rest when I land here next. Yes! Again!
